London has an amazing transport system! Take the tube, get on a train, jump on a bus, hop on a boat, cycle to work or just simply walk.
Coming to and fro the borough is easy with London’s awesome transport system. Within the confines of Kensington and Chelsea, there are 12 underground stations, 2 overground train stations, over 30 bus routes, as well as 86 Barclays Cycle Hire docking stations.
The Tube
There are 12 London Underground stations within the Kensington and Chelsea borough, which incorporate the Circle, District, Central, Piccadilly and Hammersmith & City lines. The stations include: Earl’s Court, Gloucester Road, High Street Kensington, Holland Park, Kensington (Olympia), Knightsbridge, Ladbroke Grove, Latimer Road, Notting Hill Gate, Sloane Square, South Kensington and West Brompton.
For information on planned weekend closures, delays and routes, visit Transport for London to plan your journey.
Railway Stations
There are 2 railway stations within the Kensington and Chelsea borough: Kensington (Olympia) station and West Brompton station. We have also included the information for Imperial Wharf station, which is a railway station just south of the river and probably the most convenient for those who live near Chelsea Harbour.
For all three stations, typical off peak overground trains per hour include 4 trains heading north to Willesden Junction (2 of which will continue on to Stratford), as well as 4 trains heading south to Clapham Junction. Trains on Southern Rail per off peak hour will include 1 train heading northbound to Milton Keynes Central and 1 train heading southbound to South Croydon.
Kensington Olympia Railway Station (KPA)
The Kensington Olympia Railway Station is located right on the boundary of Kensington and Chelsea and the Hammersmith and Fulham boroughs, with the southbound platform in K&C and the northbound platform in H&F. The London Underground provides a limited District Line service between Kensington (Olympia) and Earl’s Court on weekends and early mornings/evenings during the week.
Address: Olympia Way, Kensington, W14 0NE
Facilities: Ticket office, ticket machines, 60 space car park, cycle storage, public Wi-Fi, ATM, coffee and refreshments kiosk, news agent, passport photo booth, toilets, baby changing facilities
West Brompton Railway Station (WBP)
The West Brompton Railway Station is located just behind the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre off of the Old Brompton Road, west of the Brompton Cemetary. This station serves as both a railway station and a stop on the London Underground District Line.
Address: Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JX
Facilities: Ticket office, pay phones
Imperial Wharf Railway Station (IMW)
The Imperial Wharf Railway Station is located in Fulham, adjacent to the Chelsea Harbour, for those of our residents with river views. The nearest London Underground stations are Fulham Broadway, West Brompton and Sloane Square – they are all a bit of a walk though!
Address: Townmead Road, SW6 2ZH
Facilities: Ticket office, ticket machines, public Wi-Fi, refreshment facilities, cycle storage
Buses
Kensington & Chelsea has over 30 bus routes, which are entirely wheelchair accessible. Only 2 of our 12 London Underground stations are completely step free (Earl’s Court & Kensington Olympia), so the bus is also a good option if you have a wheelchair.
For a complete list of buses and night buses going to and fro Kensington and Chelsea, it’s best to visit the official Transport for London website.
Boats
Fancy mixing it up on a warm summer’s day and cruising into work on the Thames? Catch a boat from Cadogan Pier or Chelsea Harbour Pier (within Hammersmith & Fulham) for travel between Putney Bridge and Blackfriars. You can even use your Oyster!
RB6 Route
Putney Pier - Wandsworth Riverside Quarter Pier - Chelsea Harbour Pier - Cadogan Pier (Cheyne Walk) - St George Wharf - Embankment Pier - Blackfriars Millennium Pier
Hours: Monday-Friday during peak hours only. Boats are every 30 minutes (eg: In the mornings they can run from approximately 6:30am-9am and then again from 5pm-8pm). Check TFL for exact departure times.
Pier Locations: Cadogan Pier is located along the Chelsea Embankment across from Battersea Park. It is near to Cheyne Walk and the Albert Bridge in SW3.
Chelsea Harbour Pier is located south of the river near Imperial Wharf station near to the corner of Harbour Avenue and Thames Path in SW10.
Walking & Cycling
Your Oyster card is at zero and you don’t get your student loan until next Friday. Don’t skip class – take a stroll or jump on a bicycle. It’s free, it’s healthy and most importantly, it’s environmentally friendly.
Don’t know how to ride a bike? Well, now you’re all out of excuses, because the council offers a free two-hour one-to-one training session. They also offer sessions on road safety and how to maintain your bicycle. Check out the official council website for further details.
Barclays Cycle Hire
You’re not likely to be mugged by a band of hoodies in Kensington and Chelsea, but perhaps if you are, you’ll be lucky enough to be saved by London mayor, Boris Johnson. Described as a “knight on a shining bicycle” by a woman who was threatened by a group of armed “oiks”, Boris Johnson saved the day as he cycled past the incident and deterred the hooded youth with his extensive vocabulary. Read more here.
If the Mayor of London can ride his bike to work, so can you. Once you’ve been schooled on how to ride a bike, how to maintain your equipment and proper road safety rules from the council, you may even consider renting a “Boris Bike” (officially known as Barclay’s Cycle Hire). Sorry Ken, we know you came up with the idea, but Londoners like the alliterative title. “Ken Bikes” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Barclay's Cycle Hire is a self catered bicycle sharing scheme that allows users to use bikes to complete short journeys. You can hire a bike near you and return it to a docking station nearest to your destination. There are 86 docking stations within the K&C borough and they are free from extra ride charges if used and returned within half an hour.