London to launch “Night Tube” on the weekends
A 24-hour tube service is something London has most certainly been missing.
While taking the night bus is a cultural experience of sorts, it’s by no means the most direct route home, often involving hours spent hanging around bus stops in the freezing cold. On arrival of said bus, expect to pile in with a woozy mob comprising noisy Londoners, dazed foreigners and plenty of chips, kebabs and McDonalds. Regular out-of-tune singsongs take place, friendships are made, couples argue about who chose to get on the wrong bus and, eventually, what feels like many weeks later, the night bus will deposit you back out into the cold, hopefully somewhere near your accommodation.
The desire to avoid it is what spurs on hordes of merrymakers to cut their nights short and charge towards the nearest underground station as midnight draws near for fear of missing that oh-so-important Last Tube Of The Night.
All-night tubes would make enjoying London’s nightlife a much less stressful business. You want to stay for one last drink? One last dance? Go ahead. There will be no night bus experiences or eye-wateringly expensive taxi rides home for you.
Since November 2013 plans have been being hatched to run 24-hour tubes, and last month the much anticipated announcement was made—London’s Night Tube will launch on September 12, 2015, just in time for the Rugby World Cup, during which 400,000 overseas rugby fans are estimated to visit.
A section of the Tube’s Northern Line will be open all night on weekends beginning next year. Photo: Nico Hogg
What to expect
To begin with, the Night Tube will operate on Fridays and Saturdays across five key lines (make a note when choosing where to stay): Central, Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria Lines, plus the busiest section of the Northern Line. Here is a map. There will be six trains an hour between 12:30 AM and 6 AM.
What does it mean for Cheapos?
Quite a lot, actually. Apart from saving time and money on taxis, being able to stay out late, at least on weekends, without having to worry about how to get home means you can look further afield with your accommodation options. While many of the properties we review on Eurocheapo are very central, looking slightly further afield will make your stay a lot easier on the wallet.
For example, bagging a room at one of the lovely B&Bs in Kings Cross or a bed in a lively youth hostel in Earl’s Court will save you many £££s, and you’ll be perfectly placed to catch the Victoria or Piccadilly lines home after a night out in Soho. Cheers to that!
About the author
It may be better than the Night Bus, but I doubt if it will draw many customers away from the Knight Bus! For one, it won’t have a station at Diagon Alley…