The Night Tube is 10 and stops at Gants Hill but not Ilford, so we timed the journey home to 14 local stations by Tube and bus. Checked November 2026.

The Night Tube is 10 years old and stops at ten Central line stations around Redbridge, from Wanstead to Hainault, but not at Ilford. Transport for London (TfL) marked the anniversary on Thursday 5 November with a report written with Time Out, called London After Dark. It says more than 81,000 Night Tube journeys are now made on an average night.

The report’s headline figure is that 88 per cent of the Londoners questioned have stayed out later because they knew public transport was running. Around here, that depends on which railway you live near.

The Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights. The Elizabeth line does not run through the night, so Ilford, Seven Kings, Goodmayes and Chadwell Heath have no overnight trains on an ordinary night.

Two branches, a train every 20 minutes on each

The Central line splits at Leytonstone, and both branches keep running overnight. TfL’s night route goes to Hainault by way of Wanstead, Redbridge, Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Barkingside and Fairlop. It also goes to Loughton by way of Snaresbrook, South Woodford, Woodford and Buckhurst Hill.

Check the board before you get on. From Oxford Circus, the planner showed trains towards Gants Hill at 02:39 and 02:59, and trains towards South Woodford at 02:49 and 03:09. Both branches share Leytonstone, so that station gets one every 10 minutes.

If you take the wrong one, you can change back at Leytonstone. Miss your own and the next is 20 minutes away.

Three stations miss out. Grange Hill, Chigwell and Roding Valley sit on the stretch between Hainault and Woodford, which has no night service. The planner’s first train to all three left Oxford Circus at 05:19 and reached them after 6am.

How long it takes to get home

We asked TfL’s journey planner for the first option after 2.30am from Oxford Circus, in the early hours of Saturday 14 November. The times include walking and waiting.

Going to Leave Arrive Minutes Route
Wanstead 02:39 03:07 28 Central line
Snaresbrook 02:49 03:17 28 Central line
Redbridge 02:39 03:09 30 Central line
South Woodford 02:49 03:19 30 Central line
Gants Hill 02:39 03:11 32 Central line
Woodford 02:49 03:21 32 Central line
Newbury Park 02:39 03:14 35 Central line
Barkingside 02:39 03:15 36 Central line
Fairlop 02:39 03:17 38 Central line
Hainault 02:39 03:19 40 Central line
Ilford 02:39 03:26 47 Central to Gants Hill, then 128
Seven Kings 02:39 03:35 56 Central to Stratford, then N86
Goodmayes 02:39 03:39 60 Central to Stratford, then N86
Chadwell Heath 02:39 04:10 91 Central to Stratford, then two N86 buses
Bar chart of journey times from Oxford Circus after 2.30am in the early hours of Saturday 14 November on TfL's journey planner: Wanstead 28 minutes, Snaresbrook 28, Redbridge 30, South Woodford 30, Gants Hill 32, Woodford 32, Newbury Park 35, Barkingside 36, Fairlop 38, Hainault 40, Ilford 47, Seven Kings 56, Goodmayes 60, Chadwell Heath 91. The last four have no Night Tube station.
Journey times home from Oxford Circus after 2.30am. Chart by Ilford Today
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Ilford still gains from the Night Tube, even without a station. The planner’s route to Ilford via Gants Hill took 47 minutes. The next option took 48, on the Central line to Mile End and then the N25.

Asked for buses only at the same hour, the planner gave these first options:

  • Ilford: 69 minutes on the N25
  • Wanstead: 66 minutes, with changes to the N38 and N55
  • South Woodford: 71 minutes, with the same changes
  • Gants Hill: 77 minutes, on the N25 and then the 128
  • Seven Kings: 83 minutes, on the N8 and then the N86
  • Barkingside: 81 minutes, on the N25 and then the 169, leaving at 03:19
  • Hainault: 84 minutes on the N8

So on these planned times the Night Tube saves Ilford 22 minutes and Hainault 44.

Starting further east makes a difference for Ilford. From Liverpool Street at 02:30, the planner took 39 minutes, on the Central line to Stratford and then the N86.

These are planned services for one night. Check again before you travel, because engineering work can change them. TfL’s planned line status showed good service on the Central line for the weekends to 6 December when we looked on 5 November. It showed the same on the Elizabeth line for the weekends to 22 November. The planner gave the same Night Tube times for Saturday 5 December.

Crowds at the entrance to the Underground at Piccadilly Circus at night.
Crowds at the Underground entrance at Piccadilly Circus at night. Photo: supplied by Transport for London

What the report found

Time Out and TfL followed about 200 Londoners from Time Out’s own research community for a week in September. They used surveys, diaries, creative tasks and personal stories, and interviewed six people from the night-time economy. So the percentages describe that group, not all Londoners. TfL gives these findings:

  • 88 per cent have stayed out later because they knew public transport was running
  • 77 per cent say knowing how they will get home matters when deciding where to go
  • 55 per cent believe great nights out are increasingly spread across the capital rather than concentrated in central London

None of TfL’s own examples of that spread is in Redbridge. Its list of autumn news covers Apple Music Hall at Battersea Power Station, Blue Note in Covent Garden, the Ironworks venue at the Royal Docks, fabric’s concerts at St Paul’s Cathedral, protected status for Heaven and next summer’s 20th birthday shows at The O2.

In Ilford, the Kenneth More Theatre reopens on 31 December.

Artwork for the London After Dark report, showing an Underground roundel at night with the Shard behind, and the Time Out and Transport for London logos.
Artwork for the London After Dark report from Time Out and TfL. Image: supplied by Transport for London

A separate Time Out analysis put London first among 26 European capitals for nightlife and public transport combined, ahead of Vienna and Paris. It drew on 5,848 responses in 23 languages. People rated their own city on a five-point scale, and the two scores were weighted equally.

Ten years in numbers

The first Night Tube ran on the Central and Victoria lines on 19 August 2016. So the line through Redbridge was one of the first two. The Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines followed later that year. TfL gives these figures:

  • More than 50,000 journeys on the first night
  • More than 81,000 journeys on an average night now, with Saturdays typically busier than Fridays
  • More than 67 million customers carried on Night Tube and Night Overground services since 2016
  • 50 Night Tube stations with step-free access, with more work under way at Leyton on the Central line and at Burnt Oak

All stations are staffed while open and have full CCTV coverage, TfL says. It also says it is on track for high-speed mobile coverage across the whole Tube network, including in tunnels, by the end of the year. More than 70 per cent of underground stations already have 4G and 5G.

Christmas lights strung across a street above an Underground sign near Piccadilly Circus at night.
Christmas lights above an Underground sign near Piccadilly Circus. Photo: supplied by Transport for London

The Elizabeth line at weekends

TfL’s release also lists its recent weekend improvements, and two concern the Elizabeth line:

  • December 2023: an extra late-night Saturday service from Abbey Wood through to Maidenhead. Abbey Wood is on the other eastern branch, so this train does not call at Ilford.
  • December 2025: Saturday services to central London rose from 16 to 20 trains an hour between 11:00 and 20:00. The release does not say how many of those start on the Ilford side.

What they said

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “For the past decade, the Night Tube has been a defining feature of London as a world-leading 24-hour city, helping Londoners and visitors enjoy everything our great capital has to offer, and supporting our vital workers and businesses to boost our night-time economy.”

He added: “This report really brings to life how The Night Tube connects Londoners and visitors with our city’s incredible cultural offering, helping people discover new venues and events in new parts of the capital while ensuring they can travel home safely and affordably at any hour.”

Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “This new report highlights the growing importance of reliable public transport to London’s night-time economy, while the continued growth in Night Tube journeys demonstrates the enduring demand for overnight services.”

Coral Anderson, co-owner and managing director of Swift Bars, said: “When people know they can get home easily, they’re more likely to explore a new neighbourhood, stay for another drink and make the most of everything London has to offer.”

Ed Richardson, programme director for transport at BusinessLDN, said: “Reliable late-night transport is essential to a thriving 24-hour city, giving Londoners and visitors the confidence to enjoy everything London has to offer. Keeping the city moving after dark will be key to helping its night-time economy continue to thrive.”

What it means for you

  • Last Elizabeth line train: on the planner for the night of Friday 13 November, the last from Liverpool Street left at 00:55. It reached Ilford at 01:12, Seven Kings at 01:14 and Chadwell Heath at 01:18. The next was the 05:24.
  • Fares: Night Tube fares are off-peak, so a single from zone 1 to a zone 4 station is £3.60 with contactless or Oyster. A Day Travelcard stays valid for journeys starting before 04:30 the next day.
  • Any night but Friday or Saturday: the Night Tube does not run. On the planner for the early hours of Thursday 19 November, the last direct train from Oxford Circus to Gants Hill left at 00:20 and the last to South Woodford at 00:30. The 00:30 also got to Gants Hill and Hainault with a change at Leytonstone.
  • After that on a weeknight: at 2.30am the N25 took 61 minutes to Ilford and the N55 took 57 to Wanstead and 62 to South Woodford. Gants Hill took 68 on the N25 and N8, and Hainault 78 on the same two buses.

Our trains and travel page has daytime times and fares from every station. The roadworks and travel page has the current closures.

TfL’s release is on its newsroom. Time Out offers the full report as a download.