This journey is in zones 1-3 and you’ll have to use the Northern, DLR and DLR lines, changing trains at Bank and Shadwell
- From Balham take the Northern Line
- Change at Bank to the Docklands Light Railway
- Change at Shadwell to the Docklands Light Railway
- Leave the train at Tower Gateway
Number of stops: 12 · Journey time: Approx 45 mins
Stations on the route: Balham ➜ Clapham South ➜ Clapham Common ➜ Clapham North ➜ Stockwell ➜ Oval ➜ Kennington ➜ Elephant & Castle ➜ Borough ➜ London Bridge ➜ Bank [change train] Bank ➜ Shadwell [change train] Shadwell ➜ Tower Gateway
Live status and delays
Closures on the Northern, DLR and DLR line
First and last train times
Northern line timetable
Alternative routes include Balham to Tower Hill, Balham to Aldgate and Balham to Whitechapel
Stairs, lifts and escalators
Balham is not wheelchair accessible
Tower Gateway is wheelchair accessible, and has step-free access from the street to the train
Balham entrance – You must use three flights of stairs between the Chestnut Grove entrance and the booking hall (7 steps down +14 steps down +11 steps down), or 5 steps down +14 steps down +11 steps down between the Balham High Road West entrance and the booking hall, or 21 steps down +10 steps down between the Balham High Road East entrance and the booking hall, plus another escalator or three flights of stairs from the booking hall to the platforms (2x3 steps down +16 steps down)
Changing trains at Bank – Changing between the Central and DLR platforms involves a lift plus escalator. Changing between the W&C line and any other platform involves a lift, an escalator plus a long travelator. You must use stairs when changing trains from the Northern line to any other platform
Changing trains at Shadwell – You must use stairs when changing between the DLR and London Overground platforms
Tower Gateway exit – There’s a lift between the platforms and the exit. You can also use an escalator, or three flights of stairs (16 steps down +3 steps down +11 steps down)
This journey is in zones 1-3 and you’ll have to use the DLR, DLR and Northern lines, changing trains at Shadwell and
- From Tower Gateway take the Docklands Light Railway
- Change at Shadwell to the Docklands Light Railway
- Change at Bank to the Northern Line
- Leave the train at Balham
Number of stops: 12 · Journey time: Approx 47 mins
Stations on the route: Tower Gateway ➜ Shadwell [change train] Shadwell ➜ Bank [change train] Bank ➜ London Bridge ➜ Borough ➜ Elephant & Castle ➜ Kennington ➜ Oval ➜ Stockwell ➜ Clapham North ➜ Clapham Common ➜ Clapham South ➜ Balham
Live status and delays
Closures on the DLR, DLR and Northern line
First and last train times
Docklands Light Railway timetable
Alternative routes include Tower Gateway to Tower Hill, Tower Gateway to Aldgate and Tower Gateway to Whitechapel
Stairs, lifts and escalators
Tower Gateway is not wheelchair accessible
Balham is wheelchair accessible, and has step-free access from the street to the train
Tower Gateway entrance – There’s a lift between the entrance and the platforms. You can also use an escalator, or three flights of stairs (11 steps up +3 steps up +16 steps up)
Changing trains at Shadwell – You must use stairs when changing between the DLR and London Overground platforms
Changing trains at Bank – Changing between the Central and DLR platforms involves a lift plus escalator. Changing between the W&C line and any other platform involves a lift, an escalator plus a long travelator. You must use stairs when changing trains from the Northern line to any other platform
Balham exit – You must use an escalator or three flights of stairs from the platforms to the booking hall (16 steps up +2x3 steps up), plus another three flights of stairs between the booking hall and the Chestnut Grove exit (11 steps up +14 steps up +7 steps up), or 11 steps up +14 steps up +5 steps up between the booking hall and the Balham High Road West exit, or 10 steps up +21 steps up between the booking hall and the Balham High Road East exit
Cash, Oyster & Travelcard fares
The journey is in zones 1-3. The cheapest fare is £3 off-peak (£3.70 peak) when you pay by Oyster or contactless. There are no return tickets, you just pay the same as two singles
| Fare zone | Cash | Oyster & Contactless cards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single fare | Single fare | Daily cap | |||
| Peak | Off-peak | Peak | Off-peak | ||
| Zone 1-3 fare | £6.70 | £3.70 | £3 | £10 | £10 |
| Fare Zone | Travelcards (Train, Bus & Tram) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One day travelcard | Week travelcard | Month travelcard | ||
| Anytime | Off-peak | |||
| Zone 1-4 travelcard | £15.90 | n/a | £61.40 | £235.80 |
| Zone 1-6 travelcard | £22.60 | £15.90 | £78 | £299 |
| Zone 1-9 travelcard | £28.50 | £17 | £111.30 | £427.40 |
| Note: Ticket prices are correct as of | ||||
Peak and off-peak times
For Oyster and contactless off-peak is outside the hours of 6.30 AM-9.30 AM and 4 PM-7 PM (Mon-Fri). For travelcards it’s any time after 9.30 AM (Mon-Fri). Weekends are always classed as off-peak.
The fare is based on what time your journey begins. It doesn’t matter when it ends.
Alternative ways to travel
Walking – Six miles is too far to walk
By bus – A single ticket is £1.75 (you may need more than one bus). The daily cap is £5.25 and a 1-day travelcard is £6 – Bus fares
By taxi – A six mile ride should cost between £28 and £40 and take about 28-40 minutes
By car – Parking near Tower Gateway station