PLAN YOUR JOURNEY
Getting to Woolwich:
Transport Options + Handy Extras
Heading to Woolwich? Compare the Elizabeth line, DLR, National Rail, useful local buses and the river, plus sensible places to change, getting-home pointers and a few handy extras once you arrive.
📍 Where you’re heading
Woolwich combines an everyday town centre with the Royal Arsenal riverside, Woolwich Works, Tramshed and several major transport connections. That makes it useful both as a destination and as an interchange for journeys across Greenwich and wider South East London.
KNOW YOUR STATIONS
Woolwich is the Elizabeth line station in the Royal Arsenal area. Woolwich Arsenal is the separate DLR and National Rail station on Woolwich New Road. They serve the same wider Woolwich centre but they are not one station, so check which one your journey uses before travelling.
🚌 See your transport options
🚇 Elizabeth line
Woolwich station puts the Royal Arsenal and town-centre side onto the Elizabeth line, with direct trains towards Abbey Wood in one direction and Canary Wharf, central London and destinations farther west in the other. Check the actual train for your destination rather than assuming every service continues to the same western terminus.
🚈 DLR
Woolwich Arsenal is the DLR station. It is useful for the Royal Docks / London City Airport side and for onward DLR connections towards Canary Wharf and central London; other branches and destinations may require a change.
🚆 National Rail
Woolwich Arsenal is also a National Rail station, managed by Southeastern. Southeastern services connect Woolwich with the wider rail network, with Thameslink appearing on the current station service information too. Check the current departure for the route you need.
🚌 Useful buses to Woolwich
Woolwich has a large bus network, so these are useful routes to spot first rather than an exhaustive directory. Different services use different stops around Woolwich, Woolwich Arsenal and the Elizabeth line station.
53 — Woolwich ↔ Charlton / Blackheath ↔ central London direction
54 — Woolwich ↔ Blackheath / Lewisham ↔ Catford / Beckenham side
177 — Woolwich ↔ Greenwich / Deptford direction and Plumstead / Thamesmead direction
180 — Woolwich ↔ Charlton / North Greenwich and Plumstead / Erith direction
386 — Woolwich ↔ Queen Elizabeth Hospital ↔ Shooters Hill ↔ Blackheath / Greenwich
422 — Woolwich ↔ Charlton / North Greenwich and Bexleyheath direction
244 — Woolwich ↔ Queen Elizabeth Hospital / Shooters Hill and Abbey Wood direction
SL11 — Superloop connection between Woolwich, North Greenwich and Abbey Wood
Also useful locally: routes including 96, 99, 122, 301, 380 and 469 serve parts of the Woolwich hub. 🌙 Night services include N1, N53 and N472 around the wider Woolwich station area; check TfL for your exact stop and direction.
⛴️ River
Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier is the current Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier. It gives Woolwich a river connection towards central London and Barking Riverside. Oyster and contactless can be used to touch in and out; river fares sit outside normal TfL daily capping.
🧭 Coming from our local patch
From North Greenwich / Charlton
Direct buses are often simplest. The 180 and 422 are useful from the North Greenwich / Charlton side, with other local choices depending on your nearest stop.
From Greenwich / Blackheath / Lewisham
The 177 and 386 are useful from the Greenwich side, while the 53 and 54 connect Woolwich with parts of Blackheath and the Lewisham side. Rail or DLR may also make sense depending on where you start.
From Shooters Hill / Queen Elizabeth Hospital / Eltham
The 386 provides a direct Woolwich–Queen Elizabeth Hospital connection, and the 244 also links the Woolwich side with Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Other routes serve Eltham and Shooters Hill, so check your nearest stop rather than travelling to a particular route unnecessarily.
From Plumstead / Abbey Wood / Thamesmead
There are several direct bus options into Woolwich. Abbey Wood also gives you the Elizabeth line for a quick rail connection to Woolwich, while the 177 serves the Thamesmead side.
From Welling / Bexleyheath
The 422 is useful between Bexleyheath and Woolwich; other routes including the 96, 99 and 301 serve parts of this wider corridor. Compare the direct bus with rail connections for your actual starting point.
From central London
The Elizabeth line is a strong option from its central-London corridor. National Rail and the River Bus give alternatives depending on where you begin and where in Woolwich you are heading.
🔄 Useful places to change
- Canary Wharf: useful for changing between the Jubilee line and Elizabeth line before continuing to Woolwich. Check the interchange on TfL.
- North Greenwich: useful for Jubilee line arrivals connecting to direct buses towards Woolwich. Check North Greenwich.
- Abbey Wood: useful for Elizabeth line and local bus connections on the eastern side of the area. Check Abbey Wood.
- Woolwich itself: remember that the Elizabeth line station and Woolwich Arsenal DLR/National Rail station are separate, so check which station your onward journey needs.
🏠 Getting home
Check your return journey before an evening event finishes. The best route home may not match the journey in, different Woolwich stops and station entrances matter, and River Bus operating hours differ from rail and bus services. Having a second route in mind can be useful.
💷 Keeping travel costs down
- Contactless / Oyster: useful across TfL services and many London rail journeys, with eligible journeys contributing towards caps.
- Bus changes: TfL’s Hopper fare can make bus-to-bus journeys useful when they fall within the current qualifying rules.
- Children: child and Zip Oyster rules vary by age and mode, so check current TfL guidance for your family.
- National Rail: Railcards and time of travel can change the fare on eligible journeys.
- River: Oyster/contactless works at Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier, but River Bus journeys do not count towards the normal TfL daily cap.
There is no single cheapest option for everybody: compare the direct bus, capped pay-as-you-go journey, rail ticket and river option for where you actually start.
👨👩👧 Family travel
With children or a pushchair, fewer changes can be worth prioritising. Woolwich gives you several step-free transport options, but remember the Elizabeth line station and Woolwich Arsenal are separate. Check child / Zip Oyster rules and separate river ticket arrangements before travelling.
♿ Accessibility
Woolwich Elizabeth line station is step-free category A with lifts. Woolwich Arsenal National Rail is also category A with step-free access to all platforms, including lift access via the DLR station. DLR stations are designed with step-free access between street and platform. Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier is accessible and Thames Clippers says it has step-free access from the Thames Path for wheelchair and mobility-scooter users and people with prams. Always check live lift and service information before travelling.
📍 Useful local destinations
- 🎭 Woolwich Works / Royal Arsenal: useful for culture, events and the riverside; the Elizabeth line and river pier are particularly relevant to this side of Woolwich.
- 🎭 Tramshed: theatre and youth-arts venue in central Woolwich, with Woolwich Arsenal and local buses useful for arrival.
- 🛍️ Woolwich town centre: served by the wider bus network as well as the two rail-station areas.
- 🚉 Woolwich transport interchange: Elizabeth line, DLR, National Rail and buses make Woolwich useful for changing as well as visiting.
- 🏥 Queen Elizabeth Hospital: an onward local destination rather than part of the town-centre cluster. The 386 and other local bus services provide connections from Woolwich; check TfL for the stop and entrance you need.
✨ While you’re here
You’ve made it to Woolwich — have a mooch while you’re here.
- 🎭 Tramshed Woolwich: Theatre, Youth Arts & Accessibility Guide
- 😂 Woolwich Works Comedy: Autumn 2026 Dates & Tickets
- 🎺 Brassworks 2026 at Woolwich Works: Free Festival Guide
- 🗺️ Greenwich Days Out, Events & Local Guide
🚏 Explore by route
Already on the bus? Have a mooch along one of the strongest routes for this area.
🔎 Check before you travel
- TfL Journey Planner
- Woolwich Elizabeth line station — TfL
- Woolwich Arsenal DLR — TfL
- Woolwich Arsenal — National Rail
- TfL fares and ways to pay
- Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier — Uber Boat by Thames Clippers
Travel information checked: 21 September 2026. Routes, fares, accessibility arrangements and operating times can change. Use the official operator links above for your actual journey.
