The London tube closures this weekend stretch across five Underground lines, both Overground branches and the Elizabeth line, making Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August a weekend that demands some advance planning before you leave the house. The District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines all face major service gaps, with some disruption beginning well before most Londoners have finished their morning coffee.
District and Circle Lines: Morning Blackouts and Afternoon Gaps
The District line takes the heaviest hit. On Saturday 22 August, no trains run on the entire line until 10.30am. When services do resume, there is still no service between Edgware Road or Embankment and Ealing Broadway, Kensington (Olympia), Richmond or Wimbledon until 2pm. From 2pm, a series of further gaps kick in: no eastbound service from Stamford Brook to Barons Court, no westbound service between Earl’s Court and Stamford Brook, no service between Earl’s Court and Kensington (Olympia), and no service between Fulham Broadway and Wimbledon.
Those afternoon restrictions carry straight through into Sunday, running all day. Travellers heading west should note that westbound trains will not call at Barons Court until November. The workaround is to travel one stop east to West Kensington and change there for westbound services.
The Circle line and Hammersmith & City line follow similar Saturday morning patterns: no trains on either line until 10.30am. The Circle line then has no service between Edgware Road and Tower Hill from 10.30am to 2pm. The Metropolitan line is slightly less affected, with no trains between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Aldgate until 10.30am on Saturday, after which it runs more normally.
Piccadilly Line Closures and the Wider Upgrade Picture
The Piccadilly line disruption on Saturday 22 August starts in the early hours. No night tube trains run on the entire line between 1.45am and 4.45am, and from 4.45am to 2pm there is no service between Hyde Park Corner and Acton Town. Westbound trains will not call at Barons Court until November here either; the advice is to go one stop east to Earl’s Court and change for westbound services. Caledonian Road station is also closed to eastbound trains all weekend.
The weekend closures sit within a longer programme of works on the line. Transport for London has confirmed that part-closures of the Piccadilly line will continue, with most falling at weekends, though a small number will also include weekdays: Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays are among the days affected at points during the upgrade. Passengers who rely on the line for weekday commuting should check Transport for London ahead of travel in the coming weeks.
Overground, Elizabeth Line and the Windrush Work
Sunday brings its own complications beyond the Underground. On the Elizabeth line, no trains run between West Drayton and Maidenhead until 8am on 23 August, affecting passengers travelling out towards Berkshire in the morning.
On the Mildmay line (Overground), Sunday sees no trains between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction until 9.30am, and no service between Camden Road and Stratford after 10.15pm. Late evenings on that route will require alternative arrangements.
The Windrush line (Overground) faces a more extensive Sunday closure. No trains run between New Cross Gate and Crystal Palace or West Croydon all day, and services between Highbury & Islington and Dalston Junction also stop after 10.15pm. Those works connect to a broader track replacement programme in the Croydon area. Mark Davis, general manager for London Trams, said that by replacing key sections of track in one of the busiest parts of the network, the works ‘will help improve reliability and reduce unplanned disruption for the millions of journeys made through Croydon each year’, according to My London.
The Waterloo and City line remains closed, as it is every weekend and bank holiday.
What’s On Despite the Disruption
The closures are no reason to abandon the weekend entirely. All Points East returns for 2026, free outdoor theatre is running at Greenwich Fair, and the Barbican is hosting open-air film screenings. London’s bus network continues to cover much of the affected ground, and cycling routes around Kensington, Croydon and the eastern reaches of the District line offer a workable alternative for shorter journeys. Plan the route before you leave, build in extra time, and the city remains entirely open for the weekend.