South Harrow loses its only Tube line again from 25 to 27 August, the second closure this month. Rayners Lane keeps the Metropolitan. Every remaining closure date to November.

There is no Piccadilly line service through Harrow this week, and it will happen again next week. Transport for London has closed the line between Cockfosters and Uxbridge from Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 August, and will close the same stretch from Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 August (TfL).

That matters more at one Harrow station than anywhere else in the borough. South Harrow is served by the Piccadilly line and nothing else, according to TfL’s own station record for the site (TfL StopPoint data). On a closure day it has no Tube service at all. Rayners Lane, a mile up the road, is on both the Piccadilly and the Metropolitan, so it keeps trains throughout.

What is shut, and when

TfL’s published closure list for the rest of 2026 splits into two kinds. On some dates there is no Piccadilly service at Harrow’s stations at all. On others the branch runs, but the section between Harrow and central London does not.

Dates with no Piccadilly service at South Harrow or Rayners Lane:

  • Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 August (Cockfosters to Uxbridge)
  • Friday 21 August, Night Tube only, no service on the entire line
  • Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 August (Cockfosters to Uxbridge)
  • Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 September (Cockfosters to Uxbridge)
  • Friday 16 October Night Tube to Sunday 18 October (Hammersmith to Heathrow and Uxbridge)
  • Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 October (Cockfosters to Uxbridge)
  • Friday 30 October Night Tube to Sunday 1 November, no service on the entire line
  • Friday 20 November Night Tube to Sunday 22 November (Hammersmith to Heathrow and Uxbridge)

Dates when trains run at Harrow but cannot reach central London:

  • Saturday 22 August, Hyde Park Corner to Acton Town, until 14:00
  • Friday 18 September, Night Tube only, Hyde Park Corner to Northfields
  • Saturday 19 to Sunday 20 September, Hyde Park Corner to Acton Town
  • Friday 25 September, Night Tube only, Cockfosters to Acton Town
Piccadilly line closures affecting Harrow, August to November 2026 Timeline of the remaining 2026 Piccadilly line closures. Eight periods have no service at South Harrow or Rayners Lane: 18 to 20 August, 21 August Night Tube, 25 to 27 August, 26 to 27 September, 16 to 18 October, 28 to 30 October, 30 October to 1 November, and 20 to 22 November. Four further periods run trains at Harrow but close the section into central London: 22 August, 18 September, 19 to 20 September and 25 September. Source: Transport for London closure list. When the Piccadilly line stops serving Harrow Remaining 2026 closures, as published by TfL on 19 August 2026 No Piccadilly service at South Harrow or Rayners Lane Trains run, but not into central London August Tue 18 to Thu 20 Fri 21, Night Tube, whole line Sat 22, until 14:00 Tue 25 to Thu 27 September Fri 18, Night Tube Sat 19 to Sun 20 Fri 25, Night Tube Sat 26 to Sun 27 October Fri 16 to Sun 18 Wed 28 to Fri 30 Fri 30 Oct to Sun 1 Nov, whole line November Fri 20 to Sun 22
Source: Transport for London, Piccadilly line upgrade closure list. Graphic by Harrow Today.

Why the line keeps closing

The closures are part of a £3.4bn programme to replace the Piccadilly line’s 1975 fleet, the oldest still running on the Underground. The first new trains start entering service between December 2026 and June 2027 (TfL, 21 May 2026).

The new trains are longer than the current ones and have their doors in different places, so the line’s infrastructure has to be altered to take them. TfL says the work done so far includes:

  • changes at 119 Piccadilly line platforms to fit the longer trains
  • 400km of weight-load testing, with a test train run at its full 68 tonnes
  • upgrades to power supply, track, depots and sidings

Four of the new trains are already being tested overnight and during weekend closures. TfL says the finished line will run 27 trains an hour instead of 24, with 23% more peak capacity through central London, and that each train carries 10% more passengers while using 20% less energy. They will be the first air-conditioned trains on the deep Tube network.

Stuart Harvey, TfL’s chief capital officer, said the closures were unavoidable: “Although much of the hard work goes on behind the scenes, there are times when we need to close sections of the railway to ensure that these pioneering new trains can operate effectively and interact correctly with a wide range of complex infrastructure.”

TfL also says weekday closures have been placed in school holidays where possible, which is why two of them fall in August.

What it means for you

If you use Rayners Lane, you still have a train. The Metropolitan line runs as normal between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge during these closures, and it also runs east towards Harrow-on-the-Hill, Wembley Park and Baker Street. For most central London journeys from Rayners Lane, the Metropolitan is the answer on closure days.

If you use South Harrow, there is no Tube. The station sits on Northolt Road, and TfL lists eleven bus routes calling at it: the 114, 140, 258, 395, 398, 487, 640, H9, H10, H12 and the SL9. Two are the obvious substitutes:

  • the SL9 Superloop runs between Harrow Bus Station and Heathrow Central
  • the 114 runs between Ruislip station and Mill Hill Broadway station

Both connect South Harrow to the wider network without needing the Piccadilly line. Journey times will be longer than usual, so allow for it.

Two further points worth knowing. Over the August bank holiday weekend, TfL says planned closures have been kept to a minimum, but Night Tube and Night Overground will not run on the Sunday or Monday nights, 30 and 31 August (TfL bank holiday travel). And the closures on 22 August, 18 to 20 September and 25 September do not stop trains at Harrow, but they do cut the line between Harrow and the West End, so check your whole journey rather than just your own station.

For the roads side of the same fortnight, including the Highfield Avenue closure at Whittington Way, see our Harrow roadworks and travel page. For fares and timings on the main line out of Harrow & Wealdstone, see Harrow train times to London.

Sources

Closure dates can change. TfL’s closure list is the live version; check before you travel.