Transport for London (Tfl) has revealed the new names for its six overground lines, and one of them is named after England’s Lionesses.
The Lioness line, which runs from Euston to Watford Junction through Wembley, has been given its name to honour the England women’s football team’s achievements.
Since summer 2022, the Lionesses have won three major trophies at Wembley, including the Women’s Euros, the Arnold Clark Cup, and the first ever Women’s Finalissima.
Former England player Fara Williams was invited to reveal the permanent naming of the line with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and said: ‘’It’s great to recognise and celebrate all the work the Lionesses have done.’’
✨ THE LIONESS LINE ✨
📍 The Euston to Watford Junction London Overground – which runs through Wembley – has been renamed to honour our historic #WEURO2022 win, achievements and lasting legacy. 💪 pic.twitter.com/kSVC9tu2on
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 15, 2024
The lines will also have their own colours on the Tfl tube map, as well as being represented by two parallel lines, to make it easier for commuters to distinguish between routes.
The Lioness line has been assigned as yellow, whilst the Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty lines have all been assigned as blue, red, maroon, green, and grey respectively.
London Overground lines have been without names and individual colours since its expansion in 2007 but have often been labelled by users as confusing and impractical.
Mr Khan said: ‘’Giving each of the Overground lines distinct colours and identities will make it simpler and easier for passengers to get around.
‘’In reimagining London’s tube map, we are also honouring and celebrating different parts of London’s unique local history and culture.’’
He added: ‘’The new names and colours have been chosen through engagement with passengers, historians, and local communities, reflecting the heritage and diversity of our amazing city.”
However, those who are not so fond of the new changes, have argued the London Overground map is now becoming messy and overcrowded.
In typical Sadiq Khan fashion, this pointless, costly, virtue signalling project is costing Londoners £6.3m. Instead of fixing the central line, getting a grip on crime on the tube and on our streets, he’s focusing on his own PR. We’ve had enough of this, it’s time for a change. https://t.co/HeAcYLslGw
— Susan Hall AM (@Councillorsuzie) February 15, 2024
Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall took to X (formerly twitter) to label the naming of the overground lines a ‘’pointless costly virtue signalling project.’’
She said: ‘’Instead of fixing the central line, getting a grip on crime on the tube and on our streets, he’s focusing on his own PR.’’
Tfl have previously announced that the changes were expected to cost about £6.3m.
This includes replacing maps across all Tube and London Overground stations, as well as issuing new versions in print and online.
Featured image courtesy of EDDIE via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. License details found here.