QX takes the Night Tube

With the long-awaited introduction of the Night Tube, Joe Holyoake looks at how to mix it with London’s nightlife

 


After what feels like an age, London FINALLY has the night tube.  No longer shall you have to bear the tyranny of a shift-worker falling asleep on your shoulder while you take the night bus, or have to awkwardly dictate directions to an Uber driver. Now you can flounce from party to party, all while hurtling 40 metres underground. Exciting!

It looks set to breathe life back into London nightlife, which makes a welcome change from the regular onslaught it faces from tight-fisted councils, complaining residents and those who only see London as unutilised space for new luxury flats.

Duncan, the co-owner at Central Station, conveniently located close to King’s Cross, said: ‘It’s perhaps too early to say, but we think people will stay later, as they no longer have to fork out £20 for a cab home. Plus, it will hopefully attract those who spill out of the West End gay pubs that close at 11 or midnight. It’s been a massive help for me personally though’.

However, not everyone is as optimistic about its introduction. Muna, the manager at cabaret haunt City of Quebec, said they have seen no discernible effect on business and, despite being located close to Marble Arch station, they were not expecting to see an uplift in the number of punters.

It is slightly premature to state how much of an impact it has already had on the nightlife economy, though it has already benefited many clubbers and thrill-seekers living close to stops on the Central and Victoria lines.

So, how can you make the most of one of the biggest changes to happen to London nightlife? Well, we have all the answers here at QX…

 


FRIDAY

Time to throw off your shackles and dive headfirst into the weekend. Why not start off on the Central Line, heading to Marble Arch for the hottest Canadian import since we were sent the link to Bieber’s holiday nudes, City of Quebec? Drink, dance and unwind without having one eye on the clock to make sure you catch the last tube.

So, 3am, roll out to an open tube station. Novel, isn’t it? Why not try standing on the left of the escalator? Or, better still, the middle? It’s the night-tube, take leave of all your inhibitions. You’ll need to ride to Oxford Circus, changing to the Victoria Line, and then getting off at the jewel in the crown of London’s nightlife, Vauxhall.

Let’s be honest, the night-tube was basically made for Vauxhall. Head over to Protocol to power through the early hours.

 


SATURDAY

Bleary-eyed, you emerge. At this stage, you may want a bit of a break. Why not head on a morning voyage to the eastern extremities of the night tube network? I mean, I’m not sure what’s actually there, but all the stops have names that sound like the surnames of men in Jane Austen novels (Fairlop, Snaresbrook, Hainault)? Intrigued? No, us neither, but you owe it to the tube-drivers who’d rather be asleep, so hop on and ride.

It’s late afternoon. Perhaps the tepid recycled air of the tube has left you feeling a little nasty. What you need is a little refreshment. Head back west on the Central Line, changing again at Oxford Circus, and then catch a carriage to Stockwell, where, only a small walk away (it’ll do you good), The Locker Room awaits. Lose a couple of hours in the company of hot strangers, before stepping out clean and recharged, ready to make the most of the night-tube again.

A big gay-weekend couldn’t happen without a sashay into Soho, so leap back on board and ride up to Oxford Circus. You should probably check out the newly refurbished Klub on Lisle Street. The bartenders are infamously gorgeous, the DJs spin sexy beats, and you can precede the ecstatic feeling you’ll get in your 40’s when you treat yourself to some new tiling in the bathroom by visiting the newly-refurbed venue. Pay some compliments.

 


SUNDAY

Back to Oxford Circus. It’s going to be change-over carnage there every weekend, isn’t it? Tap your contactless, or your Oyster (GRANDPA), to Vauxhall (where else?) and stay on for the notoriously relentless Beyond. When in Vauxhall, do as the Vauxhillians do.

After this, feel free to continue your weekend, but the night-tube won’t be with you. At the moment, it only runs on Friday and Saturday night, and then it returns to its daily routine, as you will too: deadlines, ironed shirts and receiving office-wide emails accusing you of stealing someone’s cereal out of the kitchen. The Jubilee joins on 7th October and the Piccadilly and most of the Northern Line are scheduled for later in the autumn.

Advertisement

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here