Angel station in Islington, one of London's busiest Tube stations, will become exit-only on weekends and bank holidays from January 2 next year. Passengers will not be able to enter the station during these periods as engineers work to fix ageing escalators.
The station, which handles almost 12 million passengers a year, has two sets of escalators connecting the ticket hall, intermediate concourse and platforms. The longest escalator stretches more than 60 metres and climbs over 27 metres, making it the longest on the London Underground network.
Escalator repairs and funding pressures
The decision to restrict access comes as engineers grapple with repairs to the station's 35-year-old escalators. Their sheer size and age have made maintenance increasingly difficult for TfL.
Years of Government funding shortfalls have meant TfL has been unable to replace the ageing escalators. TfL says it is exploring ways to repair or replace them, but ongoing funding pressures are limiting its options.
Impact on passengers
Engineers are focusing their efforts on keeping the escalators running for as long as possible. The restrictions will apply on weekends and bank holidays from January 2.
