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People waiting in line outside Westminster Hall with Parliament in the background
Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET / EPA
The British capital is gearing up for a logistical peak performance: the Transport for London (TfL) authority expects around one million visitors to attend the funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
"We are prepared for one of the busiest days Transport for London has ever seen," said TfL boss Andy Byford.
It is difficult to say exactly how many more people would arrive, but one is prepared for a potentially one million person.
Employees from all parts of the organization worked to ensure that visitors could drive around the city.
The funeral service will take place in Westminster Abbey on Monday afternoon with more than 2,000 invited guests.
Many heads of state and government from all over the world came to London at the weekend.
Among them Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
After signing the book of condolences, Trudeau said the Queen had "all her life served, bearing the weight of her obligations with impeccable grace."
US President Joe Biden also arrived in London on Saturday evening.
On Sunday evening, the new King Charles III.
received dozens of foreign officials and dignitaries at Buckingham Palace.
Germany will be represented by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Hundreds of thousands of citizens have been parading past the coffin of the Queen, who died at the age of 96, since Wednesday evening.
The mourners put up with long waiting times of at times more than 24 hours.
According to the London Ambulance Service, 435 people waiting had to receive medical treatment by Saturday - often with head injuries as they passed out and fell.
Westminster Hall, with the Queen's coffin, will remain open to the public until 6:30 a.m. local time on Monday morning.
Largest use in public transport for ten years
The chairman of the rail network operator Network Rail, Peter Hendy, warned of "extremely busy" trains.
"This is the largest deployment in public transport since the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012." They work closely with all train operators.
According to the information, around 250 additional train connections will be offered on Monday – including some night trains.
Planned motorway closures across England are also being suspended to minimize the risk of congestion on the transport network on Monday afternoon when visitors leave the capital.
kig/dpa/afp