Asbestos removal closes station

Replacement bus services will operate

Brixton Tube station shuts for three weeks from Sunday while asbestos is removed.

Southbound Victoria Line trains will terminate at Stockwell and a bus service will operate to Brixton.

The asbestos, which was found during work to add another escalator and lifts to Brixton, must be removed so work can continue.

Asbestos dust can cause serious illness if inhaled, but London Underground (LU) said it is safe in its current state.

It has been carrying out regular tests on the station's air and says there has never been a risk to passengers or staff.

Brixton station is estimated to have an average of 27,000 passengers travelling through it every day.

If we are to improve facilities at Brixton in the longer term, then we must make this closure now John Doyle, London Underground

The closure will bring disruption to commuters, shoppers, and local businesses over the festive period.

But LU says the three weeks were chosen because they were the quietest of the year at Brixton Tube station.

John Doyle, general manager of the Victoria Line, said: "It's never a good time to close a station.

"But over the Christmas period the number of people using the Underground tends to be down by something like 30% on normal usage as a lot of people take time off.

"If we are to improve facilities at Brixton in the longer term, then we must make this closure now."

LU ticket holders can use normal buses between Stockwell and Brixton - including bus services numbers 2, 355, 322 or P5.

The tickets will also be valid on the South Eastern train service, from the nearby Brixton overground station.