Evening Standard

Jubilee is third Night Tube service in boost for the O2 and Wembley

- Pippa Crerar

along the entire line, starts on Oc tober 7 with the Northern and Piccadilly lines expected to follow by the end of the year.

It was hailed as “a game changer” by employers and venues along the line including the O2, Wembley Stadium, Canary Wharf and Westfield. Over 100,000 people used the Night Tube as it launched last weekend, to travel home or to get to and from work. The impact on the capital’s economy was immediate with the footfall in Oxford Street and the West End up by 14 per cent and 16 per cent respective­ly. Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The launch on the Jubilee line will support thousands more workers like nurses, cleaners and people who work in our bars and restaurant­s — many of whom currently take two night buses to get home. It will al s o ser ve some of our c i t y ’s key venues, with the O2, Wembley Stadium and Stratford on the route.”

Employers along the Jubilee line welcomed the announceme­nt. Rebecca Kane Burton of the O2 said: “The Night Tube is a game changer for venues like us and thousands more across the capital.

“Over 60 per cent of our fans already use the Jubilee line to reach us. That will grow, the experience will improve, and it will enhance options for the teams who work here too.”

Sir George Iacobescu of Canary Wharf Group said: “It will offer Londoners easier access to our wonderful nighttime economy. It will help the many popular bars and restaurant­s in Canary Wharf stagger their opening hours and ensure more people can get home safely after a late night out.

“Just as importantl­y, with industries like banking, tech and media running around the clock at Canary Wharf, not to mention our own maintenanc­e, security and cleaning staff, the Night Tube is going to help a lot of people get to work more easily.

“London is a 24-hour city and it is right that we should have a 24-hour transport system too.”

The Circle is likely to be the sixth Night Tube line, meaning the 24-hour service will connect to all mainline train stations.

There are long-term hopes to extend it to the District and Metropolit­an lines, and on Crossrail between Paddington and Abbey Wood after it opens in 2018.

Demand for night-time travel is on the ri se. L ate -night Tube usage is increasing at double the rate of daytime trips, and demand for travel on night buses has risen by over 170 per cent since 2000.

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