London is heading into a busy half term and Valentine’s Day weekend with some of the most significant planned transport disruptions so far this year. From Saturday 14 February to Sunday 15 February 2026, key sections of the Underground, London Overground, the Docklands Light Railway and several mainline rail routes will be closed or heavily reduced for engineering works. For families heading to attractions, couples crossing the city for nights out, and visitors arriving by rail, understanding exactly what is affected will be essential to avoiding last minute stress and missed connections.
When and Where the Worst Disruption Will Hit
The main focus of disruption is the core half term and Valentine’s weekend itself, running from the early hours of Saturday 14 February through Sunday 15 February. Across these two days, Transport for London and Network Rail are carrying out coordinated engineering projects that will shut stretches of the Central and District lines, limit London Overground services on several rebranded lines, and temporarily close sections of the DLR and Elizabeth line. At the same time, separate works on National Rail routes around Kingston in south west London will see buses replacing trains on important commuter and leisure corridors.
Although some of the closures are partial and time limited to early mornings or late evenings, others apply for the whole day. Travellers who assume they can simply take a different branch of the same line may find that the disruption is broader than expected, particularly in west London and along orbital Overground corridors. Because of the combination of school holidays and Valentine’s Day falling on Saturday, services that are still running are also likely to be busier than usual.
In practical terms, this means that journeys which would normally require one straightforward Underground hop may now involve multiple changes, a diversion via central London, or a switch onto buses and trams. Anyone with fixed-time commitments such as theatre tickets, restaurant bookings, airport transfers or long‑distance rail connections should build in additional time and check their route more than once in the days leading up to travel.
Central and District Lines: Major Changes in West London
The Central line will see some of the most disruptive work of the weekend, particularly for passengers in west London. From 4 am on Saturday 14 February and throughout Sunday 15 February, including Night Tube services, there will be no Central line trains between White City and Ealing Broadway or West Ruislip. That removes the main red line spine that normally connects the Westfield London area, west suburban districts and central London in one continuous run.
In addition, a shorter closure applies in the very early hours of Saturday between 2 am and 4 am, when no trains will run between Marble Arch and Ealing Broadway. Night owls heading home after late Valentine’s events or early‑morning airport travellers should be prepared to divert via alternative Tube lines, use buses, or travel slightly earlier or later where possible.
On the District line, Sunday 15 February will see no service between Turnham Green and Richmond. This closure cuts one of the key green line branches serving Kew Gardens and Richmond’s riverside, both of which are popular half term destinations. Passengers may be able to reroute via the London Overground where services are running, or use replacement bus links, but should allow substantial extra time. Compounding this, eastbound District line trains are currently not stopping at Barons Court, a restriction that is due to remain in place until June, meaning passengers need to travel one stop further west to Hammersmith and double back east.
London Overground: Lioness, Mildmay and Suffragette Lines Affected
London Overground’s rebranded lines will also be hit throughout the weekend, with closures and reductions that fragment orbital routes around the capital. On the Lioness line between Watford Junction and Euston, there will be no trains between Kilburn High Road and Euston from 8.30 pm on Saturday 14 February until midday on Sunday 15 February, and again from 9 pm on Sunday evening. This will inconvenience passengers heading into central London from north west suburbs and mean longer connections to the Tube and buses.
On the Mildmay line, which links north and west London via Camden Road, there will be no service between Camden Road and Richmond or Shepherds Bush for most of the weekend. The suspension applies all day on both Saturday and Sunday, up to around 10.15 pm. During this period, a special service is planned between Stratford and Willesden Junction, but once that finishes on Sunday evening there will be no Mildmay line trains at all between Richmond or Shepherds Bush and Stratford. Travellers who usually rely on this line for cross‑London trips that avoid Zone 1 should expect slower journeys and more crowding on alternative routes.
The Suffragette line, another Overground route, will run a reduced service across its entire length on both days. While the line will not fully close, trains are expected to be less frequent, particularly at peak tourist times and later in the evening. This makes it vital for passengers to check real‑time departure information and to avoid tight connections if they are interchanging between Overground and National Rail or Underground services at key hubs.
DLR and Elizabeth Line: Targeted Closures in Docklands and the East
In east London, the Docklands Light Railway and the Elizabeth line will both see service suspensions that could catch out visitors heading for Canary Wharf, Greenwich, and destinations along the Thames. On Sunday 15 February, there will be no DLR trains between Shadwell and Tower Gateway. This removes a short but important link that normally allows passengers from east and south east London to connect quickly into the City. Travellers may instead need to stay on trains to Bank, or swap to London Overground and bus services at Shadwell.
The DLR is also affected by a longer term closure at Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich, a key station for the World Heritage Site and riverside attractions. That station is closed until the spring, with passengers advised to use Greenwich or other nearby stops and continue on foot or by bus. For half term visitors headed to the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum or the Cutty Sark itself, this change can add a significant walk, particularly for families with young children or those with limited mobility.
On the Elizabeth line, Sunday 15 February brings a series of morning and late‑morning suspensions. Until 7.40 am, there will be no service between Abbey Wood or Stratford and Ealing Broadway, and no trains between West Drayton and Maidenhead. From 7.40 am until 11 am, Elizabeth line services from Abbey Wood and Stratford will not run beyond Paddington. These staggered closures mean that the purple line’s usual function as a high‑capacity east–west express will be severely limited for much of Sunday morning, affecting airport transfers, shopping trips and onward rail connections.
National Rail and Kingston Area: Buses Replacing Trains
Beyond the Underground and Overground networks, mainline rail passengers face their own challenges. Engineering works near Kingston in south west London will disrupt services between New Malden and Twickenham from Saturday 14 February through to Tuesday 17 February, overlapping the full half term week. Throughout this period, buses will replace trains along the affected stretch, significantly lengthening journey times and adding the inconvenience of transfers, luggage handling and potential congestion on local roads.
The works at Kingston River Bridge involve renewing the track support system to boost long term reliability and reduce the need for future maintenance. While this is positive for the resilience of the network in the years ahead, it coincides with a period when families are likely to be travelling to and from the south west suburbs, Hampton Court and Richmond Park, as well as commuters still working through the school break. Those heading for rugby fixtures, riverside events or day trips should pay particular attention to altered timetables.
Elsewhere on the National Rail network into and out of London, passengers are being advised that February and March will see repeated weekend engineering works on routes into major termini such as London Liverpool Street and along the West Anglia corridor. Although not all of these fall squarely on the upcoming half term weekend, they underline the need to check journey planners and operator announcements carefully, especially if combining a Tube journey affected by closures with a connecting mainline service.
How These Disruptions Will Affect Visitors and Families
For many Londoners, complex weekend engineering schedules are an unwelcome but familiar part of life. For visitors and families travelling less frequently, however, the scale and spread of the upcoming half term disruptions may come as a surprise. Popular west London destinations such as Kew Gardens and Richmond, central shopping hubs like Oxford Street and Westfield London, and east‑side draws including Greenwich and Canary Wharf will all be harder to reach via their usual direct routes.
Families pushing buggies or shepherding young children may feel the impact of extra changes between lines, crowded interchange stations and longer walking distances from substitute stops. Journey times can easily stretch by 20 to 40 minutes beyond what online maps might suggest if those maps are not set to the correct weekend date. Travellers relying on step‑free access should pay close attention to whether alternative routes offer lifts and level boarding, as not all interchange options are equally accessible.
Visitors coming into London by rail for the day may find that they arrive at a different station than expected, or that they cannot count on the Elizabeth line or key Tube connections to complete their journey. With Valentine’s Day dining and theatre reservations in high demand, the risk of missing a pre‑booked slot increases if people underestimate how much disruption will add to their travel time.
Practical Strategies to Stay Mobile This Weekend
Despite the scale of closures, London will not grind to a halt. Many Tube lines remain unaffected, buses will be operating normally across most of the city, and numerous Overground and rail corridors will still connect major hubs. The key is to adapt plans in light of the specific changes in force on 14 and 15 February. Where possible, travellers should consider routing via alternative Underground lines that maintain through services, such as the Victoria or Bakerloo lines, even if that means travelling slightly out of the way to then return on a working section of the network.
Buses can offer an effective, if slower, backup, particularly in zones 1 and 2 where frequencies are high. However, road traffic may be heavier than usual given the number of passengers diverted from rail, so travellers should factor in additional delays. For short hops in central areas, walking between adjacent Tube stations can sometimes be faster than waiting for multiple connections; familiar examples include walking between Leicester Square and Covent Garden, or between Bank, Monument and London Bridge.
Another sensible approach is to shift journey times away from the very busiest periods. For example, those planning day trips could aim to depart after the weekday‑style morning rush on Saturday, and to return before the early evening peak. On Sunday, avoiding the blocks of time when Elizabeth line services are suspended will help ensure smoother east–west movements across the city.
Planning Tools and Last‑Minute Checks
Given that elements of the disruption vary by hour and line, the most important step for any traveller over the half term weekend is to check their route immediately before setting out. Official journey planners from the capital’s transport authority, as well as National Rail and individual train operating companies, are being updated to reflect the latest engineering schedules, replacement bus services and reduced timetables.
When using journey planners, it is vital to plug in the precise date and approximate travel time, rather than relying on generic or weekday route suggestions. Many apps will automatically reroute passengers around closures, but they may not always highlight longer walking distances or step‑free issues, so it pays to zoom in on station details and interchange notes. For complex trips involving several changes, a quick cross‑check of both outward and return legs can prevent awkward surprises later in the day.
Travellers should also remain flexible. Short‑notice issues, such as signal problems or knock‑on delays from earlier in the day, can further reduce capacity on routes that are already carrying extra passengers because of planned closures elsewhere. Allowing more time than seems strictly necessary, keeping alternative routes in mind, and being prepared to switch from rail to bus or vice versa will all help keep half term plans on track, even as London’s transport system undergoes one of its busiest maintenance weekends of the year.