At 10, the Night Tube saves North Acton 36 minutes on a Friday night journey home but Northolt just 4, from 14 journeys we compared. Updated November 2026.

The Night Tube has turned 10, and how much it helps you depends on which side of Ealing borough you live. From Oxford Circus at 2.40am on a Saturday morning, Ealing Broadway is 25 minutes away and Northolt is 70.

Transport for London (TfL) marked the anniversary on Thursday 5 November with a report with Time Out, called London After Dark. It says 88 per cent of the Londoners questioned have stayed out later because they knew public transport was running. TfL also counts more than 81,000 Night Tube journeys on an average night.

Six stations in the borough get trains through Friday and Saturday nights:

  • Central line: Ealing Broadway, West Acton and North Acton
  • Piccadilly line: Acton Town, South Ealing and Northfields

East Acton, just over the boundary in Hammersmith and Fulham, is on the same Central line service. Boston Manor, in Hounslow borough, is on the Piccadilly.

The rest of the borough has none. TfL’s route data shows the Central line’s night service going no further west than Ealing Broadway. So Hanger Lane, Perivale, Greenford and Northolt have no overnight trains. Nor do Ealing Common, North Ealing or Park Royal on the Piccadilly’s Uxbridge side.

How long it takes to get home

We asked TfL’s journey planner for the first option leaving Oxford Circus after 2.30am on two nights. One was early on Saturday 14 November, when the Night Tube is running. The other was early on Wednesday 18 November, when it is not. The times include walking and waiting.

Going to Friday night Route on Friday night Midweek Minutes saved
East Acton 18 min Central 44 min 26
North Acton 20 min Central 56 min 36
West Acton 23 min Central See below
Ealing Broadway 25 min Central 50 min 25
Northfields 37 min Central, then N11 64 min 27
Acton Town 40 min Central to Shepherd’s Bush, N207, then N11 53 min 13
South Ealing 40 min Victoria, then Piccadilly 63 min 23
West Ealing Broadway 40 min Central, then N83 56 min 16
Hanwell Broadway 48 min Central, then N83 65 min 17
Hanger Lane 57 min N118, then N83 63 min 6
Perivale 59 min Central, then 297 65 min 6
Greenford 68 min Central, N7, then 105 90 min 22
Northolt 70 min Central, then N7 74 min 4
Southall Broadway 70 min Central, then N207 82 min 12

West Acton has no easy midweek answer. The planner’s first option on 18 November left at 04:22 and arrived at 05:21.

Bar chart of minutes saved by travelling from Oxford Circus after 2.30am on a Friday night rather than midweek, from TfL's journey planner: North Acton 36, Northfields 27, East Acton 26, Ealing Broadway 25, South Ealing 23, Greenford 22, Hanwell Broadway 17, West Ealing Broadway 16, Acton Town 13, Southall Broadway 12, Hanger Lane 6, Perivale 6, Northolt 4.
Minutes saved on the journey home from Oxford Circus when the Night Tube runs. Chart by The Ealing Post
Share this chartFacebookWhatsAppX

These are planned services for those dates. Connections move the figures: Greenford’s midweek time includes a 15-minute wait at Greenford Broadway. Check again before you travel.

Northolt is on TfL’s step-free list, but has no night trains

TfL’s release says 50 Night Tube stations now have step-free access, “including the recently upgraded Colindale, Knightsbridge and Northolt stations”.

Northolt does not appear on the Central line’s night route, as set out above. The planner agrees. On Friday 13 November, the last Central line train it offers from Oxford Circus to Northolt leaves at 00:33 and arrives at 01:03. The next one leaves at 05:30.

So anyone reaching Northolt at 3am does it on the N7 bus from Haven Green, which arrives at 03:50 in the table above.

What the report found

Time Out and TfL studied around 200 Londoners from Time Out’s own research community for a week, from 16 to 23 September. They collected surveys, diaries, creative tasks and personal stories, and interviewed six people from the night-time economy. So the percentages describe that group, not a poll of all Londoners.

TfL’s main 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 think great nights out are increasingly spread across the capital, rather than concentrated in the centre
Artwork for the London After Dark report launch, 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. Image: supplied by Transport for London

The report follows a separate Time Out analysis that 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 given equal weight.

Ten years in numbers

The first Night Tube ran on the Central and Victoria lines on 19 August 2016. 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
An illuminated London Underground sign at Piccadilly Circus at night, with crowds at the station entrance and a red double-decker bus behind.
The Underground sign at Piccadilly Circus at night. Photo: supplied by Transport for London

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: “London at night has changed significantly over the past decade, and the Night Tube has evolved alongside it, helping people travel to work, meet friends and enjoy everything the capital has to offer after dark.”

“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.”

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

What it means for you

  • Living near the Central line in Acton or Ealing: trains from Oxford Circus run every 10 minutes through Friday and Saturday nights, on TfL’s timetable.
  • Living near South Ealing or Northfields: the Piccadilly runs every 10 minutes from Green Park. The planner’s quickest way to Northfields was still the Central line and the N11.
  • Living in Northolt, Perivale or Hanger Lane: catch the last Central line train if you can. After that, the Night Tube saves you six minutes or less.
  • Living in Southall: look at the train. Great Western Railway’s 03:36 from Paddington reached Southall at 03:48 on the Saturday we checked, and the 03:35 did on the Wednesday.

The Elizabeth line finishes early, so plan around it. The planner’s last train from Paddington to Ealing Broadway was 00:17 on Saturday night, 14 November, arriving at 00:28. On Wednesday 18 November it was 23:48. TfL’s release says it added a late Saturday Elizabeth line service to Maidenhead in December 2023.

Two closures coming up

  • This Saturday, 7 November: Elizabeth line trains will not stop at Acton Main Line, West Ealing or Hanwell after 23:00.
  • Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November: the Piccadilly is closed from Hammersmith to Heathrow and Uxbridge, including the Friday and Saturday Night Tube. The Central line is not listed as affected. On Sunday morning the planner takes 53 minutes to South Ealing from Oxford Circus, by Central line and two buses.

Both come from TfL’s planned closures schedule, and we list them on roadworks and travel in Ealing. For daytime services, see Ealing train times to London. For the festive period, see Christmas travel in Ealing.

Time Out offers the full London After Dark report as a download.