Passengers on the Central line's Hainault loop received a major boost today when London Underground (LU) announced that from 19 November services will operate beyond 8pm between Hainault to Woodford via Roding Valley.

It is our intention to operate this service for the foreseeable future

The improvements are part of Transport for London's (TfL's) £10bn Investment Programme to meet London's transport needs, now and in the future.

At present, Central line services do not serve Grange Hill, Chigwell and Roding Valley stations after 8pm and have not done so for many years.

A new timetable for the Central line will be introduced later this year on 19 November.

One of the major benefits will be that Tube services will operate between Hainault to Woodford via Roding Valley beyond the current 8pm finishing time until close of passenger service.

Jeff Ellis, General Manager, Central line said: "London Underground is working hard to improve the Tube and constantly monitors customer demand to ensure that our services meet passenger needs.

"The new Central line timetable to be introduced later this year will allow us to respond to growing local demand for later services to run between Hainault and Woodford via Roding Valley.

"It is our intention to operate this service for the foreseeable future and we hope it will prove popular with passengers."

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  • TfL is investing £10bn over the next five years to improve and expand London's transport network, over half of that in the Tube
  • This announcement is the latest in a series by London Underground about the extension of opening hours at stations which were previously subject to early or weekend closing:
    • Temple station which was previously closed on a Sunday is now open through the weekend
    • Cannon Street which was previously closed all weekend is now open on Sundays from 0720 to 1940 hours
    • Chancery Lane which was closed on Sundays and public holidays is currently opening on these days on a trial basis
  • The Central line is the longest line with 74km (46 miles) serving 49 stations
  • The longest journey without change on the London Underground can be made on the Central line between West Ruislip and Epping 54.9 km (34.1 miles)