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.
In autumn, the web of orange on the tube map will be replaced by six colours and routes 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.
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”, which was 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 names and new map were unveiled by the mayor at an event in Highbury and Islington station, on what will be the Windrush and Mildmay lines, alongside figures including Fara Williams, England’s most capped footballer, and Arthur Torrington, a co-founder and director of the Windrush Foundation.
Conservatives in London said Khan had wasted the opportunity to sell naming rights, with the party’s mayoral candidate, Susan Hall, accusing him of spending £6.3m on “virtue signalling”.
The mayor rejected claims that he was spending funds unnecessarily, adding that he would like to “scotch the rumour that he thought about naming one of the lines the Northern Leg of HS2, or even the Garden Bridge”.
He said they had engaged with communities and experts to find names that would reflect the city’s heritage and be “a source of huge pride”, as well as highlighting lesser-known aspects of London’s history, such as Mildmay’s part in the 1980s Aids crisis, and the role of working-class suffragettes in the East End. “These stories are really important and hopefully people will find out more about [them],” the mayor said.
Khan said the rebranding would have a practical benefit in way-finding and increasing usage and revenue. He said the investment, alongside freezing fares, would generate revenue by bringing “more commuters, meaning more fares coming in”.
He added: “For the first time in TfL history, we’ll be operating at a surplus without government support, which shows the sensible and prudent way we’ve run it.”
Strikes that were planned for next week on London Overground by RMT members have been called off after an improved pay offer, the union said on Thursday.
The new lines are:
Lioness: Euston to Watford Junction. Runs through Wembley, honouring the England women’s football team; yellow parallel lines on the map.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
