TfL: The Bakerloo line will partly close for six days in August

From August 3 to 8, the brown line will shut between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone.

During this period Network Rail engineers will carry out £2m worth of improvements to a 16 mile stretch of railway in north London. 

This closure is being used to upgrade life-expired equipment that is prone to failure

Over the same period the London Overground between Euston and Watford Junction will also be closed, as it shares railway tracks with the Bakerloo.

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Some of the improvements include the renewal of the power system which supplies the signalling equipment along these lines, upgrading 3km of conductor rail and upgrading track switches and crossings.

Transport for London (TfL) customers affected by the upgrades can complete their journeys by using alternative rail lines, and existing or temporary bus routes.

 Alex Williams, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer at TfL, said: “We’re sorry for the disruption that Network Rail’s essential infrastructure upgrade work will cause to our customers’ journeys and are working closely with them to minimise the impact. 

“Closures of this type enable work to be carried out which will make customer journeys more reliable in future and are scheduled to take place, where possible, in school holidays when demand on our network is significantly reduced.  

“We advise our customers to use TfL’s Journey Planner or the TfL Go app to plan their journeys in advance during this period.”

Gary Walsh, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, said: “We know there’s never an ideal time to close the railway, but working on consecutive days means that we can keep the railway open as much as possible throughout the rest of the year. 

“I’d like to thank passengers for their understanding and patience in advance while we carry out these significant improvements to the Bakerloo line and London Overground.”

Alternative routes

Bakerloo line and London Overground customers are encouraged to use existing bus services to connect to alternative rail routes, including the nearby Central, Jubilee or Metropolitan lines, for fast services to / from central London  

Temporary bus routes 718, 719 and 720 will be available during the closure periods and will provide connections to the Bakerloo, Jubilee or Metropolitan lines  

• Route 718 will run between Queen's Park and Harrow & Wealdstone
• Route 719 will run between Queen's Park and Wembley Park (weekdays only, 7.30am to 8.30pm)
• Route 720 will run between Watford Junction and Harrow-on-the-Hill (via Harrow & Wealdstone)