Up to 40 stations on the London Underground network are facing closure today to battle the outbreak of Covid-19.
Stations which do not interchange with other lines could be closed, while the Waterloo and City line and Night Tube services will not run from Friday.
Buses in the capital will be reduced and people are being urged ‘not to use public transport for anything other than essential journeys’.
This morning nine London stations; Arsenal, Barbican, Borough, Bounds Green, Bow Road, Covent Garden, Goodge Street, Hampstead and Manor House have been closed so far.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘People should not be travelling, by any means, unless they really, really have to. Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary, and that means they should be avoiding using the transport network unless absolutely necessary.
‘London will get through these extraordinarily challenging times, and ensuring the capital’s critical workers can move around the city will be crucial.
‘Frontline staff across our health and care service – as well as those ensuring Londoners stay safe and can access food and other essentials – should be commended for their hard work.
Buses in the capital will be reduced and people are being urged ‘not to use public transport for anything other than essential journeys’
‘We owe it to them to do whatever we can to help them do their jobs effectively.
‘I’m urging Londoners to only use public transport for essential journeys. Everyone should follow this and the other advice to help keep themselves and each other safe.’
TfL said it would also be gradually reducing the frequency of services across the network from Monday, ‘to provide a service for critical workers to get to where they need to – ensuring that remaining services are not overcrowded’.
London Overground, TfL Rail, the DLR and London Trams will also be running fewer services from next week.
Transport Commissioner Mike Brown said: ‘The advice from Government is clear – people should now only be making journeys that are absolutely essential. We and our staff are doing everything we can to ensure that people who need to make essential journeys can continue to do so.’
Passengers are being urged to check their journey on the Transport for London site before they travel.
It comes after angry commuters urged TfL to increase the number of Underground trains during rush hour as up to two million Britons continued to travel in and out of the capital during the coronavirus outbreak.
Travellers said yesterday they were still being packed in on rush hour services amid concerns over a lack of solid Government advice on travelling during the coronavirus outbreak, as TfL confirmed it was ‘matching service levels to the actual demand for travel’.
Confusion over Ministers’ position on pubs and cafes staying open – and what the guidance on avoiding ‘non-essential travel’ means – left many employees continuing to make journeys, desperate to maintain an income.
While rush hour passenger numbers in London have remained high, leisure travel has plummeted following Government advice to avoid social sites and gatherings.
Blue collar and gig economy workers are particularly fearful about the future as transport bosses began scaling back services amid lower demand, with many office workers following Boris Johnson’s advice to work from home.
Commuters wear masks while travelling on a London Underground Victoria line train yesterday
A commuter wears a protective face mask on a Northern line train at Clapham North yesterday
Among those calling on TfL to reinstate services was Sue Tuke, who tweeted at the start of last night’s rush hour: ‘Currently stood at Victoria station with about 100 people stood on the platform. Transport for London, stop cutting Tube services – it’s a virus breeding ground.’
Another said TfL had ‘successfully caused more crowding on every train I’ve been on today which just increases infection risk’ – while others claimed they should not be paying peak prices for an essentially off-peak service.
Tube passenger numbers are expected to plunge further after the Government advised against non-essential travel on Monday, having dropped by a fifth last week.
Some passengers said they had to wait up to 18 minutes for a train in Central London yesterday – far longer than normal – as people crowded platforms before making it onto trains.
Other passengers pointed out this will not help social distancing efforts to stop the spread of the infection.
Up to two million people were estimated to be still going to work in London in jobs in sectors including retail, cafes and the emergency services, according to cloud-based business telephone service CircleLoop.
Meanwhile Tube workers voiced concern about exposure to the virus, despite sources suggesting passenger numbers have reduced by half in the past few days. There is speculation that a number of Underground stations will close, with priority given to those near hospitals and police stations.