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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Milo Boyd

London transport facing 'biggest challenge in history' - how to avoid the chaos

Mourners in London and those in the capital during the Queen's funeral should follow a few simple tips to avoid getting swept up in the chaos.

At 11am on Monday the service for Her Majesty will begin, 11 days after she died at Balmoral Castle.

Transport for London commissioner Andy Byford has said that the Capital faces the "biggest challenge in history", in terms of managing the enormity of the event.

Between now and Monday 1,000 extra trains a day will run into and out of London as millions of people descend on the city.

A command centre will deal with the throngs minute by minute, rerouting public transport and advising police officers on how to direct throngs of people.

Another procession of the Queen's coffin will run from Westminster Hall to Wellington Arch on Monday (Getty Images)

Perhaps the biggest thing people looking to stay out of the madness can do is to stay away from the centre of London when the funeral ceremony ends.

Officials are more concerned with the rush away from the centre when the state ceremony finishes than the hours beforehand, when people are expected to drip into the middle of town.

The actual public service will run from 11am to noon on Monday, before the Queen's coffin will be taken on a gun carriage to Wellington Arch, with King Charles leading members of the royal family, before being driven on a hearse to Windsor for 3pm.

Those looking to avoid the crowds should keep away from central London during this time, and should avoid the surrounding areas and public transport routes directly after.

Mr Byford has said that TfL is "used to dealing with big crowds" and will take measures accordingly to ensure everything runs safely and smoothly.

This may include temporarily restricting access to the busiest Tube stations and directing passengers to other stations to "spread the load".

The queue to pay respects to the Queen's coffin is miles long (REUTERS)

The tube stations most likely to be affected are Green Park, Westminster, St James Park, Charing Cross and Victoria.

Those stations variously lie on the Northern, Jubilee, Victoria, Bakerloo, and Circle and District lines, which are likely to be busier than a typical Monday daytime as people head into the centre.

If you need to get around zones one and two, avoiding those lines is easier said than done, however.

It is highly likely that buses running on routes anywhere near the middle of London will be disrupted by the crowds, so those who can may find it quicker to cycle or walk instead.

The extra efforts of rail workers in the coming days means that getting a train to and from the city may be relatively bearable.

It should be noted that Avanti West Coast, which connects London with Birmingham and Manchester, is unable to lay on extra trains this weekend due to an ongoing dispute with its workers.

The Queen will be laid to rest on Monday (Getty Images)

As a result, heading into the city from the North West may be less than smooth.

In the days running up to the funeral, people will be queuing to bid farewell to the Queen as she lies in state in Westminster Hall.

As of today, that line runs west out of the Palace of Westminster, across Lambeth Bridge, and then east along to the South Bank to Tower Bridge and beyond.

Parts of the South Bank have been closed off as police officers and security personnel ensure the queue is orderly and moving safely, and so pedestrians in a hurry may want to move this area.

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