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Original poster

New London Train Line Names

143 replies

ScoldsBridal · 15/02/2024 10:34

Just announced. Definitely a Feminist vibe to them. Love that the line that goes through Wembley has been named the Lioness Line. There’s also:
The Suffragette Line
The Windrush Line
The Liberty Line
The Weaver Line
The Mildmay Line

I laughed as Twitter are making out the Weaver Line is named after Jackie Weaver 😂 It’s actually honouring the textile industries it passes through in areas like Spitalfields and Hackney.

Windrush is fantastic too. Serving areas with people that have strong connections to the Caribbean. Symbolically powerful.

The Mildmay Line - is such a lovely word and honouring a small, charitable hospital that was at the forefront of AIDS/HIV treatment. Also had a tradition for treating Jewish immigrants in the East End.

The Liberty Line - again just a great name - it goes to Havering which was historically a ‘Liberty’ town.

And finally The Suffragette Line which goes to Barking were Annie Huggett lived - the longest surviving Suffragette who lived to 103. And also the spirit of the East End working classes who fought for Women’s Rights.

I know people will moan about it being ‘woke’ (yawn) but I think they’ve balanced out honouring London’s varied communities with some strong branding. I like how they haven’t chosen named people - but have emphasised social history, achievement and recognition of real contribution to the Metropolis of London.

I’m sure there will be some imaginative re-naming by passengers - suffering on the Suffragette line - Stuck in the ‘rush’ hour on the Windrush etc…

But I like them.

OP posts:
Snowypeaks · 15/02/2024 13:34

The jokes and corruptions of the names of the lines will be part of the culture. Like London Underground itself is called the Tube. It's good.

Snowypeaks · 15/02/2024 13:32

Spending £6m on this is a small one-off outlay.
TFL should do a lot more to make public transport safer and more woman-friendly. Having said that, this naming of lines is not an anti-women or anti anyone else action. It has a practical point - unlike the Pride pillar or progress flag crossings. Neither is it a pro-women measure. It's just a fun way of helping Londoners and visitors navigate one particular part of the transport system. Good on them (for once), I say.

SinnerBoy · 15/02/2024 13:31

Chersfrozenface · Today 13:25

Or if it has a reputation for unreliability, the Mouldy line.

Mildew probably rolls off the tongue better!

Original poster
ScoldsBridal · 15/02/2024 13:28

I like the ‘Liney Line’ but it could also be the ‘Nessy Line’ too?

I lived in London for 15 years and I think the lines having names is genuinely useful.

OP posts:
Chersfrozenface · 15/02/2024 13:25

The Mildmay line may get called the Mildy line, pronounced Mile-dy.

Or if it has a reputation for unreliability, the Mouldy line.

blankittyblank · 15/02/2024 13:23

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 15/02/2024 13:14

Ok, it roughly follows an orbital route.

Show quote history

It's not one line going round in an almost orbital though. Its loads of lines which intersect. You've got Barking, Stratford and Dalston Junction as end points for three lines in the East. So it's a confusing mess.

PaperWalkAndTalk · 15/02/2024 13:20

It is incompetent naming anyway:

  • L
  • L
  • M
  • S
  • W
  • W

They had six lines, and somehow managed two lines starting with L and two starting with W.

They needed better diversity with the names, "Liberty" and "Lioness" are the same length and look similar on public signage, not great with people with poor eyesight (or looking at a distance). And they talk about experts consulted over the colours, well the red and purple intersect and look too similar!

Just surprised Khan didn't call one line "Far-right" as he seems to call everything and everyone that.

Snowypeaks · 15/02/2024 13:19

Chersfrozenface · 15/02/2024 12:54

To add to my forecast re informal names, research suggests the Lioness Line will become the Liney Line.

😂
Or just...Raaaar! (as furious passengers hear about delays)

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 15/02/2024 13:14

Needmorelego · 15/02/2024 13:10

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat it's not orbital because you can't get from Crystal Palace to Clapham Junction by Overground.
If that section of track (currently used by Southern) was taken over by Overground then it would technically be orbital.

Ok, it roughly follows an orbital route.

Snowypeaks · 15/02/2024 13:14

I love these names. They have instant romance and local historical significance. We could give them numbers, sure, but names are great for tourism. Who wouldn't want to ride on the Liberty Line? Or the Lioness Line.

PaperWalkAndTalk · 15/02/2024 13:13

PrimitivePerson · 15/02/2024 13:06

£6m wouldn't even go part of the way towards paying for those things.

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So the point is that because it's too expensive to sort out it's much easier to change a train line name instead?

NewYearNewCalendar · 15/02/2024 13:13

MrsMitford3 · 15/02/2024 13:01

Exactly.

The £6 MILLION could have helped make things safer for women-better lighting, police presence in/around stations at night, trains being on time etc.
It seems to be more virtue signalling from Khan.

I'm afraid this on top of the posters everywhere saying things like "Pressing" to tell ppl not to rub against others is ridiculous misuse of money. None of the rubbers and pressers are going to read them and stop doing it are they?

And I admit to using and loving the Lizzy Line when it runs to time or at all

edited for spelling

Edited
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TFL are responsible for 408 stations (according to my quick google check).

£6m is a little under £15k per station.

That might pay for the installation of a single extra light per station.

LentilFaculties · 15/02/2024 13:12

Given the amount of disruption from engineering work/ power failure/ signal failure/ driver shortage and sadly suicide, and given how hard it is to decipher quickly which section of the line is affected, this is a good idea. I like the names. But I'd have done the job for TFL for considerably less than 6M and absolutely agree that their priority needs to be safety.

Needmorelego · 15/02/2024 13:10

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat it's not orbital because you can't get from Crystal Palace to Clapham Junction by Overground.
If that section of track (currently used by Southern) was taken over by Overground then it would technically be orbital.

SinnerBoy · 15/02/2024 13:09

Sorry to distract, but whenever I read, or hear the word Goblin, I think of the tinned suet puddings of my childhood.

New London Train Line Names
Needmorelego · 15/02/2024 13:08

@Chersfrozenface
"Liney Line" 😂
I like that.

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 15/02/2024 13:07

NeverDropYourMooncup · 15/02/2024 12:58

If you need to plan a route, which people do from looking at the maps every day, there's no indication of the actual routes - Circle and District makes sense visually, Victoria makes sense visually, Northern makes sense (just about, it all gets a bit vague unless you already know whether you need to go past Mornington Crescent or not unless you're standing in front of the split map in the station) - but the Overground is just a tangle of orange which doesn't actually show what bits are directly linked up or where you have to go to one place and then travel back the way you came on a different service for a considerable distance.

Also, if someone hears 'disruption on the Windrush Line at Norwood Junction', they know instantly that this affects their journey and they'd be better off going to ECR to get to, say, Guys (excluding the fact that there are extra express trains from ECR so it would be quicker in any case) because the express trains use a different line to the stopping services from West Croydon.

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You can plan all
you want but when the service is not running then
no pretty names will help.

also, the orange is not a tangle. It’s clear that it follows an orbital route.

PrimitivePerson · 15/02/2024 13:06

MrsMitford3 · 15/02/2024 13:01

Exactly.

The £6 MILLION could have helped make things safer for women-better lighting, police presence in/around stations at night, trains being on time etc.
It seems to be more virtue signalling from Khan.

I'm afraid this on top of the posters everywhere saying things like "Pressing" to tell ppl not to rub against others is ridiculous misuse of money. None of the rubbers and pressers are going to read them and stop doing it are they?

And I admit to using and loving the Lizzy Line when it runs to time or at all

edited for spelling

Edited
Show quote history

£6m wouldn't even go part of the way towards paying for those things.

TwattusTwattus · 15/02/2024 13:05

ScribblingPixie · 15/02/2024 13:01

I don't like them much. I'd prefer it if the lines referenced a landmark on it, like the Piccadilly Line does. Or were helpfully named like The Circle Line. The Bakerloo Line is my favourite - a useful reminder of its route and also fun.

Yep, would have preferred them to be named after places. Also makes more sense if the point is to avoid confusion.

We were robbed of the Haggerston Line, the Chestnut Line and the Rotherhithe Line!

PrimitivePerson · 15/02/2024 13:05

murasaki · 15/02/2024 13:03

I like the names, and the different coloured lines will be very useful.

It is a fuckton of money though. I imagine I'll see some of it in Sadiq's portion of my council tax in April.

As I've repeatedly pointed out, it's a few hours of TfL's income. It's also about 75p each for everyone in London, if you want to look at it that way.

murasaki · 15/02/2024 13:03

I like the names, and the different coloured lines will be very useful.

It is a fuckton of money though. I imagine I'll see some of it in Sadiq's portion of my council tax in April.

NewYearNewCalendar · 15/02/2024 13:01

I like it. Makes a lot of sense to split the overground lines up - I used to use them a lot but still got confused as to which bit was which. And as someone said above, given I never went to the ends of the line I didn’t identify it as the “end-to-end line”.

Names seem good. Yes, perhaps a little try hard, but unless they were going to be totally nonsensical then try hard was inevitable!

£6m would be a lot of money to me, but it’s nothing to TFL.

MrsMitford3 · 15/02/2024 13:01

PaperWalkAndTalk · 15/02/2024 12:53

Whereas in reality Khan has made London a lot worse for women.

Spending £6m on this, millions on Maaate adverts etc, and yet sexual assaults on public transport are increasing, muggings during the day on Oxford street, no go areas thanks to LTNs etc.

Show quote history

Exactly.

The £6 MILLION could have helped make things safer for women-better lighting, police presence in/around stations at night, trains being on time etc.
It seems to be more virtue signalling from Khan.

I'm afraid this on top of the posters everywhere saying things like "Pressing" to tell ppl not to rub against others is ridiculous misuse of money. None of the rubbers and pressers are going to read them and stop doing it are they?

And I admit to using and loving the Lizzy Line when it runs to time or at all

edited for spelling

ScribblingPixie · 15/02/2024 13:01

I don't like them much. I'd prefer it if the lines referenced a landmark on it, like the Piccadilly Line does. Or were helpfully named like The Circle Line. The Bakerloo Line is my favourite - a useful reminder of its route and also fun.

Lisbeth50 · 15/02/2024 13:00

PrimitivePerson · 15/02/2024 11:33

And yet we have the Elizabeth Line, which is a really stupid name picked by Boris Johnson to suck up to the Queen. It should be called Crossrail.

You can moan about it being political, but the Tories previously named the Victoria and Jubilee lines as well, and if Boris had done this, we'd probably have the Churchill and Thatcher lines, which I'd find grossly offensive.

As it happens, I refuse to use Elizabeth line and always refer to it as Crossrail.

Edited

I like the Elizabeth Line because it is also my name. 🙂

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