Night Tube

Night Tube and London Overground Night Service
Overview
Locale Greater London
Transit type Rapid transit
Suburban Rail
Number of lines 6
Operation
Operator(s) London Underground (5 lines)
London Overground (1 line)
Night Tube map

The Night Tube and London Overground Night Service, often referred to simply as Night Tube is a service pattern on the London Underground and London Overground systems which provides night-time services to travellers on Friday and Saturday nights on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, and Victoria lines, and a short section of the London Overground’s East London line.

Background

First Night Tube train pulling into Pimlico.
The first Victoria line Night Tube service pulling into Pimlico Underground station. London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Managing Director of London Underground Mike Brown were on board.

Since the London Underground's inception, the practice of running night-time services has been difficult, mainly due to night-time noise factors, and the ongoing maintenance works that usually occur during the night. General mass upgrades to the overall London Underground network from the late-1990s onwards, along with large infrastructure improvements to stations and signalling,[1][note 1] plus the building of Crossrail (with the future probability of Crossrail 2) which will have sections going underground to connect with the main London Underground system, made it possible to introduce a limited night-time Tube service.

The Bakerloo, Waterloo & City and sub-surface lines have yet to be upgraded and re-signalled, but it is expected that when these works are completed on these lines, they will also have 24-hour services. Other services such as London Overground and Docklands Light Railway will have overnight services in the near future to connect with Night Tube services.[note 2] On the sub-surface lines, night tube services are planned to be introduced on the Metropolitan between Aldgate and Harrow-on-the-Hill, District line between Barking and Wimbledon, and on the Hammersmith & City line between Hammersmith & Tower Hill.[12]

History

TfL announced in mid-2014 the introduction of the Night Tube. The initial plans were for a Friday and Saturday night service on a limited number of lines, with, on average, a train every 10 minutes or less, continuing from around midnight when train services usually close to around 5 a.m. and into the usual morning service.[13][14][15]

The planned service was on the whole of the Jubilee and Victoria lines. In addition to that, there was planned services on the Central line between Ealing Broadway and Hainault or Loughton, the Northern line between Morden and Edgware or High Barnet via Charing Cross,[note 3] and the Piccadilly line between Cockfosters and Heathrow Terminal 5.[17][note 4] The service was scheduled to launch on 11/12 September 2015,[19][20][21] with the prospect of expansion across further lines in subsequent years. However, due to strike action, the start of the Night Tube was postponed.[22][23]

Strike action

Members of several unions decided to take strike action in relation to the terms and conditions being offered by London Underground, largely regarding agreements specifically over the pay deal and hours worked by new Night Tube service personnel. Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), and Unite officially started the first 24-hour strike at 18:30 BST on 8 July 2015, and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) drivers starting their 24-hour action from 21:30 BST on 8 July 2015, with disruption occurring several hours either side of the start and finish times. London Underground warned there could be no services on Thursday as a result of the walk-out. The strike affected all Tube lines and finished at 21:30 BST on 9 July 2015.[24] A second 24-hour strike action by London Underground trade unions took place from 18:30 BST on 5 August 2015 until 05:00 BST on 7 August 2015, and there was no service at all on 6 August 2015.[25]

Three unions also threatened to strike on 25 and 27 August 2015, where talks were held between the unions and London Underground for negotiations. ASLEF decided not to participate in the planned strikes.[22][23] On 27 August 2015, it was announced that the start date for the Night Tube had been pushed back due to ongoing talks about contract terms between trade unions and London Underground.[26]

Following agreement of new terms by TfL and the unions, Night Tube operations were confirmed to start in the second half of 2016. The Central and Victoria line services started on 19 August 2016.[27] The Jubilee line services started on 7 October 2016,[28] the Northern line on 18 November 2016[29][note 5] and the Piccadilly line on 16 December 2016.[31][32]

Current Services

Platform gates at the Westminster station in the "closed" position
Closed platform screen doors at Westminster Underground station with a departing eastbound Jubilee line train.

The current typical Night Tube services are as follows:[14][17]

The current typical London Overground Night Service is as follows:[14][17]

Predicted benefits

Map of the Night Tube including service frequencies in minutes

TfL estimated that the Night Tube would lead to the creation of 1,965 permanent jobs, the net additional output produced as a result equating to an additional £360m over 30 years (i.e. £12m per year). These include:[14]

  • An estimated 1,965 permanent jobs supported by the Night Tube — 265 through direct operation of the service and 1,700 indirectly in the night-time economy, taking into account impacts on London's night-time economy and the additional London Underground staff required.
  • Time savings of, on average, 20 minutes (but in some cases up to an hour) on some routes.
  • Standard business case shows that for each £1 spent on delivering the Night Tube, benefits will be £2.70. Adding in wider economic impacts increases this benefit by £1.20 for every pound spent.

In addition to the above quantifiable benefits, other benefits TfL believe the service is likely to deliver include:[14]

  • Reduced demand for illegal minicabs, thus improved safety in taxis at night.
  • Improved commuter journeys for many people who work during the night-time in central London but live outside the centre.
  • Potential for longer operating hours for pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants, bowling alleys, cinemas, museums, art galleries, and other attractions.
  • Reduced congestion at stations after events at entertainment venues like the O2, as people are not in such a rush to leave to catch the last Tube as events finish.
  • Improved accessibility to Heathrow for passengers flying or entering before 07:00 at the weekend.

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ These include the Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria line capacity upgrades.[2][3][4][5] Upgrades to major stations include Green Park and King's Cross St. Pancras,[1][6][7][8] while others had improvements such as addition of Help Points, new induction loops to assist hearing-impaired passengers and step-free access.[9][10]
  2. ↑ The section between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate on London Overground's East London Line is scheduled to begin overnight services in December 2017, with a planned extension to Highbury and Islington in early 2018; the Docklands Light Railway has plans for all-night services to begin in 2021.[11]
  3. ↑ The Bank branch is not served by Night Tube due to nighttime construction on that branch, in relation to the Bank station upgrade.[16]
  4. ↑ The initial plans did not include the Central line between Leytonstone and Loughton (as of 9 December 2014).[18]
  5. ↑ Night Tube services did not stop at Charing Cross until 29 June 2017 due to improvement works on the Northern line ticket hall.[30]

References

  1. 1 2 "What's Happening on Your Line". What We Are Doing. Transport for London. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "Northern line Upgrade One Step Closer" (Press release). Transport for London. 26 February 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Tube Upgrade Ahead of Schedule as Jubilee line Reopens Two Days Early" (Press release). Transport for London. 29 December 2005. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Victoria line Upgrade Takes Another Step Forward" (Press release). 17 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "New, Blue and Improved Piccadilly Line" (Press release). 16 May 2005. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Transformation of Green Park station Nears Completion" (Press release). 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "King's Cross St. Pancras Doubles in Size as State-of-the-art Ticket Hall Opens" (Press release). 27 November 2009. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "King's Cross St. Pancras tube station is Step-free with 10 New Lifts" (Press release). 27 September 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "Station Refurbishment Summary" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. July 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Step-free Access". Transport for London. July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  11. ↑ "All-night services extended to Overground, DLR and most Tube lines". BBC. 20 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "TfL 90993 — Impact of the Night Tube on London's Night-Time Economy" (PDF). Transport for London. September 2014. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  13. ↑ "The future of the Tube – Transport for London – Night Tube". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "TfL 90993 – Impact of the Night Tube on London's Night-Time Economy – Transport for London" (PDF). Transport for London. September 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "'Historic' new Night Tube service – Transport for London". Transport for London. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Campbell, Bridget; Papworth, John (9 July 2015). "Bank Underground Station Capacity Upgrade Inspectors Report — Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government" (PDF). The Planning Inspectorate. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 Transport for London (December 2017). Standard Night Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "Night Tube Map". Transport for London. 2014. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  19. ↑ "'Night Tube' weekend service to launch in September 2015". BBC News. BBC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "'Night Tube' gets September 2015 launch date". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  21. ↑ Hargreaves, Ruth (24 September 2014). "London 'Night Tube' Start Date Announced". Londonist. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  22. 1 2 "All-night Tube service may be delayed". BBC News. BBC. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Tube strikes: London Underground drivers' union decides not to take part". The Guardian. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  24. ↑ "Tube strike: London Underground delays as strikes begin". BBC News. BBC. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  25. ↑ "Tube strike to bring London Underground to standstill from Wednesday - how will it affect me?". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  26. ↑ "Night Tube start date postponed as talks continue". Sky News. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  27. ↑ "Over 50,000 journeys completed on London's first Night Tube services". Transport for London. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  28. ↑ "Night Tube: Jubilee Line service to begin and Northern Line gets start date". BBC News. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  29. ↑ "Night Tube services to begin on the Northern Line". BBC News. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  30. ↑ "Charing Cross station Opens for South Londoners on the Night Tube". News Shopper. 1 July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  31. ↑ "London night tube services to Heathrow start this weekend". The Guardian. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  32. ↑ Standard Night Tube Map – July 2017 (PDF) (Map). Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.