This year’s marathon is expected to be bigger than ever and travel advice is being offered here.

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TfL’s services will continue to keep the capital moving throughout the event. The easiest way to travel to and from the race is by Tube, bus, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) or riverboat, however, some stations and roads will be closed, so passengers are advised to plan their journeys ahead here or by contacting the 24 hour London Travel Information line on 0343 222 1234.

Motorists are also advised to check the website before they travel as there will be a number of road closures in south and central London.  Due to road closures and the demand on public transport, passengers are encouraged to consider walking to their desired location as part of their journey to and from the marathon.

There will be free travel on London Underground, buses, London Overground, Tram and DLR for all runners, race officials and on-duty St. John Ambulance volunteers from early morning until 6.30pm, by showing their race number, officials’ course pass, or tabard.

Road closures:

There will be extensive road closures on and around the route between Greenwich in southeast London and St. James’s Park in central London. To facilitate the event there will be significant road closures on and around the route. These will start being implemented from 7am on the day of the event. Notable road closures will include Rotherhithe Tunnel, Tower Bridge, Southwark Bridge and Westminster Bridge.

London Buses:

Buses travelling down roads affected by the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon will either be diverted or will not run the full length of their route until later in the day. Routes affected on the day are:

1, 3, 11, 12, 15, 24, 25, 29, 42, 47, 51, 53, 54, 78, 87, 88, 89, 91, 96, 99, 100, 108, 115, 122, 129, 132, 148, 159, 161, 177, 178, 180, 188, 199, 202, 211, 225, 244, 277, 286. 291, 341, 343, 344, 380, 381, 386, 422, 453, 469, 472, 486, C10, D3, D6, D7, D8, P12 and RV1.

For up to date information on bus services follow @TfLBusAlerts.

London Underground:

To help Londoners and visitors travel smoothly around the city on marathon day, all Tube lines will be serving central London as usual.  However, there will be planned closures on the Northern line between Archway and High Barnet/ Mill Hill East.

Customers are reminded that Bakerloo and Northern line services are not stopping at Embankment station as work to replace four escalators continues. Customers wanting to use either line are advised to use Waterloo or Charing Cross stations which are a short walk from Embankment.

London Overground:

 London Overground services will operate a normal service. However, services between Camden Road to Richmond will not operate until 12:30pm due to planned engineering works on marathon day. Services between Clapham Junction and Willesden Green will also be closed until 12:30pm on marathon day. There will be trains every 15 minutes between Highbury & Islington and New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon, and every five minutes between Dalston Junction and Surrey Quays until 10pm.

Docklands Light Railway:

On Sunday, DLR services will operate as frequently as every 2 – 3 minutes. Services from Tower Gateway and Lewisham will start earlier than usual at 5.30am. Services from Bank and Stratford will start at 7am. Customers can change between DLR and Tube services at Bank, Tower Hill, Canning Town, Canary Wharf and Stratford.

Cyclists who travel on the DLR during this event may be required to wait for quieter trains during the busiest periods. TfL would therefore advise against bringing your bike if possible.

Barclays Cycle Hire

The following docking stations will be suspended from midnight – 8pm on Sunday:

  • Tower Gardens, Tower Hill
  • Lower Thames Street, Monument 
  • Embankment (Savoy), Strand 
  • Whitehall Place, Strand 
  • Horse Guards Avenue, Westminster 
  • Northumberland Avenue, Strand 
  • Curlew Street, Shad Thames 
  • Nesham Street, Wapping 
  • Somerset House, Strand 
  • Upper Bank Street, Canary Wharf 
  • Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf 
  • Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf

Although all docking stations will remain available, traffic congestion in the area may make it difficult for cycle hire redistribution vehicles to collect and/or replace bicycles.

Customers are advised to check cycle and space availability online using the live docking station map. Click here to find out more.

Avoiding the crowds:

Greenwich town centre and the Tower of London are best avoided if you want to miss the crowds. Tower Hill and Westminster Tube stations also get very busy. Greenwich Foot Tunnel will be closed north to south on marathon day between 10.30am and 12.30pm. Alternative arrangements will be in place on the DLR from Island Gardens.

The finish line:

Charing Cross, Embankment, Green Park, Westminster and St. James’s Park stations and Embankment and Westminster Piers are all close to the finish line. People can meet up with runners after the race at designated areas in Horse Guards Road and on Horse Guards Parade.

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