The stations with a rush hour that peaks before 8am are at the extremes of the network. Far out on the Metropolitan line in Herts and Bucks, and at the tip of the Central line in Essex, commuters set off early. Pinner's a slight oddity, although all its neighbours are coming up in the next list.
07:45 - 08:15 Monday-Friday: Becontree, Canons Park, Chigwell, Chiswick Park, Cockfosters, Dagenham East, Dagenham Heathway, Debden, Eastcote, Elm Park, Fairlop, Finchley Central, Grange Hill, Hainault, High Barnet, Hillingdon, Hornchurch, Hounslow West, Ickenham, Kew Gardens, Loughton, Moor Park, North Harrow, Northolt, Northwood, Northwood Hills, Oakwood, Queensbury, Rickmansworth, Roding Valley, Ruislip, Ruislip Gardens, Ruislip Manor, South Ealing, South Kenton, South Ruislip, Stanmore, Totteridge & Whetstone, Upminster Bridge, West Brompton, West Ruislip, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park, Woodford, Woodside Park 07:45 - 08:30 Monday-Friday: Buckhurst Hill, Edgware, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Hounslow East, Southfields, Southgate
That'll be zones 4, 5 and 6 starting their morning journeys into town, before eight o'clock, along with (for some reason) half the Wimbledon branch of the District line.
08:00 - 08:15 Monday-Friday: Greenford, Kenton, Morden, Newbury Park, Osterley, Stamford Brook, Stonebridge Park, Sudbury Hill, Upney 08:00 - 08:30 Monday-Friday: Alperton, Arnos Grove, Balham, Barking, Barkingside, Blackhorse Road, Boston Manor, Bounds Green, Burnt Oak, Clapham Common, Colindale, Colliers Wood, Dollis Hill, Ealing Broadway, Ealing Common, East Acton, East Finchley, East Ham, East Putney, Finsbury Park , Fulham Broadway, Gants Hill, Goldhawk Road, Hanger Lane, Hendon Central, Hounslow Central, Kingsbury, Leytonstone, Neasden, North Ealing, North Wembley, Northfields, Northwick Park, Parsons Green, Plaistow, Preston Road, Putney Bridge, Ravenscourt Park, Rayners Lane, Redbridge, Seven Sisters, Shepherd's Bush Market, Snaresbrook, South Harrow, South Wimbledon, South Woodford, Sudbury Town, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tottenham Hale, Turnham Green, Turnpike Lane, Upton Park, Walthamstow Central, Wanstead, Wembley Central, Wembley Park, West Acton, West Finchley, West Harrow, Westbourne Park, Willesden Green, Wood Green
A quarter of all tube station appear here, mostly in zones 3 and 4, along with a smattering of zone 2s (generally from the west of London).
Even closer to the centre now, although Harrow & Wealdstone is a last late straggler from zone 5. Meanwhile Marylebone is the first zone 1 appearance, as Chiltern commuters flood off their morning trains.
08:15 - 08:45 Monday-Friday: Archway, Arsenal, Belsize Park, Bermondsey, Bethnal Green, Bow Road, Brent Cross, Brixton, Caledonian Road, Canning Town, Chalk Farm, Earl's Court, Finchley Road, Hammersmith (H&C), Highbury & Islington, Holloway Road, Kennington, Kilburn Park, Lancaster Gate, Maida Vale, Manor House, Mile End, North Greenwich, Oval, Paddington, Queen's Park, Richmond, Royal Oak, Stepney Green, Stockwell, Stratford, Swiss Cottage, Tufnell Park, Warwick Avenue, West Hampstead
The 'around half eight' list is almost entirely from zone 2, with Richmond (in zone 4) a glaring outlier. Paddington (and neighbouring Lancaster Gate) are further evidence of commuters pouring into town from the west.
08:00 - 09:00 Monday-Friday: Canada Water, Victoria 08:15 - 09:00 Monday-Friday: Baker Street, Euston, Euston Square, Hampstead, Kentish Town, King's Cross St. Pancras, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Queensway, Vauxhall, Waterloo 08:30 - 09:00 Monday-Friday: Cannon Street
The rush hour continues until nine o'clock at all of these stations, the majority of which are at central London rail termini. Hampstead is the sole zone 3 late runner.
09:30 - 10:00 Monday-Friday: Bayswater
Bayswater is a true oddity, its busiest time well after the rush hour has died down elsewhere, presumably because it's chucking out time in the local hotels.
AND NOW TO THE FLIPSIDE - STATIONS BUSIER IN THE EVENING THAN IN THE MORNING
17:00 - 17:15 Monday-Friday: Holland Park 17:00 - 17:30 Monday-Friday: Harlesden, Ladbroke Grove, Russell Square, St. John's Wood, Whitechapel 17:00 - 17:45 Monday-Friday: Hyde Park Corner, South Kensington, Uxbridge
The hometime rush starts at five o'clock in these mostly central stations... plus, for some reason, Harlesden amd Uxbridge are emptying out.
17:15 - 17:45 Monday-Friday: Angel, Lambeth North, Park Royal, Regent's Park, St. James's Park, Willesden Junction 17:15 - 18:00 Monday-Friday: Aldgate, Aldgate East, Borough, Canary Wharf, Hatton Cross, West Ham
This lot are mostly central but minor. Elsewhere the Park Royal Trading Estate is clearing out, airline staff are departing Hatton Cross and the trading floors at Canary Wharf have closed.
17:30 - 18:00 Monday-Friday: Barbican, Barons Court
Chancery Lane, Charing Cross, Edgware Road, Edgware Road, Gunnersbury , Hammersmith (Dis), Latimer Road, Moorgate, Mornington Crescent, Pimlico, Southwark, St. Paul's, Tower Hill, Westminster, White City, Wood Lane 17:30 - 18:15 Monday-Friday: Bank & Monument, Blackfriars, Embankment, Great Portland Street, Green Park, Holborn, Mansion House, North Acton, Warren Street
With the working day over, a lot of key inner London stations (plus a few around Hammersmith) are busiest after five thirty.
That's a very specific West End cluster, where the evening rush lasts a full hour.
17:45 - 18:15 Monday-Friday: Bond Street, Farringdon, Goodge Street, High Street Kensington, Knightsbridge, Marble Arch, Notting Hill Gate, Old Street, Perivale, Piccadilly Circus, Temple, Tottenham Court Road, Upminster 17:45 - 18:30 Monday-Friday: Camden Town, Shepherd's Bush
A near-final batch of zone 1 stations don't peak until quarter to six. Standing out like sore thumbs in this list are Perivale (zone 4) and Upminster (zone 6).
