UK: The Stansted Express overnight trial has generated more than 1,000 additional journeys in its first four weeks, indicating early demand for late-night and early-morning airport rail connections.

A Greater Anglia Class 745/1 Stansted Express train at London Liverpool Street station.
A Class 745/1 train at London Liverpool Street on a Stansted Airport service; illustrative image, cropped to 16:9. Photo: Hugh Llewelyn, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Overnight trains extend airport rail access

Greater Anglia launched the summer trial on Friday 3 July, adding trains every Friday night into Saturday morning through 25 September 2026. The extra services run at roughly 30-minute intervals between about 23:50 and 05:00.

Most trains operate between Stansted Airport and Tottenham Hale, where passengers can transfer to the Victoria line Night Tube for journeys across London. Some early-morning services continue to or start from London Liverpool Street.

The Stansted Express travel information confirms the seasonal overnight pattern. The airport-to-Tottenham Hale section takes around 36 minutes, creating a rail option for passengers using late arrivals or the first Saturday departures.

On Friday nights, the timetable also gives airport employees working late or early shifts another way to travel. Greater Anglia said these journeys were not possible by train before the trial.

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Passenger data will shape the next decision

After the first four weeks, Greater Anglia reported that passengers had made more than 1,000 additional journeys. The operator is monitoring how the trains are used in the early-morning hours and analysing travel patterns throughout the trial.

The overnight timetable remains a trial rather than a permanent service. Greater Anglia will use the collected data to assess demand and inform decisions about whether overnight Stansted Express trains could operate in the future.

The operator worked with Network Rail Anglia to adjust engineering plans where possible while protecting essential maintenance. The final scheduled Friday-night operation begins on 25 September and runs into the early hours of 26 September 2026, after which the results can be evaluated.

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