Fare zones 7–9 are ancillary zones of the Travelcard and Oyster card fares scheme managed by Transport for London, used for calculating fares from some stations outside Greater London that are not in zones 4, 5 and 6.[note a] Travelcards are available on Oyster with validity in these zones. They are not included in the validity of National Rail out-boundary Travelcards unless mentioned in the Route section as "AAA LDN ZONE 7-9".

Fare zones 10–15 (or A–F by their hexadecimal number) have fares set by National Rail train operating companies and the zones themselves are not publicised. The fare zones are outside Greater London, typically more than 16 miles (26 km) from Piccadilly Circus.

Fare zone 16 is the zone used internally by TfL to denote contactless-only stations outside the Oyster area.

Scope

The zones extend in segments from the boundary of Greater London to the north and west into Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, to the east into Essex and Kent and to the south into Surrey and West Sussex.

Unlike zones 1–6, they do not form complete rings around London but rather patches.[1] They include eight London Underground stations on the Metropolitan line and London Overground stations. Also, Travelcards season tickets for these zones are only sold in limited combinations, unlike in Zones 1-6 where all combinations covering at least two consecutive zones are sold, and outboundary Travelcards (one which includes travel between a station outside the zonal system and some numbered zones) do not include travel in Zones 7-9 unless specifically stated.

Zone 7

Zone 7 consists of the Hertfordshire stations on the Metropolitan Line and the first London Overground and West Anglia Main Line stations outside zone 6.

Zone 8

Zone 8 consists of Chalfont & Latimer, the remaining London Overground stations where TfL set fares, and stations in Kent where Oyster is valid.

Zone 9

Zone 9 consists of Amersham, Brentwood and Chesham. Cuffley and Epsom are technically in this zone (for capping purposes only), but not publicised as such due to cheaper paper fares on weekly, monthly and annual tickets.

The following stations are within zone 9:

More information Station, Local authority ...
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Special Zones

These zones have their fares set by National Rail companies. Zones are referred to by their decimal or hexadecimal number. Zones are allocated corridors extending out from London, rather than the roughly concentric circles that the non-special zones have.

Zone 10, or Zone A consists of Watford Junction (sometimes called Zone W), and c2c stations out to Grays (sometimes called Zone G)

Zone 11, or Zone B, consists of the stations out to Hertford not covered by numbered zones, as well as Potters Bar and Radlett

Zone 12, or Zone C, is Shenfield station

Zone 13, or Zone D, consists of the stations between zone 6 and Gatwick Airport

Zone 14, or Zone E, is Gatwick Airport station

Zone 15, or Zone F, was reserved for Elizabeth line stations out to Reading,[2] although it hasn't been used.

The following stations are inside the Oyster zonal system, but special fares apply:

More information Zone, Station ...
Zone Station Local authority Managed by Notes
10/A/GChafford HundredThurrockc2c
Grays
Ockendon
Purfleet
10/A/WWatford JunctionWatfordLondon Northwestern Railwayalso served by London Overground and Southern. Avanti West Coast and Caledonian Sleeper services also call, but are pick-up only when going out of London and set-down only when heading into London, hence can't be used by passengers travelling within the Oyster area.
11 / BBayfordEast HertfordshireGreat Northern
BroxbourneBroxbourneGreater Anglia
Hertford EastEast Hertfordshire
Hertford NorthGreat Northern
Potters BarHertsmerealso served by Thameslink
RadlettThameslink
Rye HouseBroxbourneGreater Anglia
St MargaretsEast Hertfordshire
Ware
12 / CShenfieldBrentwoodalso served by Elizabeth line
13 / DEarlswoodReigate and BansteadSouthernmainly served by Thameslink
Horleymainly served by Thameslink
Mersthamalso served by Thameslink
Redhillalso served by Great Western Railway and Thameslink
Salfordsmainly served by Thameslink
14 / EGatwick AirportCrawleyGatwick Expressalso served by Great Western Railway, Southern and Thameslink
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Contactless-only (Zone 16)

The Oyster card supports a maximum of 15 zones.[3] The London pay-as-you-go system continues beyond the zones. Due to technical limitations with Oyster cards, they are not valid and only contactless payment cards may be used. Contactless-only PAYG is valid out to Luton Airport Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, High Wycombe and Reading.

Although the contactless payment cap doesn't apply on a zonal basis, Zone 16 is used as a placeholder for contactless-only stations in the fare data.[4]

The following stations are contactless only:

More information Station, Local authority ...
Station Local authority Managed by Valid from Notes
Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire Chiltern Railways June 2024[5] Not shown on London and Rail tube map[6]
Bourne EndBuckinghamshireGreat Western RailwayMay 2022Not shown on London and Rail tube map[7]
Brookmans ParkWelwyn HatfieldGreat NorthernAugust 2019
BurnhamSloughElizabeth lineJanuary 2020
CookhamWindsor & MaidenheadGreat Western RailwayMay 2022Not shown on London and Rail tube map[8]
Furze Platt
Denham Buckinghamshire Chiltern Railways June 2024[5] Not shown on London and Rail tube map[9]
Denham Golf Club
Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire Chiltern Railways June 2024[5] Not shown on London and Rail tube map[10]
HarpendenSt AlbansThameslinkOctober 2019
HatfieldWelwyn HatfieldGreat NorthernNovember 2019also served by Thameslink
Henley-on-ThamesSouth OxfordshireGreat Western RailwayMarch 2022Not shown on London and Rail tube map[11]
High Wycombe Buckinghamshire Chiltern Railways June 2024[5] Not shown on London and Rail tube map[12]
IverBuckinghamshireElizabeth lineJanuary 2020
LangleySlough
Luton Airport ParkwayLutonThameslinkOctober 2019also served by East Midlands Railway
MaidenheadWindsor & MaidenheadGreat Western RailwayJanuary 2020also served by Elizabeth line
MarlowBuckinghamshireMay 2022Not shown on London and Rail tube map[13]
ReadingReadingNetwork RailJanuary 2020Pay-as-you-go only valid on Great Western Railway and Elizabeth line services
Seer Green & Jordans Buckinghamshire Chiltern Railways June 2024[5] Not shown on London and Rail tube map[14]
St Albans CitySt AlbansThameslinkOctober 2019
ShiplakeSouth OxfordshireGreat Western RailwayMarch 2022Not shown on London and Rail tube map[15]
SloughSloughJanuary 2020also served by Elizabeth line
TaplowBuckinghamshireElizabeth lineJanuary 2020
TwyfordWokinghamGreat Western Railwayalso served by Elizabeth line
WargraveMarch 2022Not shown on London and Rail tube map[16]
Welham GreenWelwyn HatfieldGreat NorthernNovember 2019
Welwyn Garden CityGreat Northernalso served by Thameslink
Windsor & Eton CentralWindsor & MaidenheadGreat Western RailwayMarch 2022Not shown on London and Rail tube map[17]
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The following stations will be accepting Contactless payment cards:

More information Station, Local authority ...
Station Local authority Managed by Valid from Notes
ApsleyDacorumLondon Northwestern Railway22 September 2024[18][19]
AshfordSpelthorneSouth Western Railway
BasildonBasildonc2c
Bat & BallSevenoaksSoutheasternOnly served by Thameslink
BenfleetCastle Pointc2c
BerkhamstedDacorumLondon Northwestern Railway
BletchleyMilton Keynes
Bricket WoodSt Albans
ChalkwellSouthend-on-Seac2c
CheddingtonBuckinghamshireLondon Northwestern Railway
DatchetWindsor & MaidenheadSouth Western Railway
Dunton GreenSevenoaksSoutheastern
East TilburyThurrockc2c
EghamRunnymedeSouth Western Railway
EynsfordSevenoaksSoutheastern
GarstonWatfordLondon Northwestern Railway
Hemel HempsteadDacorumLondon Northwestern RailwayLimited service also served by Southern
How WoodSt AlbansLondon Northwestern Railway
Kempton ParkSpelthorneSouth Western Railway
Kings LangleyThree RiversLondon Northwestern Railway
LaindonBasildonc2c
Leigh-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea
Leighton BuzzardCentral BedfordshireLondon Northwestern Railway
OtfordSevenoaksSoutheasternAlso served by Thameslink
Park StreetSt AlbansLondon Northwestern Railway
PitseaBasildonc2c
SevenoaksSevenoaksSoutheasternAlso served by Thameslink
SheppertonSpelthorneSouth Western Railway
ShoeburynessSouthend-on-Seac2c
ShorehamSevenoaksSoutheasternOnly served by Thameslink
Southend CentralSouthend-on-Seac2c
Southend East
St Albans AbbeySt AlbansLondon Northwestern Railway
StainesSpelthorneSouth Western Railway
Stanford-le-HopeThurrockc2c
SunburySpelthorneSouth Western Railway
SunnymeadsWindsor & Maidenhead
Thorpe BaySouthend-on-Seac2c
Tilbury TownThurrock
TringDacorumLondon Northwestern Railway
Upper HallifordSpelthorneSouth Western Railway
Virginia WaterRunnymede
Watford NorthWatfordLondon Northwestern Railway
West HorndonBrentwoodc2c
WestcliffSouthend-on-Sea
Windsor & Eton RiversideWindsor & MaidenheadSouth Western Railway
Wraysbury
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Changes

  • January 1997: Debden and Theydon Bois moved from Zone A to Zone 6, Epping moved from Zone B to zone 6 and Moor Park moved from zone A to zones 6 and A
  • January 1998: Amersham and Chesham moved from zone C to zone D
  • January 2004: Watford moved from zone B to zone A
  • November 2007: Carpenders Park, Bushey, Watford High Street and Watford Junction added into the system outside the TfL fare zones. [20]
  • January 2008: Zones A (Croxley, Rickmansworth and Watford) and B (Chorleywood) merged and renamed zone 7, with Carpenders Park added. Zone C (Chalfont & Latimer) renamed zone 8, with Watford High Street added. Zone D (Amersham and Chesham) renamed zone 9. Watford Junction added to zone 'W' (zone 10).
  • January 2010: Chafford Hundred, Grays, Purfleet and Ockendon added to system in zone 'G' (zone 10). [21]
  • January 2013: Theobalds Grove and Waltham Cross added to system in zone 7. Cheshunt added to system in zone 8. Brentwood and Broxbourne added to system in new zone 11. Shenfield added to system in new zone 12[22]
  • May 2015: Brentwood moved from zone 11 to Zone 9
  • September 2015: Dartford added to system in zone 8
  • October 2015: Rye House, St Margarets (Hertfordshire), Ware and Hertford East added to system in zone 11
  • January 2016: Merstham, Redhill, Earlswood, Salfords and Horley added to the system in new zone 13. Gatwick Airport added to system in new zone 14[23]
  • March 2016: Swanley added to system in zone 8[24]
  • February 2019: Epsom added to system in zone 9 (although the zone isn't publicised)[25]
  • April 2019: Cuffley (zone 9 but not publicised), Bayford (zone 11) and Hertford North (zone 11) added to system[26]
  • August 2019: Potters Bar and Radlett added to system in zone 11 - the last stations to get Oyster
  • August 2019: Brookmans Park added to system (contactless only)
  • October 2019: St Albans, Harpenden and Luton Airport Parkway added to system (contactless only)
  • November 2019: Welham Green, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City added to system (contactless only)[26]
  • January 2020: The contactless area is expanded from West Drayton to Reading on the Great Western Main Line only (excluding the branches).
  • March 2022: The Henley branch and Windsor & Eton Central are added into the contactless only area.[27]
  • May 2022: The Marlow branch is added to the contactless-only area.
  • June 2024: The contactless-only area is expanded from West Ruislip to High Wycombe.[28]
  • TBC: The contactless-only area is expanded to all stations on the c2c network, London Northwestern Railway from Watford Junction to Bletchley and St Albans Abbey, South Western Railway from Feltham to Virginia Water, Shepperton and Windsor & Eton Riverside, and Southeastern from Swanley and Orpington to Sevenoaks.[29][30]

See also

Notes

  • Note a: ^ The following stations outside Greater London are in zones 4–6:

References

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