London's Transportation System Is Facing Its Biggest Challenge Of All Time

With Queen Elizabeth II's heartbreaking death taking the world by storm, her funeral is officially set for September 19. The ceremony taking place at Westminster Abbey has been meticulously planned long before her death — and it's expected to have a stunning turnout. Initial reports from the New Metropolitan Police in London place the projected number of visitors hoping to pay their respects to the queen around one million (per the Independent). However, with these expected numbers comes infrastructure challenges that London officials are currently facing. The primary cause for concern is the issue of transportation.

Sky News reports that Transport for London's Commissioner Andy Byford is anticipating obstacles as travelers venture off to be part of the historic ceremony. Though there isn't a definitive way of knowing how many people will show up, Her Majesty's funeral is expected to have over three times the turnout of her mother's. Byford told the outlet that their original approximation "or estimate is that there will be around potentially up to 750,000 people in the queue for lying in state." He added, "But then if you take the whole 10-day mourning period and the various events that happen during that ... we are talking well north of a million people." 

"So this is huge," Byford said. "This is the biggest event and challenge that TfL has faced in its history, and we must rise to that challenge." Since the queen died and her 10-day mourning period began, Transport for London has also seen an uptick in people traveling to stations close to Buckingham Palace.