Leyton tube station
Central line · Zone 3 · Waltham Forest
About Leyton station
Trains first called here on 22 August 1856, when the Eastern Counties Railway opened its line to Loughton, and the station was originally called Low Leyton. Its buildings largely date from a reconstruction in 1879, when a bridge replaced the original level crossing, with some changes made later when the station passed from the London & North Eastern Railway to London Underground. The Central line took over on 5 May 1947 as part of its extension to Leytonstone.
Leyton’s position on the bridge over the tracks is also its problem. The ticket hall is small and the barriers sit close to a narrow pavement, so TfL describes the station as severely overcrowded at peak times, with morning queues blocking the footway and an emergency exit used in the evening. The northern ticket office and entrance, dating from 1901, were removed in the 1990s for the M11 extension, now the A12, and the station was comprehensively refurbished in the mid-2000s. Construction of a larger ticket hall, new footbridge and step-free access began in February 2025, with completion expected by spring 2027.
First and last trains from Leyton
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central towards West Ruislip, Ealing Broadway or White City | 05:34 – 00:09 | 05:34 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:26 to Ealing Broadway |
| Central towards Hainault, Epping or Loughton | 06:10 to Epping – 00:52 to Epping | 06:09 to Epping – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:02 to Hainault |
Times are TfL’s published timetable departures from this station; on Saturday the list follows TfL’s “Saturdays and public holidays” timetable.
At the busiest hour on a weekday there are up to 29 Central trains an hour per direction from Leyton, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Leyton
Running times between Leyton and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Central | Leytonstone | 2.7 min |
| Central | Stratford | 2.8 min |
Connections
Leyton is served by the Central line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Leyton station
The station is on Leyton High Road, next to the A12, in a mainly residential district of houses built between 1870 and 1910. A TK Maxx store is about 90 m away, Leyton Library about 250 m and the East London Cabaret Theatre about 280 m. Leyton Mills Retail Park, New Spitalfields Market, the Leyton Orient F.C. stadium and St Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery are also within reach of the station, and buses 58, 69, 97 and 158 stop here. Stratford is the next stop west.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| TK Maxx | 90 m |
| Leyton Library | 250 m |
| East London Cabaret Theatre | 280 m |
Frequently asked questions
It opened on 22 August 1856 as Low Leyton, the name of the ancient parish, which in turn comes from the area’s position at the “tun” of the river Lea. Under the Great Eastern Railway it was renamed simply Leyton, long before Central line trains arrived on 5 May 1947.
The station sits on top of the bridge over the tracks, which leaves room only for a small ticket hall, and its barriers are close to a narrow pavement. TfL reports morning queues that stop pedestrians passing and an emergency exit being used to relieve evening crowds. A larger ticket hall is under construction.