Tottenham Court Road tube station
Central line and Northern line · Zone 1 · Camden
About Tottenham Court Road station
The Central London Railway opened its platforms here, beneath Oxford Street just west of St Giles Circus, on 30 July 1900; its surface building, by Harry Bell Measures, survived until 2009. When the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway (now the Northern line) arrived on 22 June 1907 it called its station Oxford Street. Only when an interchange opened on 3 September 1908 did both lines adopt the present name, and the next stop north was renamed Goodge Street. Until 24 September 1933 the next station east on the Central line was British Museum, now closed. Escalators replaced the lifts in 1926, rising to a new ticket hall under the Circus.
An early-1980s redecoration brought Eduardo Paolozzi’s mosaics, their frenetic design a nod to the street’s hi-fi and electronics shops. Then came the Crossrail rebuild: a £500 million upgrade lasting eight years and finished in 2017, for which the Astoria theatres were demolished. It produced a ticket hall six times larger beneath St Giles Circus and the Centre Point forecourt, step-free access throughout, and Daniel Buren’s ‘Diamonds and Circles’, his first permanent public commission in the UK. Some Paolozzi panels were restored; others were destroyed. The Elizabeth line platforms, 230 m long and running to a second ticket hall on Dean Street, opened with the central section on 24 May 2022.
First and last trains from Tottenham Court Road
| 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 | 05:55 – 00:31 | 05:55 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:47 to Ealing Broadway |
| Central towards Hainault, Epping or Loughton | 05:49 to Epping – 00:31 to Epping | 05:49 to Epping – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:43 |
| Northern towards Battersea Power Station, Kennington or Morden | 05:53 to Morden – 00:31 to Morden | 05:53 to Morden – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:41 to Morden |
| Northern towards High Barnet, Edgware or Mill Hill East | 05:44 – 00:41 to Edgware | 05:44 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:45 |
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 30 Central trains an hour per direction and 24 Northern trains an hour per direction from Tottenham Court Road, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Tottenham Court Road
Running times between Tottenham Court Road and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Central | Holborn | 1.8 min |
| Central | Oxford Circus | 1.3 min |
| Northern | Goodge Street | 1.5 min |
| Northern | Leicester Square | 1.1 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the Central line and Northern line.
- Elizabeth line at this station.
Station facilities
What is near Tottenham Court Road station
St Giles Circus, where Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road meet, makes this the stop for the eastern West End’s theatres. The Dominion Theatre is about 70 m away and @sohoplace, built above the eastern ticket hall and the first new West End theatre in over 50 years, about 100 m. The Phoenix, Soho Theatre, Prince Edward and Palace theatres all lie within 400 m. Soho Square Gardens is about 180 m off, Bedford Square about 280 m and Earlham Street Market around 360 m.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Dominion Theatre | 70 m |
| Soho Square Gardens | 180 m |
| Phoenix Theatre | 230 m |
| Bedford Square | 280 m |
| Soho Theatre | 280 m |
| Prince Edward Theatre | 310 m |
| New College of the Humanities | 340 m |
| Earlham Street Market | 360 m |
Frequently asked questions
They are by Eduardo Paolozzi, commissioned in the mid-1980s: panels of tessellated, hand-cut smalti mosaic whose busy design reflected the hi-fi and electronics shops along Tottenham Court Road. During the Crossrail works some sections were restored or moved and others destroyed, and some of the removed pieces went to the University of Edinburgh to be conserved.
Yes. When the Northern line platforms opened on 22 June 1907 they were named Oxford Street, while the next station north was the one called Tottenham Court Road. After the interchange with the Central line opened on 3 September 1908, both lines used the present name and the station to the north became Goodge Street.