Croydon commuters using Transport for London’s Overground will today have been travelling on the renamed Windrush line, part of a network rebranding aimed at untangling the orange “spaghetti” of rail lines on London’s iconic Tube map.
All change: the bright red double line on the Tube map of the newly named Windrush line from West Croydon
But the £6.3million exercise has not passed without politically opportunist criticism from London’s Tories, while also having the effect of boiling the piss of racists and Islamophobes on social media.
The names were chosen after a two-year-long consultation, “through engagement with passengers, historians and local communities”.
London’s six London Overground routes have all been renamed and given different colours on the Tube map. The Windrush line, which runs from West Croydon to Norwood Junction, Clapham Junction, New Cross, Crystal Palace, through Surrey Docks to East London and on to Highbury and Islington, has been allocated a smart, London Bus-red double line.
London Overground will keep its orange roundel, just as the Underground network has a red roundel at all Tube stations.
Transport for London said that the changes would make it easier for passengers to navigate the network and celebrate London’s diversity.
But Susan “Who?” Hall, the little-regarded Conservative candidate for London Mayor (there’s an election coming up) jumped on the cost of adapting the new liveries across the Overground’s 113 stations.
“The Central line is in a terrible state, TfL is wasting money left, right and centre, crime on the Tube is soaring, and Sadiq Khan is ignoring all of this to focus on his own PR,” Hall declared.
Others described the changes as “simultaneously twee, patronising and just weird”, including pointing out that the newly named Liberty line refers to “the historical independence” of the people of the borough of Havering.
Some pointed out that the Lioness line, which passes through Wembley, acknowledges a European championship win by England’s women’s team, while simultaneously completely overlooking the England men’s World Cup-winning side.
And without even trying to disguise the innate racism within their social media comments, others declared that they would make a point of never travelling on the Windrush line, as it represented a “take over” of the city, as they suggested (far too late) that the lines should be named after Churchill, or Nelson, or even Thatcher…
Sian Berry, the Green Party London Assembly Member, welcomed the initiative. “Excellent and meaningful name choices,” Berry said.
Michael Roberts, the chief executive of transport watchdog, London TravelWatch, said it was “good” that the six Overground lines had been renamed. “Distinguishing between the separate lines should help passengers plan journeys more easily and know which services are running at times of disruption simply by hearing the name of the line.”
And Tom Edwards, BBC London’s long-standing transport correspondent, said, “Going back to separate lines on the Overground makes sense. ‘Delays on the Overground’ can mean anything and the orange spaghetti we have now is a bit confusing.”
The six new names are:
All aboard: how the new livery was unveiled this morning
The Windrush line
The Suffragette line: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside
The Lioness line: Euston to Watford Junction
The Mildmay line: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction (the line honours the Mildmay Hospital in Shoreditch which cared for patients in the 1980s AIDS crisis)
The Weaver line: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford (the name refers to the East End’s historic textile trade)
The Liberty line: Romford to Upminster
“This is a hugely exciting moment, transforming how we think about London’s transport network,” said Mayor Khan.
“Giving each of the Overground lines distinct colours and identities will make it simpler and easier for passengers to get around. In re-imagining London’s Tube map, we are also honouring and celebrating different parts of London’s unique local history and culture, reflecting the heritage and diversity of our amazing city.”
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The branding of individual lines could be useful in boosting ridership but this is the wrong time to implement it while TfL is in such financial difficulties that assistance from Government was necessary. People who need to travel on those lines will travel whether they are named or not. Typical Labour, spending other people’s money inappropriately. Could we have some decent bus maps such as were available years ago?
It’s coming to Khan’s re-election bid – so it’s the right time for him
Yeah, of course. Like all those tax cuts for the rich are Jeremy Hunt’s way of improving the tanking economy, and nothing to do with a General Election coming up…
It’s good to see that this news has upset so many racist right-wing whingers. What we need now is a campaign, led by Inside Croydon naturally, to rename the individual Tramlink services with titles that will have the Daily Mail readers choking on their cornflakes
Ooh, that’s a bit below the belt. If your ‘cornflakes’ comment is directed at me, you need to know my friends think I’m a Corbynista because of my loyalty to Inside Croydon
My cornflakes comment was not directed at you. Judging from your posts, you’re probably an All Bran man
From one boomer to another – you’re not right.
This is overdue. When delays are announced on “The Overground”, they could be anywhere. Now such announcements will have more precise meaning.
I’m happy to learn that racists won’t be travelling with me on the Windrush line. I don’t want to travel with them and they’ll leave the trains less crowded. Wins all round 😀
Complete waste of money.
What would you do if the various Underground lines were not named?
I’m sure you’ll hoot with laughter at the ad agency’s £100,000 explanation of the research that led to the re-naming, “We explored themes of decolonisation, queer histories, intersectionality and young London’s perspectives. The message was clear: Londoners wanted narratives that are specific to movements and moments, and reflective of everyday people. In this historic moment, this is a chance to celebrate and capture what London is proud of’. The message is clear: ‘visitors can fuck off and ‘vote for me’
The capital’s excellent transport services exist, primarily, for the benefit of residents and those working in London. The hordes of welcome tourists contribute fares when the use the facilities but nothing to the general taxes which underpin the services.
It is close to dangerous paranoia to think that there is a concealed message to tourists in the naming of the Overground services. It is simply another excellent and responsive initiative by our superb metropolitan mayor and not something that merits this descent into an incoherent and obscene rant!
Paris seems to survive with numbered lines.