Khan manifesto: Overground lines to be named - what would you call them?

[cle]

In NYC, all of the subway Shuttles have the same grey (S) branding.

I think something similar could be used for Emerson Park but also all of the Thames Valley branches: Henley, Windsor, Greenford, Marlow. And there could be a Crossrail feeder element to their branding, to encourage those flows and connections into Crossrail.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Hmm, this could be interesting:
Meghan Markle Line

I will never use the Overground again

 

[Wolfie]

Hmm, this could be interesting:

Greta Thunberg Line
Chris Whitty Line
Captain Tom Line
George Floyd Line
Jimmy Greaves Line
Nelson Mandela Line
Diane Abbott Line
Meghan Markle Line

I sure Lord Mayor Khan has plenty of similar suggestions!

The potential for unpleasant double entendres for some of them... "I went for a ride on...."

 

[Cowley]

Thread reopened for @TT-ONR-NRN to provide an update.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Hello, I actually just wanted to know if there had been any progress on this, seeing as Sadiq Khan did indeed retain his position as Mayor of the city?

 

[JaJaWa]

I'd also been wondering about this. Interestingly this article says

London Overground lines to be renamed as Sadiq Khan expands plans to reflect capital’s historic diversity
...
“That’s why I will establish a naming programme for the six London Overground lines and give Londoners the opportunity to tell more of our city’s diverse story and put some of our forgotten people and places back on the map,” he said.
...
Mr Khan’s diversity commission, set up in the wake of the Black Lives Matters protests last year that saw statues toppled or removed, aims to ensure that street names and monuments more accurately reflect London’s history.

Proposals for the Overground lines will be “rigorously assessed to ensure they only serve to enhance the passenger experience”.

The aim is to give each route its own identity “based on individuals, places or local landmarks who have made noteworthy, but potentially under-recognised, contributions to London life”.

and this article suggests

The Equality Line, The Inclusivity Line, The Diversity Line, The Humanity Line, The Intersectional Line.

 

[davews]

Oh dear. Whatever, if they are going to give them lines they need to be something memorable, not wishy washy things like that.

 

[NorthOxonian]

I'd also been wondering about this. Interestingly this article says


and this article suggests

I don't think those are being suggested as actual names for the lines, Mr Harwood is just making a joke about how Khan seems to be focusing on them reflecting the capital's diversity.

 

[Purple Orange]

Oh dear. Whatever, if they are going to give them lines they need to be something memorable, not wishy washy things like that.

Do they need to be memorable names? Many metro networks around the world name their lines as ‘Line 1‘, ‘Line 2’, ’Line A’ etc etc.

 

[XAM2175]

Interestingly this article says

and this article suggests

I'd suggest that the Evening Standard and Express are perhaps unlikely to cover this topic in a neutral manner.

 

[JaJaWa]

I'd suggest that the Evening Standard and Express are perhaps unlikely to cover this topic in a neutral manner.

The section of the Standard article I quoted is mainly a direct quote from the Mayor though.

 

[NorthKent1989]

I'd also been wondering about this. Interestingly this article says


and this article suggests

The last thing we need is for more wokeness.

How about this for the overground lines?

1: The East London line or Brunel line
(West Croydon & Crystal Palace to Islington)

2: South London Line, (Clapham & New X to Dalston)

3: North London Line

4: Oak line (GOBLIN)

5: Harlequin line (Watford)

6: Leaside lines

Simple as!

 

[A0wen]

I'd suggest that the Evening Standard and Express are perhaps unlikely to cover this topic in a neutral manner.

Nor will the Guardian, Independent or Ham & High Express........

 

[miklcct]

My suggestions:

East London Line
North London Line
Watford Line
Goblin Line
Lea Valley Line
Romford–Upminster Line

 

[TXMISTA]

The last thing we need is for more wokeness.

How about this for the overground lines?

1: The East London line or Brunel line
(West Croydon & Crystal Palace to Islington)

2: South London Line, (Clapham & New X to Dalston)

3: North London Line

4: Oak line (GOBLIN)

5: Harlequin line (Watford)

6: Leaside lines

Simple as!

Agree with all of these, although I think GOBLIN would be more meaningful than just Oak. The Brunel Line is my favourite, but as an engineer I’m biased.

 

[Gareth]

Romford-Upminster should be the Romulan line, to complement the Goblin

 

[JaJaWa]

Completely forgot about this, but TfL were so close to doing this in 2015 that they even designed the new map.

Line names are/were:
Barking line
East London line
Emerson Park line
Lea Valley line
North London line
Watford Local line



(Map is official but was shared with me by someone that doesn’t work for TfL)

 

[MotCO]

Completely forgot about this, but TfL were so close to doing this in 2015 that they even designed the new map.

Line names are/were:
Barking line
East London Line
Emerson Park line
Lea Valley line
North London line
Watford Local line

View attachment 110964

(Map is official but was shared with me by someone that doesn’t work for TfL)

Seems strange that Clapham Junction is on the North London Line and East London Line, when it is firmly in South (or even South West London)!

 

[NorthKent1989]

Agree with all of these, although I think GOBLIN would be more meaningful than just Oak. The Brunel Line is my favourite, but as an engineer I’m biased.

I would love the ELL be renamed to Brunel Line, if anyone deserves that honour it’s most definitely him.

Completely forgot about this, but TfL were so close to doing this in 2015 that they even designed the new map.

Line names are/were:
Barking line
East London Line
Emerson Park line
Lea Valley line
North London line
Watford Local line

View attachment 110964

(Map is official but was shared with me by someone that doesn’t work for TfL)

Never knew this existed, thank you, and sensible names too

 

[306024]

Never knew this existed, thank you, and sensible names too

Although the meaning of words are constantly changing, the Cambridge main line via Brimsdown is traditionally described as the Lea Valley by rail professionals. TfL presumably unaware.

 

[NorthKent1989]

Although the meaning of words are constantly changing, the Cambridge main line via Brimsdown is traditionally described as the Lea Valley by rail professionals. TfL presumably unaware.

I never knew the Lea Valley lines were referred to as the Cambridge main line, I have heard it being called the West Anglia mainline but Cambridge main line makes more sense.

 

[306024]

I never knew the Lea Valley lines were referred to as the Cambridge main line, I have heard it being called the West Anglia mainline but Cambridge main line makes more sense.

From memory West Anglia was a creation by Network SouthEast that got carried forward into the WA&GN franchise. Calling the Cambridge main line WAML (by some) seems to be extension of that, but in BR days you went from Liverpool St to Cambridge via the Southbury Loop (the route TfL has acquired), or the Lea Valley (which remains with GA), That was how it was shown on the diagrams.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Those are decent names, but I can't help but think that the Watfords should be called the "Harlequin Line" as they were in NSE days, though I'm unsure as to whether this does derive from "Harlesden-Queen's Park" in classic LU naming or if it was just named after the shopping arcade in Watford.

 

[telstarbox]

Not sure that has much resonance today. Wembley line might help less familiar travellers although I don't love lines named after stations?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not sure that has much resonance today. Wembley line might help less familiar travellers although I don't love lines named after stations?

Sadly the shopping centre now appears to be called the rather rubbish "Atria Watford", so perhaps that name is indeed dead

 

[MarkyT]

Those are decent names, but I can't help but think that the Watfords should be called the "Harlequin Line" as they were in NSE days, though I'm unsure as to whether this does derive from "Harlesden-Queen's Park" in classic LU naming or if it was just named after the shopping arcade in Watford.

Harlesden & Queen's Park are not really well-known, important stations though, unlike say Baker Street and Waterloo.

 

[tomuk]

The North London Lines NSE logo was the Harlequin pattern painted on canal boats. Grand Union Canal I assume or Regents?

 

[87015]

From memory West Anglia was a creation by Network SouthEast that got carried forward into the WA&GN franchise. Calling the Cambridge main line WAML (by some) seems to be extension of that, but in BR days you went from Liverpool St to Cambridge via the Southbury Loop (the route TfL has acquired), or the Lea Valley (which remains with GA), That was how it was shown on the diagrams.

Still is, apparently bar one map that never saw the light of day, no reference to Lea Valley within TfL or ARL for the Southburys as you’d expect.

 

[Mikey C]

Maybe TfL will get more money from the DfT if they name one line after Boris and Carrie

 

[Stadtbahn]

Adding on to some of the discussions around replacing the Underground names with letters, I would tend to disagree purely based on the fact that these are so well known and and iconic all over the world that replacing these with numbers would be incredibly controversial. However, I would introduce numbered lines to the Overground (O1, O2, O3), the DLR (D1, D2, D3), and trams (T1, T2, T3). This makes sense as services tend to overlap (The different DLR lines still confuse me) and this solution would make the different lines within each system more distinguishable. There also wouldn't be a backlash regarding replacing iconic names in the same way as with the tube.