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Transport for London has confirmed that it will be taking over all of London’s suburban rail networks and rebranding them as part of the London Overground.

Services from Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Moorgate, Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge are all part of TfL’s plans. The first route to go through the changes will be the Southeastern in 2018. Then it will be Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern routes in 2021. South West trains could be taken over in 2019 if a “break clause” is invoked. The changes are expected to help increase capacity which will go a long way to improving the commute for millions of Londoners. TfL plans to streamline fares and travel information, which will all help to making the service more accessible. Potentially 80% of stations will have a train every 15 minutes, a 67% increase from today. Mayor Boris Johnson said,

“Our railways have been the workhorse of the London and south east economy since Victorian times. By working closely together and taking on these new services, we’re going to emulate the success of the London Overground and give the entire capital and surrounding areas the services they truly deserve.”

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin added,

“We are committed to making journeys better across London and the South East, and this new partnership represents a huge opportunity to transform travel by putting passengers where they should be – at the heart of the rail network.”

Of course the big question everyone seems to be asking is, what on earth is this going to do to the Tube Map? Londoners on Twitter are already pondering the possibilities and joking about the sea of orange we might get on future Tube Maps. Will they keep the stripes for the rail lines? Will they have use different shades of orange? Or maybe they’ll have to split up the Tube Map in some way? But whatever happens, you can be sure that the Tube Map app is ready for anything!
  Source: Evening Standard Image via Wikimedia Commons   Back to blog