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2020 has been a wild ride and it’s obvious that Christmas and New Year’s celebrations will be severely disrupted, too. Confirming that theory, Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the London Underground, Overground and train network will not run through the night this New Year’s Eve as usual – stopping the temptation to celebrate the end of 2020 in its tracks.
‘We will be operating a normal service from Thursday evening to Friday morning,’ Tfl Tube boss Andy Lord says. ‘So, the last trains from London will leave at 12.30 am and 1am, and then start a little later on New Year’s Day.’
This means that would-be revellers will have to rely on night buses, which will operate as normal. Or Londoners may be forced to stay at home, especially if the capital is plunged into Tier 3 – where all pubs and restaurants will be restricted to take-out service only.
However, with no annual New Year’s firework display taking place on the Thames, the usually free travel around London is no longer a necessity. The Mayor’s office is expected to unveil details of a scaled-down ‘watch from home’ event next week instead.
The Waterloo and City Line is also expected to close, at least until April next year, as bankers continue to move away from the office in favour of working from home. Mr Lord added: ‘For now, our current planning assumption is that we will not reopen the Waterloo and City line until April 2021 because demand is low.’
Sad about the New Year’s fireworks? Here are some free and Christmassy things to do to perk you right up.
Get up to speed on travelling throughout this festive period under current restrictions.