Angel Tube station to be exit-only at weekends and bank holidays from 2 January 2027

Mixed · 2Transport for London (TfL) has announced that Angel Tube station in Islington will become exit-only on weekends and bank holidays from 2 January 2027. 1 2 Mixed · 2The station, on the Northern line, handles almost 12 million passengers a year and has the longest escalators on the London Underground network; the Standard says the longest is more than 60 metres long and climbs over 27 metres. 1 2 Mixed · 2The reason is the condition of the roughly 35-year-old escalators, whose size and age have made them increasingly hard to maintain. One escalator, from the ticket hall to the mid-concourse level, has been out of service since April 2026. 1 2

Centre · 1The Standard reports that only two escalators are currently working. If both failed at once, the station would have to close completely because there would be no other safe way to clear it, and the escalators are too long to operate safely as a fixed staircase. 1 Left · 1Metro adds that TfL expects a second escalator could soon fail, and that the third also needs an upgrade. 2 Mixed · 2Richard Jones, London Underground's Director of Asset Performance Delivery, said that making the station exit-only during specific periods will extend the escalators' working life and give TfL more time to plan next steps, with design work on replacing them due to begin this autumn. He said renewal or replacement is a challenging, expensive project and TfL is exploring all options to extend their working life. 1 2

Mixed · 2Funding is part of the explanation. In Metro's account, Jones says that years of constrained Government funding for essential asset renewals meant TfL could not invest in new escalators at the station. The Standard puts it in its own words, writing that years of Government funding shortfalls left TfL unable to replace them, and that TfL says funding pressures limit its options. 2 1 Mixed · 2Metro says TfL analysis confirms that more people leave the station than enter it on weekends and bank holidays. The station stays open as normal on weekdays, with entry and exit at all times. 2 1 Mixed · 2TfL suggests weekend travellers start journeys at King's Cross St Pancras, about 1km away, reached by buses 30, 73, 205, 214 and 476. Old Street, about 1.5km away, is served by buses 43, 205 and 214, and Highbury & Islington by buses 4, 19, 30 and 43. 1 2

Mixed · 2Jones acknowledged that the disruption will affect customers, businesses and the local community, and said TfL will work with local stakeholders to reduce it. The coverage does not say how long the restrictions will last; Metro says only 'until further notice'. 1 2