London’s Night Tube Opens! How does it work?
Unlike many of its European neighbors, London has never really had the reputation of being a late night city for visitors or for locals. This is partly because the closure of the Underground network after midnight has made navigating the city at night a time consuming and costly activity.
Hailing a London taxi can cost a small fortune and riding the night buses can take a long time to get you back to your hotel.
However, all that might change with the arrival of the Night Tube – a boon to party people and budget travelers who like to stay out late or are catching a late-night flight.
What is the Night Tube?
After announcing the new service in 2014, the Night Tube has finally arrived! It offers a 24-hour service on selected Underground lines on Fridays and Saturdays.
At the moment, the service is running on the Central Line (that runs west to east across London including stops in Notting Hill, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Bank and Liverpool Street) and the Victoria Line (that crosses the city south to north, including Brixton, Victoria, Oxford Circus, Euston, King’s Cross, Highbury & Islington).
The service is due to start running on the Jubilee Line starting October 7, 2016 and will be extended to the Piccadilly and Northern lines later in the autumn.
How much does it cost?
The service costs no more than a standard off-peak journey on the Underground, whether that’s a single ticket or an Oyster card fare. Day tickets are valid from the day of purchase until 4:30 am the following day — so if you buy your ticket at 10 am on a Saturday, it’ll still be valid come 4:15 am on Sunday morning (although you’ll personally probably be exhausted!).
How will it benefit the budget traveler?
The obvious benefits are convenience and cost. Rather than having to navigate the network of night buses or shell out for a taxi, this will open up most of central London.
Even the two lines offering the service at the moment are convenient for traveling, servicing some of the typical budget hotel areas including Warren Street, Victoria, and Holborn. Party areas such as Brixton and Shoreditch (using Liverpool Street station) are now much more easy to reach — and return from — in the early hours.
It will also be a huge help for travelers who have scored cheaper flights or trains into and out of London, with Victoria (for trains to and from Gatwick), Liverpool Street (trains to and from Stansted) and King’s Cross (for the Eurostar) all on the network. When the Piccadilly line becomes part of the Night Tube, Heathrow will also be accessible.
Related: The Cheapest and fastest options for getting to the airport in London
About the author
