A rebrand for London's 'Spaghetti of Orange' overground train system
London's public transport system could soon become a little easier to navigate.
The rail lines on London's Overground, a rail system that largely serves people in neighborhoods outside central London, beyond the reach of the city's underground system, are being renamed.
The lines on the map will also have new colors, replacing a system that is currently marked entirely with orange lines on maps.
Although the Overground is technically a different system from the Metro, colloquially known as the Tube, the same payment method applies to both and multiple stations connect the two systems.
The new names are: Lioness, named after the England women's football team; Mildmay, in honor of a small hospital in east London that played a crucial role in caring for patients during the AIDS crisis; Windrush, after the ship that brought some of the first migrants from the Caribbean to Britain; Weaver, who travels through an area once known for its textile trade; Suffragette, after the movement that fought for women's right to vote; and Liberty, which refers to the historical independence of the people of the Havering district.
The new names and maps will come into effect later this year. The project will cost about 6.3 million pounds (about $7.9 million), according to Transport for London, the city's transportation authority.
The majority of those costs will be used to update signs and references within the system, including redesigned maps in the 113 above-ground stations and in subway stations where the maps are displayed, as well as digital screens and rerecordings of the public address systems.
The names and colors should make it easier for passengers to navigate the system, Transport for London, the city's transport authority, said in a statement.
Susan Hall, the Conservative mayoral candidate in London's May election, expressed general right-wing sentiment about the rebranding, telling The Daily Mail it was “virtue signaling nonsense.” But some riders said they welcomed the change. Lucia Florin, who uses the Overground to commute, said the new names would give the system more personality.
“I just don't think people really know the names of the Overground,” she said at London Fields station in east London on Thursday.
Currently, the different lines are referred to by their destinations, according to Transport for London's style guide: “All directional references should be referred to as the destination they are traveling to.”
To get to work, Ms. Florin rides what will soon be called the Weaver Line, something that resonates with her daily commute. “I work in fashion,” Ms. Florin said. “Maybe I'll remember that.”
Hundreds of thousands of people use the Overground every day. Arriva Rail, the company that runs the system on behalf of Transport for London, operates almost 1,600 services on 111 trains every day, carrying more than 520,000 passengers, according to its website.
The system pales in comparison to the London Underground system, which carries up to 5 million passengers a day, according to Transport for London.
The London Overground opened in 2007 “to provide better connections between areas outside central London” when Transport for London took over four suburban rail lines. Since then, the network has grown, resulting in a system “represented by an orange spaghetti on the metro maps”, according to the transport company.
“It's already too late,” Oliver Carden said on Thursday, standing outside London Fields station. He said the current system might make sense for Londoners, but visitors would benefit from the new names and colours. He said he also appreciated that the names reflected the city's history and heritage, rather than establishment figures: “It's much better to make it reflect more of a cultural heritage than just refer to queen,” Mr Carden said.
Mr Carden grew up in London and said he and his friends called the system 'The Ginger Line' because of the orange color on the map.