Late night tube commuters using the Victoria underground are facing more travel misery with London Underground planning to close the station earlier at night Mondays to Thursdays from next month until late November.p>

From 4 February, passengers using the underground line from 9.54pm between Mondays and Thursdays will be asked to use alternative routes while overnight work takes place on a major upgrade of the line.

The current Victoria line trains have been running for 40 years and carry 165 million passengers per year. By 2025 it is estimated that passenger numbers will rise to 213 million per year.

The firm said that two bus replacement services will operate during the early closures.

One will run between Finsbury Park and Walthamstow Central, calling at all intermediate Victoria line stations. This service will also stop at Manor House for connections with the Piccadilly line.

Another bus service will run between Victoria and Brixton.

According to reports, London Underground has been calling for contractors to bid for up to £400m worth of work to upgrade the station.

Victoria has suffered from severe congestion for some time, sometimes leading to station closures to limit overcrowding. As passengers numbers are expected to grow in future years, LUL wants to upgrade the station to cope.

The station upgrade is part of a £10bn programme of investment by Transport for London.

Howard Collins, deputy chief operating officer for London Underground, said full details of weekend closures will also be publicised nearer the time.