Talking Point: Should TfL spend £4 million renaming the Overground lines?

The six lines serving different routes on the London Overground network could be individually named
New line names could be coming to London Overground
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Andy Beill @Beill24 March 2023

Transport for London (TfL) is to explore “options” for renaming the Overground lines, as set out in its 2023/24 budget.

The six orange lines on the London transportation map, which cover 112 stations, are currently identifiable by only their start and end points. They are:

  • Highbury & Islington West Croydon/Clapham Junction/Crystal Palace
  • Richmond/Clapham Junction to Stratford
  • Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside
  • Watford Junction to Euston
  • Liverpool Street to Enfield Town/Cheshunt/Chingford
  • Romford to Upminster

Giving the lines their own names could make the transport network more easily navigable and obvious where journeys are running.

The rebranding will, of course, come at a cost. City Hall will spend £4 million to look into the proposal, though it remains unclear how much the implementation would cost should it get the go-ahead.

The idea was one of Sadiq Khan’s election pledges in 2016 when Londoners first voted him in as Mayor so it has not come out of nowhere — albeit it has been a very long time coming.

Should TfL spend £4 million renaming the Overground lines? Let us know in the comments or on our Instagram for your chance to be featured on the Evening Standard website.

Earlier this week, we asked: Can the Met earn back London’s trust?

On Facebook, C.R. Oakton answered: “Not in a million years”

Jonathan Huang commented: “The problems in the MET are not politically solved. These institutional problems have existed since before most of us were born. The solution needs to come from the top down, not the bottom up.”

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