Transport for London (TfL), the Greater London transport authority, has announced a major improvement for users of the commuter network it manages, the London Overground.
Until now, all the lines share the same orange colour as parallel lines on the maps and have no name. They are all simply the Overground. For regular commuters, this is not a big problem, but for new users, it makes it difficult to use.
For this reason, TfL has given each line a name and an identifying colour, so that they can be easily distinguished on the map and to better plan journeys, as well as to provide information on the state of the network.
To differentiate these lines from those of the underground network, the map will maintain the design of parallel lines separated by a white stripe.
The changes will be applied gradually throughout the year. The names and colours chosen are:
- Lioness Line, yellow in colour, linking Euston to Watford Junction. It is dedicated to the Lionesses, the England women’s football team that won Euro 2022.
- Mildmay Line, blue, the one that runs from Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction. The name pays homage to the Mildmay Mission Hospital, a charity that played a key role in the country’s Aids crisis of the 1980s.
- Windrush Line, red, which departs from Highbury & Islington and runs to Clapham Junction, New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon. The name comes from the HMT Empire Windrush, a German cruiser that the British Government kept as a war prize after the end of the Second World War. The ship was used to transport Caribbean migrants to Britain post-war.
- Weaver Line, maroon in colour, from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt, Enfield Town and Chingford. This line runs through areas such as Bethnal Green and Hackney, traditionally known for its textile trade. The line is named after the weavers.
- Suffragette Line, green in colour, linking Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside. It pays homage to the suffragette movement that fought for women’s right to vote in 1903. It is so named because the women’s suffragette, Annie Huggett, lived in Barking until she was 103 years old.
- Liberty Line, grey, linking Romford to Upminster. Its name celebrates the freedom that is a defining feature of London and refers to the historic independence of the town of Havering, through which it runs.
