Some stations sit across two Tube map zones, which can make travel cheaper depending on which way you’re going
The London Underground map now includes an impressive 11 lines serving 272 stations across an impressive 402km of the capital. Londoners who frequently travel on TfL know that every station is allocated a zone, ranging from one to nine, which dictates the cost of travel.
The zones within Greater London range from 1 to 6, with zone 1 being as central as you can get and zone 6 extending into parts of Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey. Meanwhile, Zones 7 to 9 cover stations beyond London’s boundaries.
The fare you pay on the Tube depends on whether you’re travelling during peak hours, and which zones you’re passing through. Sounds easy enough – until you realise that certain stations span across two separate zones.
Earl’s Court, for instance, sits within Zone 1/2, while Leytonstone falls in Zone 3/4. These stations belong to one zone or the other purely based on the direction of travel, which ultimately reduces costs for regular commuters.
Stratford, West Ham and Canning Town were previously in Zone 3, before being rezoned to Zone 2/3 in 2016. The fare is calculated using the cheaper zone, based on where a passenger touches in. For example, North Acton sits in Zone 2/3 on the Central line.
Should someone travel to the station from Zone 6, they will only be charged a Zone 3-6 fare, rather than a Zone 2-6 fare. Similarly, if someone travels to North Acton from Zone 1, they’ll pay the Zone 1-2 fare, rather than the costlier Zone 1-3 rate.
Here’s the full list of stations that sit in two zones:
Zone 1/2
- Earl’s Court
- Vauxhall
- Notting Hill Gate
- Elephant and Castle
- Kennington
Zone 2/3
- Turnham Green
- Manor House
- North Acton
- Bromley-by-Bow
- East Putney
- North Greenwich
- Willesden Green
- Willesden Junction
- Hampstead
- Archway
- Clapham South
- Stratford
- West Ham
- Canning Town
Zone 3/4
- Bounds Green
- Leytonstone
- East Ham
- Kew Gardens
- Hendon Central
- South Wimbledon
Zone 4/5
- Notably, there are no stations situated within Zone 4+5
Zone 5/6
Zone 6/7
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