District And Circle Lines Will Be Closed One Weekend In Three From May!

12.00.00am GMT Fri 6th Feb 2004

London Undergound Tube station sign

The District and Circle Line will be closed between Whitechapel and Earls Court for maintenance on 17 weekends during a ten-month period between May 2004 and March 2005. Currently, Transport for London are refusing to provide alternative bus routes.

So, between May and next March, the two lines will be closed an average of one weekend in three.

Simon Hughes MP, Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate said: "This shows a damaging lack of strategic forethought on the part of TfL. It is damaging to the image of London and damaging to the businesses of London not to put on replacement buses."

"Of course maintenance needs to be carried out. But Londoners, tourists and shoppers should still be given other travel options."

"It beggars belief that Blair's Mayor Livingstone has sanctioned TfL's plans to close the lines without providing alternative bus routes."

"One of the Mayor's main role to is promote London as a tourist capital. But he seems quite happy to leave thousands of tourists with no direct service to large swathes of London's finest tourist attractions."