Night Tube
The Night Tube is the all-night service that runs on some London Underground lines on Friday and Saturday nights, alongside the city's network of night buses. It was introduced in 2016: on those nights trains on the selected lines keep running through the night instead of stopping around midnight.
In practice
Only certain lines, and on some lines only certain branches, run through the night, with trains less frequent than in the day. Off-peak fares apply, and Oyster and contactless work as usual. On other nights, and to the many areas the Night Tube does not reach, night buses take over; their route numbers usually start with N, and many ordinary bus routes also run 24 hours. TfL's journey planner shows what is running at the time you will travel.
Why it matters to newcomers
If you live in an area served by a Night Tube line, weekend evenings in the West End or the City end without a taxi fare. Check the map before choosing a flat if late nights matter to you: the difference between a Night Tube line and two night buses is real at three in the morning.
Related
- Oyster - payment works the same at night
- Zones - fares at night follow the off-peak rate
- West End - where most late journeys start
Source: Transport for London: Night Tube.