Mornington Crescent underground station

A TUBE station was shut down for after historic tiles fell onto the tracks.

Mornington Crescent Tube station was shut during the morning rush hour on Tuesday leaving large groups of passengers forced to wait outside.

The closure was initially blamed on “structural damage in the ticket hall”, but a TfL spokesperson said yesterday (Wednesday) it was to give engineers time to assess the danger from falling tiles on the platforms.

The closure is the latest in a string of maintenance-related closures of stations in Camden in recent years.

Once admired for its distinctive red-tiled façade, Mornington Crescent is now known for its flaking paint and cracked walls.

In 2024, the lift was out of service for 104 days, and faults continue to disrupt journeys.

Staff shortages have also led to repeated closures, including one in July when TfL cited a lack of available staff. One neighbouring business owner said he was “not surprised” to see the gates down again.

“It’s typical of Mornington Crescent,” he said.

The station was also shut for over an hour on September 26 after what TfL described as a “local power failure”.

The government announced a £2.2 billion capital renewal programme for TfL in June to improve stations and infrastructure, many argue that for Mornington Crescent, that investment cannot come soon enough.

A TfL spokesperson said: “Mornington Crescent station was closed due to a small number of tiles falling onto the track. Our engineers attended the station and gave the all clear for it to re-open in the afternoon.

“Any lift faults are reported immediately so they can be addressed as quickly as possible.”

They added: “In terms of the general condition of the station, our staff regularly monitor all assets on site and promptly raise any faults or maintenance issues that occur.”