London has one of the most extensive public transport networks in the world, from London buses to London Overground and Tube.
Its trains are all well-connected across several lines and railways, making the commute in London a breeze.
In fact, the Tube, also known as the London Underground, has 11 lines servicing 272 stations across London.
One of the 11 lines of the Tube is Waterloo & City. If you are planning to travel and commute around London, you will most probably take the Waterloo & City line on one of your trips.
It ranks first as the least-ridden line among the 11 lines, having only 16,900,000 trips per annum and an average weekday ridership of 59,492.
If you are keen on learning about Waterloo & City line and its stations, continue reading this quick guide.
This article covers key information on the line’s stations, routes, fares, and frequently asked questions.
If sightseeing is also on your list, the article also shares some recommendations on where to go near any of the Waterloo & City line stations.
Some other Tube lines
- Bakerloo line
- Central Line
- Circle line
- District Line
- Hammersmith & City line
- Jubilee line
- Metropolitan line
- Northern line
- Piccadilly line
- Victoria line
Here’s what you will read about:
- A Brief History of the Waterloo and City Line
- What Are the Waterloo and City Line Stations and Routes?
- What Are the First and Last Services of the Waterloo and City Line?
- What Colour Is the Waterloo and City Line on the Map?
- What Are the Zones of the Waterloo and City Line?
- How to Pay the Waterloo and City Line Fares
- Top Attractions Near Waterloo and City Line Stations
- Frequently Asked Questions
Contents
- 1 A Brief History of the Waterloo and City Line
- 2 What Are the Waterloo and City Line Stations and Routes?
- 3 What Are the First and Last Services of the Waterloo and City Line?
- 4 What Colour Is the Waterloo and City Line on the Map?
- 5 What Are the Zones of the Waterloo and City Line?
- 6 How to Pay the Waterloo and City Line Fares
- 7 Top Attractions Near Waterloo and City Line Stations
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions
- 9 What Do You Think About the Waterloo and City Line?
A Brief History of the Waterloo and City Line
The Waterloo & City line, also known as “The Drain”, opened for public use in August 1898.
It was the second deep-level Tube made in London after the Northern line, another line of the Tube and was the first deep-level Tube in 1890. The line used to be under the British Railways in the post-war years.
In April 1994, the line was transferred and included in the London Underground lines.
Today, the line services two stations as a rapid transit line, spanning a line length of 2.37 km or 1.47 mi.
It has an average train speed of 33.3 km per hour, a speed that is almost the same as the Northern line at 33.28 km per hour and the Piccadilly line at 33.11 km per hour.
What Are the Waterloo and City Line Stations and Routes?
The Waterloo & City line services only two stations: Waterloo Underground Station and Bank Underground Station.
The route covers Waterloo Underground Station to Bank Underground Station, and vice versa.
Both stations have interchanges to other transportation, which are outlined in the table below.
Table of Waterloo & City Line Stations and Interchange
| Station | Interchange |
| Waterloo Underground Station | |
| Bank Underground Station |
What Are the First and Last Services of the Waterloo and City Line?
The Waterloo & City line operates only on the weekdays, from Mondays to Fridays. Unfortunately, the line is not open on weekends, public holidays, and bank holidays.
Moreover, it also does not provide services on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
It remains closed on weekends because of low passenger demand. For this reason, plan ahead of time and use other lines instead.
Check the Waterloo & City line timetable to see the departure and arrival time schedules every hour.
You can also see a list of the first and last services for each terminus. The table below already outlines the available times for the line’s first and last services from Mondays to Fridays.
Table of Waterloo & City Line First and Last Services
| Route | First Service | Last Service | ||
| Departure Time | Arrival Time | Departure Time | Arrival Time | |
| From: Waterloo Underground Station
To: Bank Underground Station |
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| From: Bank Underground Station
To: Waterloo Underground Station
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|
What Colour Is the Waterloo and City Line on the Map?
The Transport for London has provided a complete Tube map for easy reference of all 11 lines and their stations.
With the help of the Tube map, you can quickly find interchanges and key facilities available such as step-free access and airports.
To help commuters find a line on the map, each line has its own colour assigned to them, making it easy to identify each one.
The Waterloo & City line is identified with a turquoise-coloured line.
You can find the line in the middle of the map, just close to the River Thames and across a part of the Circle line and District line.
Since it is situated along the River Thames, it also connects to River Bus services at Waterloo Underground Station.
As for Bank Underground Station, you can see on the map it is connected to the DLR.
Aside from the interchange, the Tube map also shows bicycle-friendly stations and restrooms.
Moreover, you can also find cable car interchanges and several IKEA stores.
(Waterloo and City line Map via Wikimedia Commons – Generated as part of the London Underground geographic maps project by software written by ed g2s • talk and James D. Forrester utilising GPS data.)
(London Underground Map via Wikimedia Commons by Edgepedia and modified by HarJIT)
What Are the Zones of the Waterloo and City Line?
Are you aware of London transportation’s Fare Zones?
It is worth mentioning that London utilises fare zones across various modes of transportation, including the Tube, DLR, Elizabeth Line, London Overground, River Bus, and most National Rail services. Each station is assigned a fare zone number, from Zone 1 to Zone 9.
With the utilisation of fare zones, a person’s journey can be easily calculated based on the zones travelled to.
When you look at the Tube map, you will find grey and white shaded areas with numbers 1 to 9. If a station falls within the vicinity of a zone, that is the station’s zone number.
Why should you know a station’s zone number? Generally, you need to know which zones you plan to travel to when buying a payment card.
Selecting a payment card requires you to indicate and add which zones the card can be used.
If you want to know the cost of your journey, you need to indicate which zones you travelled to since the cost is calculated from zone to zone.
Waterloo & City line zones are under Zone 1. Zone 1 typically covers all of Central London.
To learn more about fare zones, refer to the short guide here.
How to Pay the Waterloo and City Line Fares
London provides several options to pay for your fare and comes in different packages. You can purchase a payment card valid for a day, week, month, or year.
If you prefer Pay as you go cards that allow you to pay only for the journeys you make, use an Oyster Card, Contactless Card, or Visitor Oyster Card.
For unlimited travel for a specific duration, use a Travelcard instead. Pay-as-you-go cards and Travelcards have different rates, depending on the zone validity you choose and duration.
You can compare each card with the guide Visitor Oyster Card Vs Oyster Card Vs Travel Card Vs Contactless Card.
Aside from these payment cards, you can still purchase a paper ticket at the Waterloo and City line stations.
However, paper tickets are typically more expensive since they do not offer a discounted fare.
Before going on with your commute, you can check the total fare through TfL’s Single fare finder tool.
Moreover, using the Caps and Travelcard prices tool shows the price from zone to zone.
The full list of adult fares from Zones 1 to 9 is outlined in the guide London Fare Zones Explained.
Below is a summary table of Waterloo and City Line fares for adults per zone using capped pay-as-you-go cards and Travelcards.
Waterloo & City Line Pay as you go Caps and Travelcard Adult Rates Table
| Zone | Pay-as-you-go caps | Travelcard | ||||||
| Daily Peak | Daily Off-peak | Monday to Sunday | Day Anytime | Day Off-peak | 7 Day | Monthly | Annual | |
| Zones 1 only | £7.70 | £7.70 | £38.40 | £14.40 | £14.40 | £38.40 | £147.50 | £1,536 |
| Zones 1-2 | £7.70 | £7.70 | £38.40 | £14.40 | £14.40 | £38.40 | £147.50 | £1,536 |
| Zones 1-3 | £9.00 | £9.00 | £45.20 | £14.40 | £14.40 | £45.20 | £173.60 | £1,808 |
| Zones 1-4 | £11.00 | £11.00 | £55.20 | £14.40 | £14.40 | £55.20 | £212.00 | £2,208 |
| Zones 1-5 | £13.10 | £13.10 | £65.70 | £20.30 | £14.40 | £65.70 | £252.30 | £2,628 |
| Zones 1-6 | £14.10 | £14.10 | £70.30 | £20.30 | £14.40 | £70.30 | £270.00 | £2,812 |
| Zones 1-7 | £15.30 | £14.10 | £76.50 | £25.70 | £15.30 | £76.50 | £293.80 | £3,060 |
| Zones 1-8 | £18.10 | £14.10 | £90.30 | £25.70 | £15.30 | £90.30 | £346.80 | £3,612 |
| Zones 1-9 | £20.00 | £14.10 | £100.20 | £25.70 | £15.30 | £100.20 | £384.80 | £4,008 |
Top Attractions Near Waterloo and City Line Stations
If you’d like to see top attractions and beautiful places near Bank Underground Station and Waterloo Underground Station, here is a list to follow for a worthwhile commute on the Waterloo & City line.
The list covers a variety of places of interest, from historical landmarks to art centres and museums.
Ride the famous London Eye, appreciate historical architecture at Lambeth Palace, or connect with the outdoors at The Garden at 120.
Bank Underground Station
Guildhall Art Gallery
Address: Basinghall St, London EC2V 5AE, United Kingdom
Phone: +442073323700
30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)
Address: 30 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8BF, United Kingdom
Phone: +442070715029
Monument to the Great Fire of London
Address: Fish St Hill, London EC3R 8AH, United Kingdom
Phone: +442074033761
The Garden at 120
Address: 120 Fenchurch St, London EC3M 5BA, United Kingdom
Email: thegardenat120@fencourt.london
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Address: St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, United Kingdom
Phone: +442072468350
View this post on Instagram
London Mithraeum
Address: 12 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AA, United Kingdom
Email: info@londonmithraeum.com
Guildhall
Address: 71 Basinghall St, London EC2V 7HH, United Kingdom
Phone: +442076063030
Bank of England Museum
Address: Bartholomew Ln, London EC2R 8AH, United Kingdom
Phone: +442034615545
Leadenhall Market
Address: Gracechurch St, London EC3V 1LT, United Kingdom
Phone: +442076063030
View this post on Instagram
Waterloo Underground Station
London Eye
Address: Riverside Building, County Hall, London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom
Phone: +442079678021
View this post on Instagram
SEA LIFE Centre London Aquarium
Address: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom
Phone: +442079678025
View this post on Instagram
National Theatre
Address: Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX, United Kingdom
Phone: +442039895455
Southbank Centre
Address: Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX, United Kingdom
Phone: +442038799555
View this post on Instagram
South Bank Lion
Address: Westminster Bridge, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 7GA, United Kingdom
Lambeth Palace
Address: London SE1 7JU, United Kingdom
Phone: +442078981200
The Graffiti Tunnel
Address: Leake St, London SE1 7NN, United Kingdom
Contact: Contact Form
Witness for the Prosecution – County Hall
Address: behind the London, Belvedere Road, London Eye, Street SE1 7PB, United Kingdom
Phone: +448448157141
@witnessplayldn POV: Taking the festive route to court 🎄🧑⚖️ Only an 8 minute walk from WaterlooStation to London County Hall! #southbanklondon #southbank #christmasmarket #christmasmarkets #mulledwine #xmas #festive #londonchristmas #agathachristie #witnessfortheprosecution #londonlife #londonwalks #crimefiction #mystery #thriller #agathachristie #beautifulbuildings #architecture #fy #fyp ♬ Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Michael Bublé
The Vaults London
Address: Leake St, London SE1 7NN, United Kingdom
Phone: +442074019603
View this post on Instagram
12th Floor
Address: 12th Floor, The Tower, 11 York Rd, London SE1 7NX, United Kingdom
Florence Nightingale Museum
Address: 2 Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1 7EW, United Kingdom
Phone: +442071884400
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the travel time between Waterloo Underground Station and Bank Underground Station?
It takes about four minutes to reach Bank Underground Station from Waterloo Underground Station.
On the other hand, journeys from Bank Underground Station to Waterloo Underground Station last for three minutes.
Are there delays on the Waterloo and City line?
Delays are announced through TfL’s Status updates page. Check the details of the line status by clicking on the (+) symbol.
Line information such as minor delay, severe delay, and good service conditions are written for your reference. If there are delays, the page states the reason why, such as train cancellations and faulty trains.
How do I enter and exit the Waterloo and City line stations?
Keep in mind that riding the Tube requires touching in and touching out on the yellow card reader at the gates.
This means you should tap your payment card on the yellow card reader upon entering the station and tap again when getting off the Waterloo and City line stations.
With the touch-in and out procedure, the system can automatically calculate your fare based on your start and end stations.
If you do not follow the correct way of entering and exiting, you will be charged the maximum fare or a penalty.
Can I use two different payment types on a single journey on the Waterloo and City line?
No, you cannot. Using two different payment cards on a single journey won’t be able to calculate your fare since there is no start and end station detected on the card.
If you used an Oyster card upon entering, you should use the same Oyster card when exiting. Using two different payment types will only charge you the maximum fare or a penalty.
Does Waterloo and City line have step-free access?
There is step-free access on all London Underground lines. For a detailed guide on accessibility, download TfL’s maps on Step-free Tube and Avoiding stairs Tube. Look for symbols indicating step-free or stairs-free access at Waterloo and City line stations.
How can I know the best available transport and route?
With the help of TfL’s Plan a journey tool, you can know which transport is best based on time and cost.
Simply indicate your departing location and destination, as well as your desired departure time. The page shows some suggestions on the route to take, how long the commute is, and the cost.
What Do You Think About the Waterloo and City Line?
Final reminders – choose the most appropriate payment card and make sure to include zones you think you’ll be needing it for.
Also, don’t forget to do the correct way of tapping the payment card on the yellow card reader at the Waterloo and City line stations. In this way, you avoid extra charges and the hassle of asking for a refund.
What are your thoughts on the Waterloo & City line? Share your experiences if you have ridden the line before.
What do you think about its facilities and services? We’d love to hear your feedback, so don’t forget to post a comment in the comments section below.
Since you’ll be using other Tube lines and public transportation as well, why not read the following guides to learn more?
- London Underground
- Jubilee line
- District line
- Central line
- Bakerloo line
- Piccadilly line
- Circle line
- Northern line
- Metropolitan line
- Elizabeth Line
- River Bus
- Trams
- DLR
- London Overground
- Cable Cars London
- London Bus
- Minicabs and black taxis
Aside from public transport, here are some transportation options you can rent or hire:
If you plan to discover more about London’s hidden gems, check out some of Winterville’s travel blogs.
From the 10 Best Anime Shops To Buy Manga In London to the 12 Best Halal Restaurants in London, London has several interesting places for every kind of interest. Have a safe journey ahead in London!
