London Underground passengers faced delays across the metropolitan line and four other Tube lines on Thursday, August 27, after a reported fire alert at South Kensington station helped drive a severe morning disruption. The Piccadilly line was still mostly closed while work continued on preparing the track and new trains.
The delays hit the Central, Circle, District, Victoria and Piccadilly lines, while the Lioness and Mildmay lines on the Overground were severely delayed. The Suffragette line was suspended entirely.
South Kensington station and the route impact
South Kensington station sat at the centre of the disruption, with the fire alert listed as one major reason for the delays. On the Central line, vandalism on some trains at the eastern end added another problem for passengers already dealing with slower journeys.
That left a broad network hit during the morning commute. Passengers on London Underground and Overground services were dealing with five delayed Tube lines, two delayed Overground lines and one suspended line at the same time.
Piccadilly line and other causes
The Piccadilly line had no service between Cockfosters and Uxbridge, although passengers could still travel between Heathrow and Acton. Work continued on preparing the track and new trains, and parts of the line will shut intermittently at different times throughout the rest of the year as that work goes on.
The Lioness line delays were linked to a fire alert at Harlesden, while the Mildmay line was delayed because of train cancellations. The Suffragette line was suspended because of a fault with overhead power lines.
Thursday’s live London update
TfL described the disruption as a live news story, with updates due to follow as the situation changed during Thursday. For anyone planning to travel, the practical question was not just which line was delayed, but whether the route they needed was open at all.
By the morning commute, the network was split between delayed services, a suspended line and a mostly closed Piccadilly line, making the safest option to check the latest service status before setting out.
