Canary Wharf

Live status — lines serving Canary Wharf

Live departures from Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is unusual among London's major interchanges: it isn't one station but three, each built decades apart, each an architectural statement of its era. The Jubilee line station, opened in 1999, is a cathedral-like structure designed by Foster + Partners. The DLR station, opened in 1991, sits at street level above the water. The Elizabeth line station, opened in 2022, occupies a vast box beneath Crossrail Place with a rooftop garden above it. All three are within a few minutes' walk of each other via the shopping malls that thread beneath the office towers.

If Canary Wharf is closed

• Jubilee line closed? Walk 8 minutes to Canary Wharf's Elizabeth line or DLR station instead — both connect to central London via different routes.
• Elizabeth line closed? Use the Jubilee line to Canning Town and change, or take the DLR to Bank/Stratford for onward Underground connections.
• DLR closed? The Jubilee and Elizabeth lines both reach central London directly without needing the DLR.
• Whole complex disrupted? Walk 15 minutes to South Quay (DLR) or Heron Quays (DLR) as alternative boarding points.

About the station

Canary Wharf's transformation from disused docklands to Europe's second financial centre is reflected directly in its transport history. The DLR opened in 1987 as a light, largely automated system built cheaply to serve a redevelopment that was, at the time, a considerable gamble. As the financial district grew through the 1990s, the DLR alone could not keep pace — the Jubilee Line Extension, opened in 1999, brought a proper deep-tube connection with a station designed by Sir Norman Foster: a vast 300-metre platform hall lit by glass canopies, built inside a former dock basin.

The most recent addition, the Elizabeth line station, opened in May 2022 beneath Crossrail Place — itself topped by a striking timber-latticed rooftop garden open to the public. Built inside a specially constructed concrete box sunk into the old dock, the Elizabeth line station added yet another layer of capacity to what has become one of the most complex multi-station interchanges in London.

Lines that serve Canary Wharf

• Jubilee line — west to Canning Town, North Greenwich, London Bridge, Waterloo, Westminster and Stanmore; east terminates at Stratford.
• Elizabeth line — west to Whitechapel, Liverpool Street, Farringdon, Paddington and Heathrow/Reading; east to Custom House, Woolwich and Abbey Wood.
• DLR — multiple routes: north to Poplar and Bank/Stratford; south to Greenwich, Lewisham and London City Airport.

Step-free access

All three Canary Wharf stations — Jubilee line, Elizabeth line and DLR — have full step-free access from street to train. Each was purpose-built with lifts as part of its original construction (1991, 1999 and 2022 respectively), so unlike many older central London stations, accessibility here was designed in rather than retrofitted.

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

Exits and what is nearby

• Jubilee Place / Canada Square Park — main Jubilee line exits, closest to One Canada Square, Canada Square Park and the core office towers.
• Crossrail Place — Elizabeth line exit, directly beneath the rooftop garden, closest to the eastern end of the estate and Poplar.
• Heron Quays (DLR) — closest to the Barclays and HSBC towers and the western docks.
• South Quay (DLR) — alternative DLR entry point, closer to Marsh Wall and South Quay Plaza residential towers.
• Montgomery Square — leads to Waitrose, the Canary Wharf food halls and the westernmost office cluster.

A bit of history

Canary Wharf takes its name from the West Wood Quay warehouse built in the 1930s for the Fruit Import Company's trade with the Canary Islands. When London's docks closed in the 1980s, the site was chosen for a radical redevelopment intended to create a new financial district outside the historic City — a plan that nearly collapsed when the original developer, Olympia & York, went bankrupt in 1992. The DLR (1987) and later the Jubilee Line Extension (1999) were essential to convincing banks and businesses that the area was viable; the Jubilee line arrival in particular is widely credited with turning Canary Wharf's fortunes around in the late 1990s.

Today Canary Wharf rivals the City of London as a financial centre, home to major banks, media companies and — since the 2010s — an increasing residential population. The Elizabeth line's 2022 arrival, threading a new station through the old dock basin, was one of the most technically complex parts of the entire Crossrail project.

Common quirks

• The three stations are not the same building. If your journey planner says "Canary Wharf," check whether it means Jubilee, Elizabeth or DLR — they can be a 5–10 minute walk apart via the malls.
• The malls are how everyone actually walks. The shopping levels beneath the towers connect all three stations under cover — useful in London weather, but easy to lose your bearings underground on a first visit.
• Weekday rush hours are intense, weekends are quiet. Canary Wharf is overwhelmingly a office commuter destination — expect a ghost town feel on Sundays and a crush at 08:30 and 18:00 on weekdays.
• The Crossrail Place roof garden is free and open to the public. A quiet spot above the Elizabeth line station, easy to miss if you don't know to look up.
• DLR trains are driverless. The front "driver's" seats are open to passengers — a popular spot for the view, especially with children.

Frequently asked questions

Which lines serve Canary Wharf?

The Jubilee line, the Elizabeth line and the DLR — each running through a separate station building connected by covered walkways.

Is Canary Wharf step-free?

Yes, at all three stations — each was purpose-built with lifts.

What zone is Canary Wharf in?

Zone 2.

Are the three stations the same building?

No — they are separate buildings a few minutes' walk apart, connected via the shopping malls beneath the estate.

How do I get to One Canada Square?

It sits directly above the Jubilee line station — exit via Canada Square Park or Jubilee Place for the shortest walk.

Lines serving this station

Guides