Epping Ongar Railway
Epping, Essex
About Epping Ongar Railway
A perfect visit for all the family, Epping Ongar Railway is both Essex's longest heritage railway and the closest to London, running from Ongar to North Weald and into Epping Forest.
The railway also runs a traditional London bus service leaving directly outside Epping Underground station and runs along Epping high street every day they are running, complete with an open platform on the back, and this is timed to neatly connect with the trains. Your great value ticket includes all three heritage transport experiences.
Throughout the year, the railway has an exciting range of events which are great from the little ones, like meeting Peppa and George all the way through to Christmas when we run our incredibly popular Santa Specials!
Epping Ongar Railway offers you and your family the chance to step back in time to enjoy the romance of heritage travel, an inspiring day out for all ages, the chance to explore the beauty of this area and connects together a wide range of attractions in Epping Forest and its surroundings.
There's plenty of food options too with a lovely buffet at North Weald Station and a small sweet and cake shop at Ongar - but with big tables on our trains you can also bring an 'indoor picnic'. Our on board bar is sometimes open, but bring your own bubbly! Both our stations have picnic areas too. We have bacon baguettes, freshly-baked sausage rolls, snacks and pasties availble to purchase from the LNER Cafe at North Weald to make your picnic as delicious as possible.
Our branch winds its way through some of Essex's finest countryside and ancient forest, tackling steep gradients as it goes. The railway runs a fleet of former mainline steam and diesel locomotives which haul a range of period coaches between the beautifully restored period stations. What's more, you can enjoy it all from your seat aboard your train, experiencing what it would have been like for passengers to travel on the line all those years ago...
Our award-winning and Grade II listed Great Eastern Railway station at Ongar is believed to be the only original operating station to retain GER colours. As well as Ongar being the start of the underground our line also passes what was the highest point of the Central Line at Coopersale bridge.
Did you know?
During your visit you can find the start of the Underground! All distances on the London Underground network are measured from Ongar. Even though the line ceased to be part of the underground in 1994, this is still the case today. Look out for the distance marker posts every 200m along the line on the left hand side as you travel from Ongar.
We are longest heritage railway in Essex
Not only is the Epping Ongar Railway the longest heritage railway in Essex, it's also the closest to London and easily accessible at the end of the Central Line.
Family events throughout the year
We run an exciting series of events throughout the year including Santa Specials, Kids for a Quid days, character events and spectacular themed events at Halloween as well as a magical Lights Train!
Ride a traditional and vintage London bus
Our vintage London buses run throughout the day at Epping Underground and Shenfield. Start your journey at either location, or take a ride during the day.
Facilities
Toilets
Gift Shop
Onsite Parking
Accessible Toilets
Baby Changing
Food Available
Wheelchair Friendly
Dog Friendly
Pushchair Friendly
Card Payments Accepted
Opening Times
- Monday, Open 24 hours
- Tuesday, Open 24 hours
- Wednesday, Open 24 hours
- Thursday, Open 24 hours
- Friday, Open 24 hours
- Saturday, Open 24 hours
- Sunday, Open 24 hours
Open weekends, Bank Holidays and Fridays in August. Please see www.eorailway.co.uk/visit/ for up-to-date details of our opening hours as they vary depending on the season / special events. On all coloured dates the Railway is open and operating.
On Standard days there will be both steam and diesel trains, plus heritage buses and the same applies to many of our special events. All three heritage transport experiences are included within your Epping Ongar Railway ticket!
All travel tickets are flexible so that you can start your journey at any location and tailor your day out to suit your requirements, and you can travel on each heritage transport more than once, though at peak times our fair usage policy applies.
Pricing & Tickets
- Child (4-17) : £1.00
- Babies and Toddlers (0-3) : Free
- Adult (17-18+) : £18.00
General AdmissionAdults from £18.00Kids (3-15) from £1.00Concessions from £17.00
Under 3s: Free
Book in advance for cheapest tickets
Find other attractions similar to Epping Ongar Railway by visiting our attraction tickets section.
Plan Your Visit
Typical visit time 2 - 3 hours
Suitable for Kids and Adults too
Food & Drink Options
We have our Anglia café coach at North Weald, which serves a range of hot and cold drinks and light refreshments. We also have the "Buffet Stop" at Ongar, also selling hot and cold drinks, crisps and snacks. We recommend the Picnic and Viewing Area at Ongar to relax and unwind, offering a grandstand view of the station and locomotives. At North Weald we have a number of picnic tables around the site that you are welcome to use. There are a number of local pubs and restaurants in both Ongar and North Weald, all offering hot meals.
FAQs
Parking
Toilets
Family Friendly Options
Food & Drink
Accessibility Information
Tickets & Bookings
Private Hire & Birthday Parties
Contact Details
Transport Information
For full details on how to get to Epping Ongar Railway and make the most of your visit, please visit: www.eorailway.co.uk/visit/getting-to-us/
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