An Overground train leaving Bethnal Green station on the rebranded Weaver line (Picture: Tom Spender/Shutterstock)
A new era has dawned for the London Overground – each line will now have a distinct colour and name as part of a £6,300,000 upgrade.
London Overground has long been overshadowed by the famous Underground which has long boasted named lines shown in recognisable colours on the iconic Tube map.
Whether you have a love or hate relationship with your local Tube line, at least it has stood out from the others – unlike the all-orange Overground lines.
That has changed today after the individual Overground names and colours were officially introduced for each line on the TfL network after the announcement earlier in the year.
TfL said it will update 6,000 station direction signs along with maps, digital screens and online journey planners.
Here are all the new names and colours as part of the £6,300,000 upgrade.
What are the new London Overground line names and colours?
Map shows the new colours of the Overground lines (Picture: TfL)
The six new line names that made the cut are Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty.
They have not been just pulled out of a hat – TfL said it involved stakeholders, customers, staff, historians, industry experts and communities in the naming process.
The transport authority said they were chosen to honour and celebrate different aspects of London’s history and culture.
With an estimated price tag of £6,300,000, the costs will reportedly be paid out of the London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Greater London Authority budget.
New London Overground route names and meanings
The Lioness – it runs between Euston and Watford Junction and honours the England women’s football team winning the Euro 2022 at Wembley
The Mildway – the line between Stratford and Richmond/Clapham Junction got this name after the Mildway Mission Hospital in Shoreditch which specialises in treating patients with HIV-related illnesses
The Windrush – the line between Highbury and Islington, and Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon – the new name honours the Windrush generation who came to the UK to help with labour shortages, and the line runs through areas with communities with links to the Caribbean
The Weaver – the line between Liverpool Street and Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford runs through areas with textile trade history
The Suffragette – the line connecting Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside was named in tribute to the fight for women’s voting rights. Suffragette Annie Huggett lived in Barking until the age of 103
The Liberty – the line between Romford and Upminster celebrates Havering’s historic self-governance through a royal liberty
The rebranded Overground network (Picture: TfL)
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Here are each of the colours.
Lioness – yellow parallel lines
Mildmay – blue parallel lines
Windrush – red parallel lines
Weaver – maroon parallel lines
Suffragette – green parallel lines
Liberty – grey parallel lines
However, it will take a while longer until the new names and colour appear on all Tube maps and announcements due to financial constraints, TfL said.
What has been said about the Overground revamp?
The current Overground system of stations has ballooned to 130 locations after an initial four suburban rail lines the TfL took over in 2007.
It has been described as a ‘mass of orange spaghetti’ on maps by passengers.
Andy Lord, London’s transport commissioner, said: ‘This is an exciting step as millions of customer journeys on the London Overground will be transformed by making it simpler to navigate.
‘Individual line colours and names have helped customers navigate the Tube for more than 100 years, so we wanted to take a similar approach on the London Overground.
‘These changes will help improve customer confidence when travelling and encourage more to use our services.’
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