Sadiq Khan was today blasted for “virtue signalling nonsense” as he unveiled new names and colours for all six London Overground rail lines in a £6.3 million project. The Mail has more.
The Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty lines were revealed by the Mayor, with his Conservative mayoral rival Susan Hall saying “the only surprise from today’s announcement is that he hasn’t named one of them the Sadiq line”.
Other Tories blasted a “wasted opportunity”, claiming that naming rights would have earned TfL millions which could have been invested in the beleaguered Central line – and Mr. Khan was “just putting a new lick of paint over a creaking transport system”.
Further critics highlighted the high rebrand cost given TfL had been on the verge of bankruptcy before securing last-minute Government funding, and how Tube crime has soared by more than 50% fuelled by a surge in thefts and robberies.
The announcement also comes four days before a major Overground strike will hit services from next Monday – and in the context on ongoing Underground chaos on the Central line due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Mr. Khan, who is standing for re-election on May 2nd, caused fury with his Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) expansion last August – and is now battling for votes with his recent decisions to freeze Tube fares and make Fridays off-peak from next month.
Also today, there was no Overground between Barking and Barking Riverside due to vandalism, as well as delays on the Piccadilly line due to a signal failure at King’s Cross St. Pancras and on the Hammersmith and City line due to cancellations.
Overground lines have all been orange since the network was created in 2007 when Transport for London (TfL) took control of services on four suburban rail lines.
The network has expanded significantly since then, creating what has been called a “mass of orange spaghetti” on maps, making it difficult for some passengers to work out what train they need. TfL hopes the overhaul will now make it easier to navigate.
Each route will be represented on Tube maps as parallel lines in different colours – which will require one of the biggest changes in the history of the famous diagram. …
- The Lioness line between Euston and Watford Junction (yellow): This honours the England women’s football team winning Euro 2022 at Wembley, which is on the line.
- The Mildmay line between Stratford and Richmond/Clapham Junction (blue): The Mildmay Mission Hospital in Shoreditch specialises in treating patients with HIV-related illnesses.
- The Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon (red): The name honours the Windrush generation, who came to the U.K. from the Caribbean to fill labour shortages after the Second World War. The line runs through areas with communities linked to the Caribbean.
- The Weaver line between Liverpool Street and Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford (maroon): The line runs through areas known for the textile trade.
- The Suffragette line between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside (green): This is in tribute to the movement that fought for votes for women. Barking was home to suffragette Annie Huggett, who lived to 103.
- The Liberty line between Romford and Upminster (grey): This celebrates how Havering, which the line runs through, historically had more self-governance through being a royal liberty.
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