24-hour Overground
London Overground plans to start running 24-hour operations on the East London Line from December.
LONDON Overground will start running 24-hour operations on the East London Line from December.
Running on Fridays and Saturdays, trains will run between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction. This will be extended to Highbury & Islington next year. All stations on the route will be staffed at all times while trains are running, with CCTV, modern lighting and help points throughout.
The move follows the Night Tube introduction, where there have been more than 6.5 million journeys since its launch last year.
London Assembly said the introduction of ELL Night Overground trains benefits shift workers and those visiting museums, galleries, restaurants and bars in the area. It will also connect with Night Tube services on the Jubilee Line at Canada Water and (from next year) the Victoria Line at Highbury & Islington.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “It will provide huge benefits to Londoners and visitors to our city, helping those working hard through the night and all those out enjoying everything London has to offer, as well as creating jobs and boosting our economy.”
Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Transport and Parks, Hackney, said: “We welcome this news and also hope that TfL can eventually extend the Night Tube to serve all of Hackney’s Overground stations.”
Alan D Miller, chairman of Night Time Industries Association, said: “London is making significant strides to become a smart, futureoriented 24-hour city in which transport is a vital component. Hurrah for this! Together we can all help make London the best it can be for us all.”
Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon and London Union, said: “The ‘orange line’ is the artery that connects London’s most vibrant areas. The opening of the night service will not just boost the local economy, it will further feed the creative spirit of east London. It’s going to be awesome.”
Jonathan Fox, Transport for London’s Director of London Rail, said: “The East London route is one of the most popular parts of the London Overground network, particularly late in the evening. Expanding night services to this key part of London Overground will make it easier for customers to enjoy the vibrant night time culture that east London has to offer.”
Crossrail works at Whitechapel will prevent the ELL night trains from calling there until summer 2018.
Night Tube already runs on the Central, Victoria, Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines. It will be extended to other sub-surface lines following signalling upgrades.
TfL owns the tracks on which ELL Night Trains run. Further expansion is likely to require collaboration with Network Rail and other operators, especially freight.