Angel Tube station to be exit-only at weekends from early 2027

Angel Tube station will be exit-only on weekends and bank holidays from Saturday 2 January until further notice. This change is part of Transport for London's (TfL's) work to extend the working life of the escalators at the station, some of which are nearly 35 years old and are becoming less reliable and more difficult to maintain.

The station features two banks of escalators, one from the ticket hall to the mid-concourse level and one from the mid-concourse to platform level. The former are the longest escalators on the Tube network at over 60 metres long with more than 27 metres of vertical rise. Given the size and age of the escalators, repairing them when they fail is becoming increasingly challenging.

The legacy of historic shortfalls in Government funding for essential TfL asset renewals has meant that TfL has not been able to invest in new escalators at the station. TfL will continue to investigate options for renewal, repair and replacement within the funding constraints it continues to experience, but in the meantime is doing everything possible to extend their working life and keep the station as operational as possible.

Richard Jones, Director of Asset Performance Delivery for London Underground, said: “The escalators at Angel have been in service for almost 35 years and are becoming less reliable and increasingly difficult to maintain. Their size means renewal or replacement is a challenging, expensive project and we are currently exploring all options possible to extend their working life. 

“Making the station exit-only during specific periods will allow us to extend the working life of the escalators and give us more time to plan our next steps, with design work on replacing the escalators to begin this autumn.

“I understand that any disruption to the station will have an impact on customers, businesses and the local community and we will do all we can to work closely with local stakeholders to ensure that we mitigate the disruption as much as possible.”

One of the escalators from ticket hall to mid-concourse level has been out of service since April 2026 due to its deteriorated condition, leaving only two escalators currently operating. If both other escalators in this bank were to be out of service at the same time, the station would have to close to all customers as there would not be another safe way to clear the station. These escalators are too long to safely operate as a fixed staircase.

Angel Tube station will continue to operate normally on weekdays, and customers will be able to travel to and exit the station at all times. TfL’s analysis shows that more people leave Angel Tube station than enter it at weekends and on bank holidays, with usage generally lower than in the week. Customers who do wish to start journeys from Angel at weekends have a number of alternatives when the station is exit-only:

• King’s Cross St Pancras Tube station is around 1km away, with bus routes 30, 73, 205, 214 and 476 connecting it to Angel
• Old Street Tube station is around 1.5km away and can be reached by bus routes 43, 205 and 214
• Highbury & Islington station can be reached using bus routes 4, 19, 30 and 43

TfL has engaged with local businesses and stakeholders while putting this plan in place, and has held meetings with local elected representatives to explain the process behind the change to the operation of the station. These meetings have helped to shape TfL’s approach and TfL has done all it can to minimise the impact on businesses during the upcoming Christmas period. A full customer information campaign will also inform customers about the changes and the reasons behind them, with further information to ensure customers are aware of the changes in the new year.