Key city of London subway line to reopen as workers trickle back

[LONDON] The 2.4-kilometer Waterloo & City subway line will reopen next month as workers slowly return to offices in London after months of working from home.

The underground line, which runs under the river Thames and links the Waterloo commuter hub with London's main financial district, will reopen June 21, Transport for London said in a statement.

The route was closed in March 2020, when the country first went into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

City centers in many parts of the world are tentatively reopening even as outbreaks in places including India and Singapore prompt fresh restrictions.

The London announcement comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned late Friday that rising cases of the India variant could force the UK government to delay plans to lift pandemic measures.

The reopening is "vital" to the district's recovery, said Catherine McGuinness, policy chair at the City of London Corporation. It "will provide reassurance to the many businesses which rely on commuter traffic for trade."

The service will run on weekdays with trains leaving every five minutes from 6 am to 10 am and from 3.30 pm to 7 pm.

BLOOMBERG