Central line will open tonight as TFL reverses ‘staff shortage’ measures

TfL had earlier notified customers the line would close from 5.30pm

Passengers were confused by the swift U-turn (Getty Images)

The Central Line in London will stay open on Thursday evening, TfL has confirmed.

Transport for London (TfL) had informed some customers earlier this afternoon that the line would close early evening, advising them to complete any journeys by 5.30pm.

A representative for the government body, which runs London’s transport network, also confirmed the closure to The Independent.

In the messages, TfL blamed “staffing issues in the control room, caused by sickness” for the curtailed service.

Now it says resources have been found to keep the line open for the usual hours.

In an email screenshotted by one social media user and shared on Twitter, Transport for London (TfL) tells passengers that “the Central line will close early due to staffing issues in the control room, caused by sickness.

“Complete journeys from central London by 17.30. After that no trains will run on most of the line, except a shuttle service between Leytonstone and Epping/Hainault until the end of the day.”

Elsewhere, another screenshotted email shared on Twitter states that “Last trains through Central London will be approximately 18.00 westbound from Liverpool Street and 18.00 eastbound from White City”.

At 2.30pm, a spokesperson from TfL assured the The Independent that staffing issues have been addressed and the line will run as normal.

Earlier this afternoon the MP for Ilford North, Wes Streeting, had tweeted: “This is a totally unacceptable level of service from TfL. I will be raising this with the TFL Commissioner, Deputy Mayor for Transport and Mayor of London. Passengers deserve better.”

He has since deleted his post, commenting: “Just had an update that the Central Line service will now run as @TfL have now managed to cover staff absence.

“Have deleted my original tweet to avoid risk of confusion. Thanks to @MayorofLondon’s team for the prompt response.”