On the Central line it is between Oxford Circus and Holburn, and on the Northern Line it is between Leicester Square and Goodge Street. It is in zone 1.
The station opened as part of the Central London Railway on July 30, 1900. From that date until September 24, 1933, the next station eastbound on the Central line was the now defunct British Museum tube station. The next stop in that direction is now Holborn.
The station is located beneath St Giles' Circus, the junction of Oxford Street, Charing Cross Road, Tottenham Court Road and New Oxford Street.
The North-East exit of the station surfaces immediately in front of the Dominion Theatre.
If the long-proposed Crossrail project ever goes ahead, a greatly expanded Tottenham Court Road station could become a major east-west rail hub.