Night Overground services to return in December
Night Overground services will be restored on weekends from 17 December, a week before Christmas.
Transport for London (TfL) announced today that night services will run between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate, passing through areas such as Hoxton and Shoreditch, which are an integral part of London’s night life.
“The return of the Night Overground is a great festive boost to our night time economy, not only for those who want to have a great night out, but for those who work in this vital sector too,” said London’s Night Czar Amy Lame.
The service will reopen after more than 18 months of being closed because of the pandemic, at the same time as ridership numbers continue to grow all over the capital’s network. Services will be back a few weeks after the return of the Night Tube on the Central and Victoria lines, which was called for by thousands of Londoners.
“I am determined to make the capital as safe as possible for all Londoners, especially women and girls, and the return of the Night Overground will make a huge difference to those who are travelling home late at night, offering another quick, easy and safe way for people to travel around the city,” commented London’s mayor Sadiq Khan.
People in particular have lobbied with the Mayor and TfL to reinstate night services as a way to keep women and girls safe. After the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, 26-year-old Ella Watson launched a petition to reopen the night links, which gathered a lot of momentum.
“The removal of the night tube has a disproportionate impact on women who are more likely to sexually assaulted in public and it seems this has been completely overlooked,” she wrote at the time.