Expect plenty of road closures during the 2026 London Marathon (Photo by Sam Mellish/Getty Images)
Thousands of people will be making their way into the capital on Sunday for this year’s London Marathon.
Crowds of people will be supporting the runners as they take on the 26.2mile course through the city.
The course will set off from Greenwich Park and Blackheath Park and will take the runners across Tower Bridge and past such sites as the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, Canary Wharf, The Shard, Big Ben and the Tower of London, before finishing up on The Mall at St James’s Park.
There will of course be travel disruptions and road closures on Sunday, so read on to find out where you can expect them and from what time.
London Marathon 2026 route map
The full route of the 2026 London Marathon will take runners on a tour through central London.
The race runs along both the north and south banks of the River Thames at various points throughout its 26.2mile route.
But running such a large event will require road closures at different points throughout the day as runners make their way through the capital.
Which roads will be closed for London Marathon 2026 and at what times?
There will be closures right across the route of the London Marathon occurring at separate times throughout the day. Here are details of the roads that will be shut and their closure times.
Charlton Way (Red start) – closed 4am-2.30pm
Shooters Hill Road (Blue start) – closed 4am-2.30pm
St John’s Park (Pink start) – closed 7am-2.30pm
Charlton Park Road (Red route) – closed 7am-2.30pm
Shooters Hill Road (Blue route) – closed 7am-2.30pm
Old Dover Road (Pink route) – closed 7am-2.30pm
Little Heath (Red route) – closed 7am-2.30pm
Charlton Park Lane (Blue route) – closed 7am-2.30pm
Artillery Place (Red route) – closed 7am-2.30pm
John Wilson Street (Blue route) – closed 7am-2.30pm
Woolwich Church Street – closed 7am-3pm
Woolwich Road – closed 7am-3pm
Trafalgar Road – closed 7am-4pm
Creek Road – closed 7am-4pm
Evelyn Street – closed 8am-4pm
Surrey QuaysRoad – closed 8am-4pm
Salter Road – closed 8am-4pm
Brunel Road – closed 8am-4pm
Jamaica Road – closed 8am-4pm
Tower Bridge – closed 8am-8.30pm
The Highway (South side) – closed 8am-8.30pm
Narrow Street – closed 8am-8.30pm
Westferry Road – closed 8am-8.30pm
East Ferry Road – closed 8am-8.30pm
Marsh Wall – closed 8am-8.30pm
Bank Street – closed 8am-8.30pm
North Colonnade – closed 8am-8.30pm
Poplar High Street – closed 8am-8.30pm
Commercial Road – closed 8am-8.30pm
The Highway (North side) – closed 8am-8.30pm
Byward Street – closed 7.30am-9pm
Upper/Lower Thames Street – closed 7.30am-9pm
Victoria Embankment – closed 7.30am-10pm
Parliament Square – closed 7.30am-10pm
Birdcage Walk (Eastbound) – closed from 6am Friday, April 24 to 6am Monday, April 27
Birdcage Walk (westbound) – closed from 6am Saturday, April 25 to 6am Monday, April 27
For more information on road closures, download the official guide from the TCS London Marathon website.
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London Underground on marathon day
Like past years, the London Underground, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway are expected to run extra services throughout marathon day and are recommended as the best way to get around to keep up with the race action.
Due to the nature of the day, expect services to be busy with crowds of spectators along the route.
An Elizabeth line train pulls into a busy platform with commuters (Credits: In Pictures via Getty Images)
Stops near the marathon route are likely to be very busy, especially the Jubilee, Circle and District lines, and the DLR.
On Sunday, the Waterloo & City line will be completely closed, and there are part closures on the Piccadilly line between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge, and Cockfosters and King’s Cross St. Pancras.
Transport for London is encouraging everyone to plan their journeys in advance and check the TfL website or TfL Go app for the latest travel information.
And remember, marathon runners wearing their bibs can travel on the Tube and London buses for free.
Buses on marathon day
Bus routes along the route of the marathon will either be diverted or will not run the length of their usual journey until the roads are back open.
If travelling by bus on the day, visit tfl.gov.uk/bus/status to see if your bus route is affected.
What time does the London Marathon start?
Official timings haven’t been confirmed but following last year’s Marathon it’s expected that the race will kick off at around 8.50am when the Elite Wheelchairs class sets off.
Elite Women will follow at around 9.05am, with Elite Men at 9.35am.
The mass event will then open for all other racers to set off between 9.35am and 11.30am.
Start times are allocated based on runners’ predicted finish time, which will have been given to organisers ahead of time.
Runners are given a total of eight hours to finish the marathon – anyone who takes longer than this will be moved to continue running on the pavement, and London Marathon staff will help them reach the finish line.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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