The journey from Elephant & Castle to Russell Square is in fare zone 1 and you’ll have to use the Northern and Piccadilly tube lines, changing trains at King’s Cross St. Pancras
- From Elephant & Castle take the Northern Line
- Change at King’s Cross St. Pancras to the Piccadilly Line
- Leave the train at Russell Square
Number of tube stops: 8 · Journey time: Approx 26 mins
Stations on the route: Elephant & Castle ➜ Borough ➜ London Bridge ➜ Bank ➜ Moorgate ➜ Old Street ➜ Angel ➜ King’s Cross St. Pancras [change train] King’s Cross St. Pancras ➜ Russell Square
London Underground tube delays
Strikes and closures on the Northern and Piccadilly
First and last train times on the Northern line
Tube times for the Northern line
Alternative routes include Elephant & Castle to Holborn, Elephant & Castle to Goodge Street and Elephant & Castle to Euston
Stairs, lifts and escalators to the station platforms
Elephant & Castle station is not wheelchair accessible
Russell Square station is not wheelchair accessible
Elephant & Castle station entrance – You can use a lift between the Elephant & Castle southside entrance and the Northern line southbound platform, or a lift plus three flights of stairs to the Northern line northbound platform (9 steps down +6 steps up +20 steps down), or a lift plus three flights of stairs to the Bakerloo line platforms (20 steps down +5 steps up +18 steps down). From the Elephant & Castle northside entrance you must use a lift plus four flights of stairs to the Northern line southbound platform (20 steps down +18 steps up +5 steps down +20 steps up), or a lift plus three flights of stairs to the Northern line northbound platform (20 steps down +18 steps up +15 steps up), or a lift plus one flight of stairs to the Bakerloo line platforms (20 steps down)
Changing tube line at King’s Cross St. Pancras – There’s a lift when changing between the platforms
Russell Square station exit – You must use a lift plus one flight of stairs between the platforms and the exit (20 steps up). If you want to avoid the lift then you can use another twelve flights of stairs (14 steps up +5 steps up +16 steps up +6x17 steps up +18 steps up +6 steps up +15 steps up)
The journey from Russell Square to Elephant & Castle is in fare zone 1 and you’ll have to use the Piccadilly and Bakerloo tube lines, changing trains at Piccadilly Circus
- From Russell Square take the Piccadilly Line
- Change at Piccadilly Circus to the Bakerloo Line
- Leave the train at Elephant & Castle
Number of tube stops: 9 · Journey time: Approx 25 mins
Stations on the route: Russell Square ➜ Holborn ➜ Covent Garden ➜ Leicester Square ➜ Piccadilly Circus [change train] Piccadilly Circus ➜ Charing Cross ➜ Embankment ➜ Waterloo ➜ Lambeth North ➜ Elephant & Castle
London Underground tube delays
Strikes and closures on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo
First and last train times on the Piccadilly line
Tube times for the Piccadilly line
Alternative routes include Russell Square to Holborn, Russell Square to Goodge Street and Russell Square to Euston
Stairs, lifts and escalators to the station platforms
Russell Square train station is not wheelchair accessible
Elephant & Castle station is not wheelchair accessible
Russell Square station entrance – You must use a lift plus one flight of stairs between the entrance and the platforms (20 steps down). If you want to avoid the lift then you can use another twelve flights of stairs (15 steps down +6 steps down +18 steps down +6x17 steps down +16 steps down +5 steps down +14 steps down)
Changing tube line at Piccadilly Circus – You must use stairs when changing between the Bakerloo/Piccadilly line platforms (19 steps up +20 steps down)
Elephant & Castle station exit – You can use a lift to the Elephant & Castle southside exit from the Northern line southbound platform, or a lift plus three flights of stairs from the Northern line northbound platform (9 steps up +6 steps down +20 steps up), or a lift plus three flights of stairs from the Bakerloo line platforms (20 steps up +5 steps down +18 steps up). To the Elephant & Castle northside exit you must use a lift plus four flights of stairs from the Northern line southbound platform (20 steps up +18 steps down +5 steps up +20 steps down), or a lift plus three flights of stairs from the Northern line northbound platform (20 steps up +18 steps down +15 steps down), or a lift plus one flight of stairs from the Bakerloo line platforms (20 steps up)
Tube fare between Elephant & Castle and Russell Square
This tube journey is in Oyster zone 1. The cheapest fare is £2.70 off-peak (£2.80 peak) when you pay by Oyster or contactless. There’s no return fare, you just pay the same as two single tickets
| Fare zone | Cash | Oyster & Contactless cards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single fare | Single fare | Daily cap | |||
| Peak | Off-peak | Peak | Off-peak | ||
| Zone 1 fare | £6.70 | £2.80 | £2.70 | £8.50 | £8.50 |
| Fare Zone | Travelcards (Train, Bus & Tram) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One day travelcard | Week travelcard | Month travelcard | ||
| Anytime | Off-peak | |||
| Zone 1-2 travelcard | n/a | n/a | £42.70 | £164 |
| 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 |
| See our complete list of London Underground fares, Pensioner fares, Children’s fares, Oyster card fares, Contactless card fares and Travelcard fares Note: Tube journey prices are correct as of | ||||
Peak and off-peak journey 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. Note: Between the 8th March and 31st May 2024 TFL are running a trial called ‘Off-Peak Friday Fares’, where Fridays will be classed as off-peak all day.
The fare is based on what time your journey begins. It doesn’t matter what time your journey ends.
Other ways to make this journey
Travel on foot – The distance is about 2¼ miles, which would take around 42-46 minutes
Travel by bus – Single fare: £1.75 (you may need more than one bus); Daily cap: £5.25; Weekly cap: £24.70; 1-day travelcard: £6; Weekly travelcard: £24.70 – Adult bus tickets 2024 · Pensioner bus tickets 2024 · Children’s bus tickets 2024
Travel by taxi – A 2¼ mile journey between Russell Square underground station and Elephant & Castle in a black taxi should cost approximately £10.60 to £18.20 and take 11-22 mins
Travel by car – Car parks near Russell Square station