These maps reveal when major London underground stations are busiest

There’s little more soul-crushing than having a rough old day at work, rushing to the tube station and then - *chills* - you find the platforms are absolutely rammed.

It’s enough to make you want to pack it all in, sell all your worldly belongings and move to a small wood hut on the side of a mountain. Yes, you’d be alone without human contact, electricity or the internet. But just think: no more London commuters. Bliss.

But if you’re not ready to commit to a life of perpetual solitude, TfL has come up with two handy maps that tell you when the major stations are busiest during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

As you’d expect, the busiest times in the mornings for the major stations, including Waterloo, Victoria and Oxford Circus, are between 7.45 am and 8.45am.

Read more: This is how many people do the tube’s most pointless journey every day

And during the evening rush hour, this map shows that in the evening, stations are most packed from 5.30pm until 6.30pm:

While it would be helpful if TfL actually invested in more trains and better services, you might be able to use these maps to find a sneaky little work around to your commute and shave a few minutes off the daily grind.

And if not, start saving up now for that deposit on a nice little hut somewhere. 

While you’re here, we’ve also rounded up some more great tube maps, that will hopefully make your life a little easier. Because we’re nice like that, OK?

1. The accurate tube map

See it in full here.

2. The walking distance map

See it in full here. 

3. The tour guide map

See it in full here. 

4. The toilet tube map

See it in full here.

(Images: Unsplash)