Bank — Monument

Live status — lines serving Bank

Live departures from Bank

Bank and Monument are two stations that became one. They were built independently by different railway companies in the 1880s and 1900s, then connected by a long underground passageway in 1933. Today TfL treats the entire complex as a single station — "Bank — Monument" on the Tube map — with six rail services, both Northern line branches, the Bank end of the unique Waterloo & City shuttle, and the western terminus of the DLR. It is the City of London's principal interchange and the busiest station east of Holborn.

If Bank is closed

• Going on the Central (west)? Walk 6 minutes west to St Paul's, or take a bus along Cheapside.
• Going on the Central (east)? Walk 8 minutes east to Liverpool Street for Central and the Elizabeth line as an alternative cross-City route.
• Going on the Northern Bank branch? Walk 5 minutes north to Moorgate (Northern, Circle, H&C, Metropolitan, Elizabeth) — same line, easier interchanges.
• Going on the Northern Charing Cross branch? Walk 12 minutes south-west to London Bridge for the Jubilee, or take the bus across the river.
• Going on the Waterloo & City? Use the Jubilee from London Bridge to Waterloo, or the Northern Bank branch directly.
• Going on the Circle or District (eastbound)? Walk 5 minutes east to Tower Hill for the same lines.
• Going on the Circle or District (westbound)? Walk 7 minutes west to Mansion House or 10 minutes to Blackfriars.
• Going on the DLR? Walk 8 minutes south-east to Tower Gateway or 10 minutes east to Shadwell.

About the station

The Bank — Monument complex is the Underground at its most labyrinthine. Six platforms on six different lines sit at five different levels, connected by a network of escalators, lifts, sloping passageways and tiled corridors built piecemeal over more than a century. The Waterloo & City line opened first in 1898; the Central line in 1900; the Northern line via Bank in 1900 (then known as the City & South London Railway); the DLR in 1991; Monument (originally Eastcheap) on the Metropolitan District Railway in 1884.

Bank and Monument were physically separated stations until the great consolidation of 1933, when a long sloping passageway was driven beneath King William Street to connect them. The two halves still have separate ticket halls — Bank on the north side near the Bank of England, Monument on the south near the Monument to the Great Fire of London — but they sit beneath the City's principal road junction and function as a single deep-level transport hub.

The Northern line at Bank received its long-awaited upgrade in 2022. A new entrance on Cannon Street, a new ticket hall, lifts to platform level and a relocated southbound Northern platform together made the Northern line step-free for the first time in its history at this station — and significantly relieved congestion at the old Bank ticket hall.

Lines that serve Bank

• Central line — east to Liverpool Street, Stratford, Epping and the Hainault loop; west to St Paul's, Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus and Ealing Broadway.
• Northern line — both branches stop here. Bank branch to King's Cross, Camden, High Barnet / Mill Hill East in the north; Morden via Borough and London Bridge in the south.
• Waterloo & City line — the unique two-stop shuttle to Waterloo, the fastest way to the South Western mainline. Weekdays only.
• Circle line (at Monument) — the sub-surface loop around central London via Tower Hill, Westminster, Victoria, Paddington, King's Cross and Liverpool Street.
• District line (at Monument) — sub-surface line west to Westminster, Earl's Court, Hammersmith, Richmond, Wimbledon; east to Tower Hill, Whitechapel and Upminster.
• DLR — the western terminus of the Docklands Light Railway. East to Shadwell, Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Lewisham, Stratford and Woolwich Arsenal.

Step-free access

Bank — Monument has partial step-free access:

• DLR — fully step-free street to train (lifts from the Cannon Street ticket hall).
• Northern line — fully step-free street to train since the 2022 upgrade (lifts from the Cannon Street ticket hall).
• Central line — escalators and stairs only. No lift access to the platforms.
• Waterloo & City — escalators and stairs only.
• Circle and District (at Monument) — escalators and stairs only.

For step-free access to the Central line at this end of the City, the nearest alternative is St Paul's via the bus along Cheapside — but St Paul's itself is not step-free either. The closest step-free Central line station is Liverpool Street, reachable via the Elizabeth line.

See the full step-free Tube stations guide for what step-free actually covers and how stations differ.

Exits and what is nearby

• Bank exit (Princes Street / Bank Junction) — the main historic entrance, directly into the heart of the City between the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange and Mansion House.
• Cannon Street exit (2022) — new entrance opened with the Northern line upgrade, closest to Cannon Street mainline station, the south-eastern City fringe and the Walbrook offices.
• Monument exit (King William Street / Monument) — closest to the Monument to the Great Fire of London (climbable), the southern City fringe, the riverside and London Bridge.
• Lombard Street / Cornhill — closest to the Lloyd's building, the Leadenhall Building (Cheesegrater), 22 Bishopsgate and Leadenhall Market.
• Threadneedle Street — direct exit at the Bank of England.

A bit of history

Monument (originally "Eastcheap", later "The Monument") opened on 6 October 1884 as part of the Metropolitan District Railway's extension along the north bank of the Thames. The Waterloo & City Railway opened in 1898, terminating at "City" station (the original name for Bank). The Central London Railway (Central line) opened its City terminus also called "Bank" in 1900, and the City & South London Railway (Northern line, Bank branch) opened in 1900 to its own station at "Bank".

For 33 years, Bank and Monument were physically separate stations bearing different names. In 1933, London Underground opened a long sloping passageway connecting them, and the combined complex took the name "Bank — Monument" — although locals continue to call the two halves by their original names. The DLR added its City terminus at Bank in 1991, requiring a deep new platform level beneath the existing complex.

The Bank Station Capacity Upgrade (BSCU), completed in early 2022, added the entire new Cannon Street ticket hall, relocated the southbound Northern line platform, added 12 new escalators, two new lifts, and made the Northern line fully step-free. The £700 million project was one of the largest investments in any single Underground station this century.

Common quirks

• Both Northern branches stop here. Bank is one of the few central London stations where both the Bank and Charing Cross branches of the Northern line stop — although on separate platforms within the complex.
• The Waterloo & City line doesn't run on weekends. No Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday service. Use the Jubilee from London Bridge to Waterloo, or the Northern Bank branch directly.
• Interchange walks can be long. The Northern to the District via the central concourse can easily take 5–7 minutes. The DLR is at the deepest level — allow extra time if changing onto or off it.
• Bank and Monument are technically separate. The Tube map shows them as one symbol because the in-station interchange is free and direct — but if you exit at Monument and want to come back in at Bank, that is a new journey.
• The DLR terminates here in the west. Trains from Lewisham, Greenwich and the Docklands all run westbound to Bank — when you board at Bank you are always going east.
• The City is empty at weekends. Many of the exits open into deserted streets on Saturdays and Sundays — the area lives for the working week.

Frequently asked questions

Which lines serve Bank?

Six rail services: the Central, Northern (both branches), Waterloo & City, Circle and District lines, plus the DLR.

Are Bank and Monument the same station?

Yes, for transport purposes. They were originally separate, connected underground in 1933, and TfL today treats the complex as a single station ("Bank — Monument" on the Tube map).

Is Bank step-free?

Partially. The DLR and the Northern line are fully step-free (Northern since the 2022 upgrade). The Central, Waterloo & City and Circle/District at Monument are escalators and stairs only.

What zone is Bank in?

Zone 1.

Do both Northern line branches stop here?

Yes — Bank is one of the few central London stations where both the Bank and Charing Cross branches stop, on separate Northern line platforms.

Lines serving this station

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