London · a typical autumn week
How full London’s trains are at every quarter-hour: the Tube, Overground, DLR and Elizabeth line, day by day
The average Northern line train from Clapham North to Stockwell at 08:15 carries about 600 people on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday: 3.0 for every seat. On a Friday it carries about 320, 1.6 per seat, as many as a midweek train at 06:45. Choose two stations to see how full the trains on your journey are, stretch by stretch, at every quarter-hour of the week.
From Transport for London’s model of every Tube, Overground, DLR and Elizabeth line train on a typical autumn 2025 day (published August 2026), with seats per train from TfL’s rolling-stock sheets. Each figure is an estimate for the average train in that quarter-hour; single trains and carriages vary.
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Click a station on the map to start or end a journey there.
The same journey at every quarter-hour of the week
- under 0.5
- 0.5–0.9
- 0.9–1.3
- 1.3–2
- 2–3
- 3 or more
People for every seat
- under 0.5
- 0.5–0.9
- 0.9–1.3
- 1.3–2
- 2–3
- 3 or more
Is the Tube quieter on Fridays? In the morning, yes: on most Tube lines a Friday rush-hour train is as full as a midweek one an hour to an hour and a half earlier
Between 08:00 and 09:00, London’s trains carry 85% of their Tuesday-to-Thursday load on a Monday and 65% on a Friday. Over the whole day the gap is smaller (Friday 92%), because Friday afternoons and evenings are busy.
Take every stretch between two stations at every quarter-hour from 07:00 to 10:00. On a Tuesday to Thursday the average train has more people than seats in 32% of them; on a Monday in 25%; on a Friday in 16%, half as often as midweek.
The model agrees with the ticket barriers. On the median day of autumn 2025, Tube taps on a Monday were 87% of a midweek day and on a Friday 92%; the model, which covers all of TfL’s trains, gives 87% and 92%.
The fullest stretch of each line, Tuesday to Thursday, and the same quarter-hour on other days
| Line | Fullest stretch | Time | Tue–Thu | Monday | Friday | Friday is as full as Tue–Thu at | People per seat, Mon · Tue–Thu · Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windrush line | New Cross Gate → Surrey Quays | 07:45 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 07:00 | |
| Mildmay line | Imperial Wharf → West Brompton | 07:45 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 07:15 | |
| Elizabeth line | Whitechapel → Stratford | 17:45 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 16:30 | |
| Northern line | Clapham North → Stockwell | 08:15 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 06:45 | |
| Weaver line | Hackney Downs → Bethnal Green (Overground) | 08:30 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 06:45 | |
| Suffragette line | Leyton Midland Road → Walthamstow Queens Road | 08:00 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 07:15 | |
| Victoria line | Euston → Warren Street | 08:30 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 07:15 | |
| District line | Sloane Square → Victoria | 08:15 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 07:15 | |
| Jubilee line | Bermondsey → London Bridge | 08:30 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 07:00 | |
| Circle and Hammersmith & City lines | King's Cross St Pancras → Farringdon | 08:45 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 07:30 | |
| Waterloo & City line | Waterloo → Bank | 08:15 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 07:00 | |
| Central line | Bethnal Green → Liverpool Street | 08:45 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 06:00 | |
| DLR | South Quay → Heron Quays | 08:15 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 07:30 | |
| Lioness line | Stonebridge Park → Harlesden | 08:15 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 07:15 | |
| Metropolitan line | King's Cross St Pancras → Farringdon | 08:45 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 07:30 | |
| Piccadilly line | South Ealing → Acton Town | 08:00 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 07:15 | |
| Bakerloo line | Baker Street → Regent's Park | 08:30 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 07:30 | |
| Liberty line | Emerson Park → Romford | 07:45 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 07:30 |
Which line is the most crowded? Counted in people for every seat, the ten fullest stretches are all on the Overground and the Elizabeth line
Counted in people for every seat, the fullest stretch in London is on the Windrush line, between New Cross Gate and Surrey Quays at 07:45 on a midweek morning: about 793 people on a five-car train with 186 seats, 4.3 for every seat. Of the ten fullest stretches, five are on the Windrush line, three on the Mildmay line and two on the Elizabeth line.
The Elizabeth line carries the most people per train: about 1,385 at 17:45 from Whitechapel to Stratford, against the 1,497 TfL gives as the full capacity of a nine-car train with standing. On the Tube, the fullest stretch is the Northern line from Clapham North to Stockwell at 08:15 (3.0 per seat), then the Victoria line from Euston to Warren Street (2.6).
People per seat is the measure that answers whether you will sit down, but it is not the only way to rank crowding: Overground and Elizabeth line trains have wide carriages with more floor to stand on for each seat than a Tube train. Against the full capacity with standing that TfL gives, the Northern line’s 600 is 80% of its 752 and the Elizabeth line’s 1,385 is 93% of 1,497.
| Line | Stretch | Tue–Thu at | People per train | Per seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windrush line | New Cross Gate → Surrey Quays | 07:45 | 793 | 4.3 |
| Windrush line | Brockley → New Cross Gate | 07:45 | 747 | 4.0 |
| Windrush line | Honor Oak Park → Brockley | 07:45 | 671 | 3.6 |
| Mildmay line | Imperial Wharf → West Brompton | 07:45 | 644 | 3.5 |
| Mildmay line | West Brompton → Kensington (Olympia) | 07:45 | 634 | 3.4 |
| Elizabeth line | Whitechapel → Stratford | 17:45 | 1,385 | 3.4 |
| Windrush line | Surrey Quays → Canada Water | 07:45 | 599 | 3.2 |
| Elizabeth line | Stratford → Whitechapel | 08:15 | 1,320 | 3.2 |
| Mildmay line | Clapham Junction → Imperial Wharf | 08:00 | 591 | 3.2 |
| Windrush line | Queens Road Peckham → Surrey Quays | 08:00 | 590 | 3.2 |
| Windrush line | Forest Hill → Honor Oak Park | 07:45 | 589 | 3.2 |
| Windrush line | Surrey Quays → New Cross Gate | 18:15 | 577 | 3.1 |
| Elizabeth line | Whitechapel → Liverpool Street | 08:45 | 1,270 | 3.1 |
| Northern line | Clapham North → Stockwell | 08:15 | 600 | 3.0 |
| Weaver line | Hackney Downs → Bethnal Green (Overground) | 08:30 | 1,132 | 3.0 |
| Northern line | London Bridge → Bank | 08:45 | 591 | 3.0 |
| Suffragette line | Leyton Midland Road → Walthamstow Queens Road | 08:00 | 558 | 3.0 |
| Elizabeth line | Acton Main Line → Paddington | 08:00 | 1,211 | 2.9 |
| Elizabeth line | Liverpool Street → Whitechapel | 17:45 | 1,205 | 2.9 |
| Elizabeth line | Canary Wharf (Elizabeth line) → Whitechapel | 08:30 | 1,196 | 2.9 |
| Northern line | Clapham Common → Clapham North | 08:15 | 580 | 2.9 |
| Elizabeth line | Maryland → Stratford | 06:45 | 1,161 | 2.8 |
| Windrush line | New Cross Gate → Brockley | 18:30 | 523 | 2.8 |
| Elizabeth line | Ealing Broadway → Acton Main Line | 08:15 | 1,147 | 2.8 |
| Elizabeth line | Paddington → Acton Main Line | 17:45 | 1,137 | 2.8 |
| Suffragette line | Leytonstone High Road → Leyton Midland Road | 08:00 | 521 | 2.8 |
| Northern line | King's Cross St Pancras → Angel | 08:45 | 551 | 2.8 |
| Suffragette line | Walthamstow Queens Road → Blackhorse Road | 08:00 | 520 | 2.8 |
| Northern line | Elephant & Castle → Borough | 08:30 | 541 | 2.7 |
| Northern line | Borough → London Bridge | 08:30 | 539 | 2.7 |
| Elizabeth line | Forest Gate → Maryland | 06:30 | 1,104 | 2.7 |
| Elizabeth line | Stratford → Maryland | 17:45 | 1,103 | 2.7 |
| Northern line | Angel → Old Street | 08:45 | 532 | 2.7 |
| Northern line | Oval → Kennington | 08:15 | 531 | 2.7 |
| Northern line | Clapham South → Clapham Common | 08:15 | 531 | 2.7 |
| Northern line | Kennington → Elephant & Castle | 08:30 | 530 | 2.6 |
| Elizabeth line | Liverpool Street → Farringdon | 08:45 | 1,090 | 2.6 |
| Windrush line | Peckham Rye → Queens Road Peckham | 08:00 | 487 | 2.6 |
| Elizabeth line | Whitechapel → Canary Wharf (Elizabeth line) | 17:45 | 1,078 | 2.6 |
| Elizabeth line | Farringdon → Liverpool Street | 17:45 | 1,076 | 2.6 |
How early do you have to travel for a seat?
Earlier than most people think. On the fullest stretch of each Tube line, setting off half an hour before the busiest quarter-hour lowers the number of people per train by between 4% and 20%; on every one of them there are still more people than seats. The midweek morning peak on these stretches starts early and lasts long:
| Line | Fullest stretch | More people than seats from | until | At the busiest quarter-hour | Half an hour earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakerloo line | Baker Street → Regent's Park | 07:45 | 10:00 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Central line | Bethnal Green → Liverpool Street | 05:45 | 10:30 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| District line | Sloane Square → Victoria | 07:00 | 11:15 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Circle and Hammersmith & City lines | King's Cross St Pancras → Farringdon | 07:15 | 11:00 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Jubilee line | Bermondsey → London Bridge | 06:00 | 14:15 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| Metropolitan line | King's Cross St Pancras → Farringdon | 07:30 | 10:15 | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| Northern line | Clapham North → Stockwell | 06:15 | 10:30 | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| Piccadilly line | South Ealing → Acton Town | 06:30 | 09:15 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Victoria line | Euston → Warren Street | 06:30 | 13:30 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Waterloo & City line | Waterloo → Bank | 07:15 | 10:00 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Elizabeth line | Whitechapel → Stratford | 13:15 | 00:15 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| DLR | South Quay → Heron Quays | 07:15 | 10:00 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| Lioness line | Stonebridge Park → Harlesden | 05:45 | 09:45 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Mildmay line | Imperial Wharf → West Brompton | 06:45 | 09:15 | 3.5 | 1.8 |
| Suffragette line | Leyton Midland Road → Walthamstow Queens Road | 06:15 | 10:00 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Weaver line | Hackney Downs → Bethnal Green (Overground) | 05:45 | 09:45 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Windrush line | New Cross Gate → Surrey Quays | 06:30 | 10:30 | 4.3 | 3.2 |
Times are the start of the quarter-hour, Tuesday to Thursday. Lines with no time had seats for everyone on that stretch all morning.
The train going the other way
At 08:15 on a midweek morning the Northern line train from Stockwell to Clapham North has 0.7 people for every seat, while the one heading into town has 3.0. The Weaver line out of Bethnal Green has 0.2 per seat at the busiest quarter-hour of the inbound train; the Waterloo & City back to Waterloo, 0.3.
On some lines there are more people than seats in both directions. The District line between Victoria and Sloane Square carries 2.1 per seat westbound at the time the eastbound train is fullest, and the Jubilee line from London Bridge to Bermondsey 2.2.
Questions
What time is the Tube least busy?
Outside the morning peak, which is longer than most people think: on the fullest stretch of most lines, a midweek train has more people than seats from between 05:45 and 07:45 until between 09:15 and 11:15. On the Victoria and Jubilee lines’ fullest stretches, and the Elizabeth line’s, trains stay fuller than their seats into the afternoon. The journey tool above shows any stretch at every quarter-hour.
Is the Tube quieter on Mondays or Fridays?
Both are quieter than Tuesday to Thursday, and Friday mornings are the quietest: between 08:00 and 09:00 Friday trains carry 65% of a midweek load, Monday trains 85%. By evening the difference largely disappears.
Which Tube line is the most crowded?
In people for every seat, the Northern line between Clapham North and Stockwell at 08:15 on a Tuesday to Thursday (3.0 per seat), followed by the Victoria line between Euston and Warren Street. Counted in people per seat across all of TfL’s trains, the fullest stretches are on the Windrush and Mildmay lines of the Overground and on the Elizabeth line.
When is the Elizabeth line busiest?
At 17:45 eastbound from Whitechapel to Stratford, with about 1,385 people on the average nine-car train, and at 08:15 westbound from Stratford to Whitechapel, with about 1,320.
Where do these numbers come from?
From NUMBAT, Transport for London’s model of a typical autumn 2025 day, built from smartcard and gateline data: passengers and trains on every stretch between two stations in every quarter-hour. Dividing one by the other gives an estimate of the people on the average train; dividing again by the seats on that line’s trains gives people per seat.
How this was worked out, and its limits
TfL’s NUMBAT 2025 gives, for each of its 1,214 links between two stations, the passengers travelling along it and the trains running along it in every quarter-hour of a typical autumn 2025 Monday, Tuesday to Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Where two service patterns share a stretch (Metropolitan fast and stopping trains, the Weaver line’s branches, the Northern line’s branches) passengers and trains were added together, since a rider takes the first train; that leaves 1,120 stretches. Trains are averaged over the hour around each quarter-hour, because a quarter-hour holds whole trains only: two in one, four in the next.
Seats are fixed seats per train from TfL’s rolling-stock information sheets; tip-up and perch seats are not counted. Where train lengths vary (Weaver, Mildmay and Lioness lines, the DLR) the page says which length was used and what the other would change.
The figures are averages over all trains in a quarter-hour and over all carriages. A late-running train after a gap, or the carriage by the exit, is fuller; the end carriages are usually emptier. The model assumes the timetable ran perfectly and covers ordinary days: no strikes, closures, football or concerts. Journey times are estimated from the distance between stations and are only approximate; the route is the quickest with a five-minute allowance for each change, which may not be the one you take.
- NUMBAT 2025 link loads and train frequencies, Transport for London (published August 2026): crowding.data.tfl.gov.uk
- Rolling stock information sheets, 4th edition (FOI-0237-2223), Transport for London: foi.tfl.gov.uk
- Class 345 data sheet (Elizabeth line), Transport for London: foi.tfl.gov.uk
- Class 378 data sheet (Overground), Transport for London: foi.tfl.gov.uk
- Class 710 stock information sheet (Overground), Transport for London: foi.tfl.gov.uk
- Train plan by route, December 2020 timetable, in London Assembly papers: gla.moderngov.co.uk
- DLR B2007 seating layout drawing (FOI-0104-2223), Transport for London: foi.tfl.gov.uk
- Daily Tube journeys (network demand), Transport for London: crowding.data.tfl.gov.uk
- Station coordinates and lines: TfL Unified API: api.tfl.gov.uk
- Map: parks, water and roads © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence: openstreetmap.org