Transport Commissioner Andy Byford told the Evening Standard : ”We need the personnel to keep the day services going and frankly there isn’t the demand for it, so there are no immediate plans to restore the Night Tube within a year, and certainly not before 2022.
“Securing the whole network is more important than keeping the night tube going.”
He said people going out until late will have the option of using night buses instead.
He said a daily cleaning regime using hospital grade disinfectants, UV light sanitising dsevices on escalators and 1000 hand sanitising points across the network meant that it has “never been cleaner.”
He said a recent Imperial College sample of air and touch points had found “zero traces” of coronavirus.
Flows of passengers onto trains will be managed by staff backed up by Metropolitan and Transport police officers to ensure social distancing of one metre is maintained and passengers will continue to be required to wear face masks.
Mr Byford said: “Platform staff will be making announcements asking if people could wait for the next train, but it is going to be a challenge there is no doubt about it.” Station entrances will be closed if necessary to stop them becoming too crowded.
Passengers will be encouraged to avoid the morning and evening rush hours .