Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the six London Overground lines will be given new names and colours.
TfL said that the new names and colours would “make it easier for customers to navigate the London Overground and further build ridership, while celebrating London’s diverse communities and histories” and had been “chosen through engagement with customers, stakeholders, historians, industry experts and local communities”.
London mayor Sadiq 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 re-imagining London’s tube map, we are also honouring and celebrating different parts of London’s unique local history and culture.”
The six London Overground line names and colours are:
The Liberty line: Romford to Upminster. According to TfL: “The Liberty line celebrates the freedom that is a defining feature of London and references the historical independence of the people of Havering, through which it runs.” This refers to the fact that in 1465 the royal manor of Havering was granted a royal charter known as a “liberty” by King Edward IV. The charter gave the area freedom from taxation, and its own local magistrates and gaol. This arrangement continued until 1828. The Liberty line will be grey parallel lines on the map.
The Weaver line: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford. The Weaver line runs through Liverpool Street, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green and Hackney – areas of London known for their textile trade, shaped over the centuries by diverse migrant communities and individuals. It will be maroon parallel lines on the map.
The Suffragette line: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside. The Suffragette line celebrates how the working-class movement in the East End fought for votes for woman and paved the way for women’s rights. The line runs to Barking, home of the longest surviving suffragette Annie Huggett, who died at 103. It will be green parallel lines on the map.
The Windrush line: Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon. The Windrush line runs through areas with strong ties to Caribbean communities today, such as Dalston Junction, Peckham Rye and West Croydon and honours the Windrush generation of Caribbean immigrants to Britain, whose arrivals started with the landing of HMT Empire Windrush in 1948. It will be red parallel lines on the map.
The Mildmay line: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction. The Mildmay line is named after Mildmay Mission Hospital in Shoreditch. The hospital began as a medical mission to the poor of London’s East End in 1866 during a cholera epidemic. In the 1980s, it played an important role in caring for victims of the HIV/AIDs epidemic. The Mildmay line will be blue parallel lines on the map.
The Lioness line: Euston to Watford Junction. The Lioness line, which runs through Wembley, honours the England women’s football team, particularly their victory in the UEFA women’s championship in 2022. It will be yellow parallel lines on the map.