Bus 25 in London: Hainault Street to Holborn Circus

With around 50 stops in each direction, the 25 is a long cross-city route. It runs from Hainault Street near Ilford to Holborn Circus in the City, crossing a wide stretch of east London and passing through Stratford, Bow and the Whitechapel hospital area on the way.

The sections below set out the terminals, the landmarks worth knowing along the route, and the timing of the first and last journeys, along with how often buses come in each direction.

Where the route goes

The outbound run from Hainault Street passes Redbridge Central Library and Ilford Broadway before heading through Woodgrange Park and Forest Gate towards Manor Park. It continues to Stratford Bus Station, where Stratford Centre and the Moorfields Eye Hospital stop are both named, then calls at Bow Church and Mile End before reaching Stepney Green and the Royal London Hospital at Whitechapel. The route then uses Aldgate and Bank Station, passes St Paul's Station and City Thameslink, and finishes at Holborn Circus.

The return from Holborn Circus runs through King Edward Street, the Bank junction and Aldgate, then past the East London Mosque and Altab Ali Park before retracing the east side. A weekday trip takes 93 minutes from Hainault Street and 85 minutes from Holborn Circus.

Stops: Hainault Street - Holborn Circus

  1. Hainault Street
  2. Redbridge Central Library
  3. Ilford Broadway
  4. Chapel Road
  5. Dersingham Avenue
  6. Little Ilford Lane
  7. Rabbits Road
  8. First Avenue (E12)
  9. High Street North Manor Park
  10. Woodgrange Park Station
  11. Shrewsbury Road Romford
  12. Katherine Road Forest Gate
  13. Green Street (E7)
  14. Woodgrange Road
  15. Sprowston Road
  16. Margery Park Road
  17. Atherton Leisure Centre
  18. Water Lane / University Of East London
  19. Stratford Centre / Moorfields Eye Hospital
  20. Stratford Bus Station
  21. Stratford High Street / Carpenters Road
  22. Warton Road
  23. Abbey Lane
  24. Bow Flyover
  25. Bow Church
  26. Bow Church Station
  27. Bow Road Station
  28. Coborn Road
  29. Mile End
  30. Regents Canal
  31. Queen Mary / University Of London
  32. Ocean Estate
  33. Stepney Green Station
  34. Stepney Green
  35. Booth Memorial
  36. Sidney Street
  37. Whitechapel Station / Royal London Hospital
  38. The East London Mosque
  39. Altab Ali Park
  40. Aldgate East
  41. Aldgate
  42. St Katharine Cree
  43. St Mary Axe
  44. Bank Station / Cornhill
  45. Poultry / Bank Station
  46. Bread Street
  47. St. Paul's Station
  48. City Thameslink
  49. Snow Hill
  50. Holborn Circus

Stops: Holborn Circus - Hainault Street

  1. Holborn Circus
  2. City Thameslink
  3. King Edward Street
  4. St. Paul's Station
  5. Bank Station / Poultry
  6. Bank Station / Cornhill
  7. Bishopsgate City of London
  8. St Mary Axe
  9. St Katharine Cree
  10. Aldgate
  11. Aldgate East
  12. Altab Ali Park
  13. The East London Mosque
  14. Whitechapel Station / Royal London Hospital
  15. Booth Memorial
  16. Stepney Green
  17. Stepney Green Station
  18. Bancroft Road / Ocean Estate
  19. Queen Mary / University Of London
  20. Regents Canal
  21. Mile End
  22. Coborn Road
  23. Bow Road Station
  24. Bow Church Station
  25. Bow Church
  26. Marshgate Lane
  27. Warton Road
  28. Stratford H St/Carpenters Road
  29. Stratford Bus Station
  30. Stratford Bus Station
  31. Stratford Centre / Moorfields Eye Hospital
  32. Litchfield Avenue
  33. Water Lane / University Of East London
  34. Atherton Leisure Centre
  35. Margery Park Road
  36. Woodgrange Road
  37. Green Street (E7)
  38. Katherine Road Forest Gate
  39. Shrewsbury Road Romford
  40. Woodgrange Park Station
  41. High Street North Manor Park
  42. First Avenue (E12)
  43. Rabbits Road
  44. Seventh Avenue
  45. North Circular Road Ilford
  46. Ilford Station / Ilford Hill
  47. Ilford / Chapel Road
  48. Redbridge Central Library
  49. Hainault Street

When it runs

Buses start from Hainault Street at 00:07 on weekdays, and the last one leaves at 23:57. From Holborn Circus the first departure is at 00:01 and the last at 23:51. Weekend first and last departures are the same at both ends as on weekdays.

The 25 is frequent. On weekdays there are 153 journeys from Hainault Street, roughly one every 9 minutes, and 149 from Holborn Circus at about 10-minute intervals. Weekend services run 118 and 115 journeys, with gaps of 12 and 13 minutes.

Timetable at a glance

DirectionDaysFirstLastJourneysEveryJourney time
Hainault Street - Holborn Circusweekdays00:0723:57153~9 min93 min
Hainault Street - Holborn Circusweekends00:0723:57118~12 min79 min
Holborn Circus - Hainault Streetweekdays00:0123:51149~10 min85 min
Holborn Circus - Hainault Streetweekends00:0123:51115~13 min76 min

Tips for passengers

Because the journey is long, decide where you will change before you board. Stratford, Bow Road and Whitechapel are the useful interchange points along the way. Expect weekday journeys to take about an hour and a half end to end. Weekend trips are about 15 minutes shorter.

See also

Another route in the city: London Bus 4.

Timetable and stops for London Bus 3.

Also in London: London Bus 2.

Full stop list for the London Bus 1.

First and last departures on the London Tram.

Nearby routes and routes sharing stops