All the London road closures and travel restrictions for the Queen’s funeral

The Queen’s state funeral is taking place today in Westminster Abbey. Hundreds of millions of people around the world will watch to celebrate her life and legacy, before she travels to Windsor Castle to be buried.

Elizabeth II died on Thursday September 8, placing the country in ten days of national mourning. As per tradition, the monarch’s body travelled from Scotland, where she died, to lie in state in Westminster Hall for four days, where hundreds of thousands members of the public queued to pay their respects. 

Massive crowds have already gathered to watch the procession in London today, and it is expected that there will be significant disruption to transport in the capital. Here is everything we know about road closures and travel restrictions so far.

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Which roads are closed in London for the Queen’s funeral today?

Transport for London has confirmed there are extensive closures in place in central and west London. 

Most of the main roads in the area between Hyde Park, Earl’s Court and the Thames will be shut off to traffic, along with the streets surrounding Battersea Park and all those roads in Westminster that have been closed over the past week. 

From 6am, there will be road closures on the A4 and the A30, with full closures in place in both directions from 10am for the state funeral procession, as well as multiple closures on local roads along the A4 route.

Closures include Parliament Square and areas nearby, Trafalgar Square and approaches, Hyde Park Corner and approaches including Park Lane and Victoria Embankment.

Chelsea Embankment and The Mall will also be closed, and various river crossings including Vauxhall Bridge, Lambeth Bridge and Battersea Bridge. Westminster Bridge is also closed, as well as the area around Westminster Abbey.

The Metropolitan Police recently released a map of all the expected road closures for the funeral: 

Monday 19th ROAD CLOSURES: From 5am as marked in purple.

Road closures throughout central London.

Cycles may be pushed. No restrictions on pedestrian access. Spontaneous pedestrian restrictions may be required for safety or security reasons. pic.twitter.com/a4M9t5hkHz

— Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) September 17, 2022

The latest set of road closures are available to view on the TfL website here. 

Which train and tube stations will be closed today?

Four stations – St James’s Park, Westminster, Lancaster Gate and Hyde Park Corner – will be closed throughout the day. Marble Arch will be exit only from 9am and closed from 1pm.

Transport for London has confirmed that tube services will start at 5.30am and run for an extra hour in the evening to help people leave the city centre. Stay up-to-date with the latest on the TfL website.

How will trains be affected?

Trains into and out of London will be far busier than usual, with services departing from the capital expected to be busiest in the late afternoon and evening after the funeral.

Network Rail’s London stations, including King’s Cross, Liverpool Street and Victoria, will stay open overnight to provide shelter for people waiting for trains home. A full weekday timetable will be running, along with around 250 extra services including overnight trains mostly serving destinations within the M25. The Elizabeth Line will be running one service per hour throughout the night between Paddington and Reading.

Are buses still running?

Due to road closures some buses will be diverted and others will terminate early if they can’t access central London. 

These are the bus routes that will are likely to be on diversion: 3, 11, 12, 24, 87, 88, 148, 159, 211, 453, 507, C10, N3, N11, N44, N87, N109, N136 and N155.

What’s the best way to watch the Queen’s funeral cortege?

On the day of the funeral, the procession will make a short journey from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey via Parliament Square. After the service, her coffin will travel to Wellington Arch at London’s Hyde Park Corner, and then to St George’s Chapel in Windsor. 

TfL has announced that public viewing areas to see the procession are already full and that there will be no entry to new arrivals. It has been advised for people already in the area to use dedicated walking routes to Hyde Park, where there will be public screens to watch the state funeral and procession. 

Read more: where will the Queen be buried?

Plus: when is King Charles III’s coronation and how can I watch it?