Commuters may wish to avoid London while Queen lies in state for five nights, No 10 suggests

Commuters may want to avoid London when Queen Elizabeth II lies in state this week because it will be “extremely busy”, the government said, as rail bosses warn of likely overcrowding.

The coffin of the Queen – who died at Balmoral aged 96 on Thursday afternoon – will be accessible to the public for five days in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.

Millions of people are expected to pay their respects 24 hours a day from 5pm on Wednesday (14 September) until 6.30am on Monday (19 September), the day of the funeral.

No 10 has warned said that London will be “extremely busy” and that commuters may want to “change their working patterns accordingly”.

On Monday, the Queen was lying in state in Edinburgh after her coffin was transported from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral, which her children followed in a procession led by heir King Charles III, while crowds watched.

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The official spokesman of prime minister Liz Truss did not say how many people are estimated to attend the London vigil, but Whitehall chiefs in charge of the logistics have said they expect hundreds of thousands of people a day.

Rail bosses on Monday also said they would do their best to keep things flowing, but warned of possible severe overcrowding at London Underground stations near Buckingham Palace over the next week.

Queuing systems are expected to be in operation at Green Park, which travellers have been advised to avoid if possible – with crowding also expected at Westminster, Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Waterloo and other spots on the capital’s transport network.

Transport for London will be laying on a special 12 trains per hour service on the Elizabeth line on Sunday. The brand-new line is usually closed on Sundays for engineering and testing.

Various road closures around Westminster are also likely to disrupt traffic, with cycling also banned throughout the week on Birdcage Walk, Constitution Hill, The Mall, Malborough Road and Horse Guards Road.

The closures will see Cycleway 3, London’s main cycle route blockaded for the second time this year, with TfL cycle hire stations also taken out of service at various points in Westminster. Many buses that usually serve the area are expected to be put on diversion.

Sir Peter Hendy CBE, chair of Network Rail, said: “The transport industry is working hard to help people pay their respects in London and across the United Kingdom. Please make sure you check before you travel as we expect the road and transport networks to be busy.”

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Andy Byford, London’s transport commissioner, said: “At such an important and difficult time for the country, we are doing everything we can to ensure Londoners and visitors can pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen and welcome His Majesty the King.

“We are working with our partners to keep our city moving smoothly and to ensure that everyone who needs to get around or is planning to attend the memorial events can do so safely.

“I would urge all customers to check before they travel, using the TfL website or TfL Go app, as while we’re planning to run a normal service, there may be short-notice changes and diversions as a result of the large number of people travelling and necessary road closures.”

The PM’s spokesman said: “At this point, we can’t be more specific on numbers. We do expect it to be extremely busy. I think for the Queen Mother it was around 200,000 people (who attended). We expect (it) to be far more than that for this lying in state. But at this point, we can’t be more specific into exact numbers.”

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When asked whether commuters who typically travel into London should work from home this week, the spokesman said some people “may wish to change their working patterns accordingly”, but acknowledged “not everyone will have that ability”.

The government’s website warns that the queue of people to pay their respects to the Queen is “expected to be very long”.

It adds: “You will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down as the queue will be continuously moving.

“Please consider this before you decide to attend or bring children with you.”

Asked if there will be any facilities for people who physically cannot queue for 30 hours, the PM’s spokesman said: “Obviously we want everyone to be able to attend regardless of whether they have disabilities.

“Our focus is on ensuring they have the information needed to make the decision about what’s right for them.

“There will be toilet facilities, there will be first aid available, there will be the ability for people obviously to go and use toilets and return to queues and things like that.”

At Westminster Hall, the closed coffin will be placed on a raised platform and will be covered in the royal standard flag with the orb and sceptre placed on top.

Official guidance says that the queue will move constantly and that there will be few chances for attendees to stop. People are advised to “dress appropriately” and to be silent inside the parliamentary estate.