London has a huge train network which covers a much larger area than the underground. The Pay as you go Oyster card, contactless cards/devices and One Day, Weekly & Monthly Travelcards can be used to pay for London’s local trains.
London single train tickets
Single fares on suburban trains in London vary according to the zone.
The Pay as you go Oyster card or contactless debit or credit card are the cheapest ways to pay for single journeys on all trains within the London area. Fares are the same with both payment methods.
To find single train fares, see TfL’s single fare finder.
To find the zone of a train station, view the rail zone map (pdf).
One day pass for London trains
If you make several train journeys a day, you have two options:
- Use a Pay as you go Oyster card or a contactless card and the daily cap will apply. This is the maximum amount deducted for one day travel in London.
- If you don’t have an Oyster or contactless card, buy the more expensive One Day Travelcard.
Top Tip: If you’re visiting London and planning to do some sightseeing, a train ticket or One Day Travelcard bought at a train station entitles you to 2 for 1 discounts at major London attractions — a huge money-saving deal.
London weekly train fares
Travelcards
If you’re staying in London for 6-7 days, and plan to use the trains every day, as well as the underground or buses, buy a weekly Travelcard. This is loaded onto an Oyster card, weekly ‘paper’ Travelcards are no longer available.
If you don’t think you’ll be using the trains (or underground) every day paying with a Pay as you go Oyster card/Contactless card will be cheaper.
If you’re staying longer, monthly Travelcards are available.
Season Tickets
If your stay in London is for a week or longer and you need to use the train to travel to central London, but don’t need to use the bus or underground at the start or end of your journey, then a Season ticket is cheaper than a Travelcard.
Season tickets are available from the train station ticket office.
Check the Season Ticket calculator to find the cost.
London airport trains
Travelcards and Pay as you go Oyster cards are not valid on the Heathrow Express train or between West Drayton and Heathrow on the Elizabeth Line.
Luton airport
Luton airport is outside London’s transport zone area. Travelcards and Pay as you go Oyster cards are not valid on trains to these airports. However, you can use a contactless card to pay for the train to/from Luton Parkway, and again on the connecting DART train to/from the airport.
Stansted airport
Travelcards, Pay as you go Oyster cards or contactless cards are not valid on trains to/from Stansted airport
Gatwick airport
You can use a Pay as you go Oyster card or contactless debit or credit card on the trains between London and Gatwick airport. See our guide to travel to/from Gatwick airport.
Last updated: 6 October 2023