The London Overground lines are getting names

A few days ago, the Mayor of London (Sadiq Khan) announced that the lines of the London Overground would be getting new names.

For those who have never been to London, the Overground is a network of railways that connect the suburbs of London. The Overground became a thing in 2007, though the lines were already in place and TfL bought them from other operators.

Why the new names?

One of the main complaints people had was the confusion it caused on the Tube Map. The Overground is a large network rather than an individual line, but each line has been represented with the same shade of orange and no individual names. In the early days of the Overground, it wasn't too bad as the lines didn't really intersect with each other, but the Overground has expanded to include new lines and expanding existing ones).

This causes confusion for those who aren't familiar with the individual lines. Liverpool Street and Euston are not covered by the same line despite both being Zone 1 Overground stations and major railway termini.

The New Names

Public Reaction

The proposed lines created some mixed opinions amongst Londoners. Many were happy to see the changes because it would mean less confusion and more accessibility.

A lot of people thought the redesign (at a cost of 6 million pounds) was a waste of money and the money could've been better spent on more important matters such as reducing rail fares. Although, I should point out that 6 million pounds isn't that much money and isn't enough to realistically save the British public any money on fares. Check out this video from Jago Hazzard for more information.

And of course, there are people who just don't care or aren't aware of the changes.

Name Controversies

Sadiq Khan has stated these new names are to reflect the diversity of London and Modern British Society. And the individual names have resulted in criticism from the public.

While some have argued the names are another example of woke ideology trying to re-tell history through rose-tinted glasses. Others have pointed out that the "Windrush Line" (named after the generation who migrated from the Caribbean to the UK after World War II) is quite insensitive because of the 2018 Windrush Scandal, with some criticising the Mayor for offering gestures rather than justice.

Slightly less controversial, many have said the names just don't make much sense. For example, the Suffragette Line has the unofficial name "the Goblin" (Gospel Oak to Barking Line), used by the people who actually use the line. And prior to 2007, the Windrush Line (which only ran between Shoreditch and New Cross Gate back then) was called the East London Line and was part of the London Underground.

My thoughts

Well ultimately, my thoughts are meaningless as I don't live in London and only care about this because I'm a nerd.

Like others, I think the decision to split up the Overground was sensible, but the chosen names are quite rubbish because they have very little to do with the lines.

In comparison, most of the Underground lines make some sense. The Circle Line is a "circle", the Northern Line goes to North London, the Victoria Line goes to Victoria, and the Waterloo & City line runs between Waterloo and the "City of London". So it would make sense to use names that are already associated with the lines.

Another option could be to number the lines (like most European Metros) or name them after the colours (like in Sao Paulo), but this would be quite boring.