Indeed, accompanied children aged 5-10 can travel free on all TfL services and a limited number of National Rail routes in London, basically the "
interavailable" ones which parallel tube lines, including the Thameslink core. National Rail Enquiries has a page (
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tick...motions/free-travel-for-under-11-s-in-london/) stating the following:
Up to 4 children aged 5 -10 years old can travel
free on the following Transport for London services when accompanied by an adult travelling with a valid ticket.
- London Underground
- London Overground
- Elizabeth line
- DLR
- London Trams
- London Buses
Children travelling free do not require tickets and will be allowed through ticket gates by staff. The accompanying adult should use gates as normal.
Accompanied children aged 5-10 are also permitted on the following routes on National Rail services:
- Between Amersham and Harrow-on-the Hill (and intermediately)
- Between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Marylebone
- Between Barking and West Ham
- Between Barking and London Fenchurch Street / London Liverpool Street
- Between Upminster and Barking
- Between Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington
- Between Finsbury Park and London Kings Cross / Moorgate / Old Street / St Pancras International
- Between West Hampstead Thameslink / Kentish Town and London Thameslink Group stations (London St Pancras Intl, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge, Elephant & Castle)
- Between West Brompton and Willesden Junction (via West London Line)
- Between Harrow & Wealdstone and Queens Park
- Between Stratford and London Liverpool Street
- Between West Ruislip and South Ruislip
The page also has a dead link to a map on the TfL website (
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/free-travel-areas-without-oyster-adult-accompanying-map.pdf ). Some googling reveals a working URL with the same filename on the TfL Visitor Shop website (
https://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/en/media/77/download ) which I have also attached to this post. (I can find no actual links from any information page on the Visitor Shop website to the PDF map, though.)
I note that the TfL map shows slightly more routes as valid than the NRE list (e.g. Clapham Junction to Watford Junction, not just West Bromton to Willesden Junction), and further shows intermediate stations, whereas the NRE list seems to be a point-to-point list (a rule proven by the exception "and intermediately" in the first item, as well as by the listing of individual segments separately), even though it is introduced as "the following routes" rather than e.g. "the following journeys".
The TfL
"5-10 Zip Oyster Photocard" page used to state
When you don't need a 5-10 Zip Oyster photocard
Up to four children under 11 travel free with a fare-paying adult.
Your child doesn't need a photocard to:
- Travel free on buses and trams (unless they look older than 10)
- Buy child-rate paper tickets (unless they look older than 10)
- Travel accompanied by an adult on these National Rail services:
with a link to this PDF map, but some time between
14 Feb 2025 and
2 Mar 2025 the last line was removed.
