Baffled tourists desperate for a photo on the famous Abbey Road zebra crossing are pitching up at a train station 10 miles away – and the Day Trippers are being left very disappointed
Confused Beatles fans hoping to visit the iconic Abbey Road zebra crossing are getting the location wrong and turning up at a train station – 10 miles away.
Despite being listed on travel maps as ‘Abbey Road’, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in East London has nothing to do with the Fab Four.
According to Transport for London (TfL) FOI data secured by SWNS, a total of 4,642 journeys were made from Abbey Road DLR to St. John’s Wood from 2021 to the end of November 2025 – while just 1,853 were made in the opposite direction.
It is believed a number of these are baffled Beatles fans – with helpful signs even in place at the DLR stop to redirect day trippers.
Two signs, one placed on the southbound platform and one outside the main entrance, read: “Day tripper looking for the Beatles zebra crossing?
“Feel like you’ve been here there and everywhere and on a magical mystery tour? Then don’t pass me by. Unfortunately you are at the wrong Abbey Road. However we can work it out and help you get back to the correct location.
“So let’s come together an take the DLR one stop to West Ham and change to a Jubilee line train to St. John’s Wood station. Passengers will need a ticket to ride.”
In 2024, there were 1,140 journeys made directly from east London’s Abbey Road to St. John’s Wood, with just 334 in the opposite direction – making over three-quarters of these journeys one-way.
A peak time single fare between the two stations is £3.50, while an off peak fare is £2.90 – with the whole journey taking 35 minutes.
Trips from Stratford High Street, the next stop north of Abbey Road DLR, to St. John’s Wood totalled just 788 from 2021 to 2025, with 818 travelling in the opposite direction.
Just 76 made this journey in 2024, with 238 making it the other way – showing the problem appears to be unique to the Abbey Road stop.
TfL said passengers with paper tickets would not be captured by the data, nor would people who travel to Abbey Road and realise their mistake without tapping out to exit – meaning the actual number could be much higher.
The album cover of The Beatles’ 1969 album Abbey Road features the band walking over the crossing, with Paul McCartney barefoot, just feet away from their recording studio.
The photo made the crossing internationally famous. It was Grade II-listed by Historic England in 2010, with the body calling it a “celebrated example of this important form of road safety crossing invented by Lord Hore-Belisha”.
The photo has also been emulated by other bands – including a nude version by The Red Hot Chili Peppers on their 1988 ‘The Abbey Road E.P.’ and a version by Kanye West in 2006.
A live 24/7 webcam of the crossing, mounted at the Abbey Road Studios since 2010, has received over 90 million views.
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