Leicester Square tube station
Northern line and Piccadilly line · Zone 1 · City of Westminster
About Leicester Square station
Early tube plans called it Cranbourn Street, but when the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opened the station on 15 December 1906 it already carried its present name. Lifts served the platforms at first. Passenger numbers rose in the 1920s as the Northern line reached Edgware and Morden, and the coming Piccadilly extensions promised more, so the station was rebuilt below ground with a new ticket hall dug partly under the roadway, following the example of Piccadilly Circus. The redeveloped station opened in 1935. Its Piccadilly line escalators, 54 m long, were the longest on the Underground until Angel reopened in 1992 with 60 m escalators. The old lift shaft survives as a ventilation shaft behind a small door on the Cranbourn Street stairs.
Above the red terracotta building on the east side of Charing Cross Road is Transad House, home to Northern and Piccadilly line management and a training centre. Its early tenants published the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is why cricket stumps appear above a doorway. Down on all four platforms, painted film sprockets nod to the four premiere cinemas of Leicester Square.
First and last trains from Leicester Square
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern towards Battersea Power Station, Kennington or Morden | 05:54 to Morden – 00:33 to Morden | 05:54 to Morden – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:43 to Morden |
| Northern towards High Barnet, Edgware or Mill Hill East | 05:42 – 00:39 to Edgware | 05:42 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:44 |
| Piccadilly towards Northfields, Heathrow Terminal 5 or Heathrow Terminal 4 | 05:45 to Heathrow Terminal 5 – 00:30 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | 05:45 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:37 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 |
| Piccadilly towards Cockfosters, Arnos Grove or Oakwood | 05:51 – 00:35 | 05:51 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:18 |
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 25 Northern trains an hour per direction and 24 Piccadilly trains an hour per direction from Leicester Square, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Leicester Square
Running times between Leicester Square and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Northern | Charing Cross | 1.4 min |
| Northern | Tottenham Court Road | 1.1 min |
| Piccadilly | Covent Garden | 1.2 min |
| Piccadilly | Piccadilly Circus | 1.6 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the Northern line and Piccadilly line.
Station facilities
What is near Leicester Square station
Standing on Charing Cross Road a short way east of Leicester Square itself, the station is the way into Theatreland, Chinatown and southern Soho. Wyndham’s and the London Hippodrome are only about 40 m away, the Noël Coward Theatre about 70 m, and the Agatha Christie Memorial and Cecil Court about 90 m. Cinemas cluster nearby: the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square (about 110 m), the Prince Charles Cinema (about 120 m) and Cineworld Leicester Square (about 150 m). The Garrick, St Martin’s and Ambassadors theatres are all within about 190 m, and the square is roughly 160 m away.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Wyndham's | 40 m |
| London Hippodrome | 40 m |
| Noël Coward Theatre | 70 m |
| Agatha Christie Memorial | 90 m |
| Cecil Court | 90 m |
| Odeon Luxe Leicester Square | 110 m |
| Prince Charles Cinema | 120 m |
| Cineworld Leicester Square | 150 m |
Frequently asked questions
On all four platforms, film sprockets run the full length of the walls along the top and bottom of the display area, black on the Northern line and dark blue on the Piccadilly line. They refer to the four premiere cinemas in Leicester Square, a short walk west of the station.
Yes. When the rebuilt station opened in 1935, its 54 m escalators down to the Piccadilly line were the longest on the network. They kept that record until Angel was rebuilt and reopened in 1992 with escalators 60 m long.