London Overground: new names and colours for six lines revealed
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The London Overground is to be rebranded into six lines with names inspired by the capital’s and the country’s diverse modern history, from Windrush to the Lionesses.
The web of orange on the tube map will be replaced by six colours and routes in August to help make the capital’s public transport network easier to navigate.
The six Overground lines will be called Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty.
The names – announced by Transport for London (TfL) and the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, after consultation with passengers, historians and communities – celebrate historic moments in immigration and woman’s equality, honouring campaigners and workers.
The updated map aims to make the London Overground easier to navigate. Photograph: Transport for London/PA
Khan said: “This is a hugely exciting moment, transforming how we think about London’s transport network. Giving each of the Overground lines distinct colours and identities will make it simpler and easier for passengers to get around.
“In reimagining London’s tube map, we are also honouring and celebrating different parts of London’s unique local history and culture.”
The Overground network was established from little-used or defunct rail lines between 2007 and 2015, and has grown rapidly to carry more than 3 million passengers a week.
London’s transport commissioner, Andy Lord, said the Overground was very successful but was still shown as “a complicated network of orange on route maps”, confusing for customers less familiar with the network.
He said: “These new names and line colours will simplify the maps and routes for our customers, and it is hoped it will encourage more people to make the most of our services. It is also a great way to tell the stories of some important parts of London’s cultural diversity.”
The Lioness: Euston to Watford Junction. Runs through Wembley, honouring the England women’s football team; yellow parallel lines on the map.
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The Mildmay: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction. Runs through Dalston and honours the charitable hospital in Shoreditch’s pivotal role in the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s. Blue parallel lines on the map.
The Windrush: Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon. Runs through areas with strong ties to Caribbean communities, honouring the Windrush generation. Red parallel lines on the map.
The Weaver: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford. Travels through areas of London known for the textile trade, shaped by migrant communities. Maroon parallel lines on the map.
The Suffragette: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside. Honours the fight for votes for women, running to Barking, home of the longest-surviving suffragist, Annie Huggett, who died at 103. Green parallel lines on the map.
The Liberty: Romford to Upminster. Referencing “the freedom that is a defining feature of London”, according to TfL, and the “historical independence of the people of Havering”, where it runs. Grey parallel lines on the map.