The London Underground will run through the night on New Year’s Eve, but it won’t be free.
In previous (read: non-pandemic) years, TfL has offered free travel on New Year’s Eve across their entire network to help people get home safely. However, in 2021 – with the pandemic having a large impact on passenger numbers, and TfL’s finances as a result – TfL are unable to offer us free travel on New Year’s Eve to get us home from all the festivities sans Oyster card. It’s the second year running that this has happened, but unlike 2020, there will actually be night services across the TfL network this year, which is a saving grace to many revellers.
As has been predicted for several weeks now, New Year’s Eve celebrations will look a bit different this year. London’s annual New Year’s Eve fireworks were cancelled back in October for the second year in a row, due to fears of widespread coronavirus transmission, whilst the replacement celebration in Trafalgar Square had the plug pulled last week. Though there are still plenty of things to do in London on New Year’s Eve, the rise of the Omicron variant is leading many to exercise more caution in planning nights out.
Still, if you are heading out this weekend, there are plenty of options to get you home. The Tube will run all night, on all lines except the Waterloo & City line (which closed again recently); there will be a service every four to five minutes in central London until 2am, with trains every ten to twenty minutes after that. On the Overground, you can make use of all-night services from Liverpool Street, between Highbury & Islington and Crystal Palace/West Croydon, and on the Richmond to Clapham Junction/Stratford line, although services there will only run until 3:30am. Finally, there’s an overnight service running every fifteen minutes on the DLR, and overnight/24-hour services on the night buses. Whatever you’re planning to do this New Year’s, get home safe!
Also published on Medium.