- Written by Thomas Mackintosh
- bbc news
Created by Harry Beck in 1933, the London Underground map has become a national icon due to its simplicity. On Thursday, Transport for London (TfL) announced that it would update the map with new names and colors for six lines on London Overground. The BBC spoke to TfL and the creative agency involved in the project to find out how the name was chosen.
London Overground and its distinctive orange and blue circle began operating in 2007.
Currently, the line with 113 stations around the capital is marked by an orange line, but from the autumn the line will be divided into sections with the names of the Lioness Line, Mildmay Line, Windrush Line, Weaver Line and Safran Line. It is scheduled to be replaced by a jet line. Line and Liberty Line.
“This is about telling the stories of London’s diverse communities,” TfL’s Emma Strain told the BBC. “It’s a big responsibility because these names are going to be used for decades.”
The project wasn’t simple, Strain said. TfL had to consider how the lines would fit on the map, what colors to use and make sure the names were clearly audible over the tannoy.
“The Lioness Line runs parallel to the Bakerloo Line, so we had to be careful to make sure there weren’t two similar tones,” she said.
Mr Strain, TfL’s customer services director, said the central task of naming each line was to give it an identity.
“There’s so much history in the subway that we wanted to make sure it was relevant in the future. People would say, ‘Why don’t you stick with what you know?'”
“For me it would have been a missed opportunity if it had been an ‘East London Line’ or a ‘North London Line’,” she says.
The research team wanted to discover a little-known part of history, Strain said.
The Windrush generation was one of the stories the team decided to recognize, with Strain describing them as “part of the fabric of TfL”.
“When the Windrush community came to London, they came to many places, many working for TfL on buses and the London Underground,” she said.
“Dalston Junction, Peckham Rye and West Croydon have many strong links with the Caribbean community, enriching the London community.”
image source, Getty Images
A group of Jamaican immigrants arriving in London for the first time scrutinize a subway map
Although the full list of names has not been released, Strain said some influential people’s names have come up.
Among them was designer Althea McNish, who is rumored to have designed the textile patterns used on subway seats.
Simon Udall, strategic director at creative firm DNCO, which collaborated on the project, said his team spent weeks riding the Overground line, speaking to Londoners, poets, writers and experts on railway history. .
They got “hundreds” of ideas, he said. Londoners were “more open and brave” than he expected and wanted to celebrate “a wider range of stories and experiences”.
“Everyone spoke of their deep pride in the fact that London is home to so many people from so many different backgrounds and experiences,” he said.
“It really warmed my heart.”
The final decision to rename the six routes was left to TfL and the Mayor of London.
The renovations are expected to cost £6.3 million and have drawn criticism from the Conservative Party.
“People want to know if they can get on the train, people want to feel safe. People want to know if they can get on the train. People want to know if they can get on the train. People want to know if they can get on the train. People want to know if they can get on the train. People want to know if they can get on the train. People want to know if they can get on the train. They don’t want to know.”
Some commuters told the BBC they were happy, but not all. You can hear their various opinions below.
Listen: What do Overground commuters think about the new name?
Mr Strain said the funding would be split between the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) two annual budgets, with the majority going towards updating customer information.
This includes redesigning and resurfacing the map across all Underground and London Overground stations and trains, and publishing new versions in print and online.
Street announcements will be re-recorded and approximately 6,000 station direction signs will be updated.
Strain said the debate over the new name is “really interesting and healthy.”
“I don’t think we were under any illusions that we could please everyone. There are nine million people in London. There’s diversity and that’s what makes London great,” she said. said.
What is the new London Overground line name?
lion line
mild mayline
Blue parallel lines: The hospital is named after a small charity hospital in Shoreditch that played a key role during the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s.
windrush line
Red parallel lines: It passes through several areas with strong connections to Caribbean communities, including Dalston Junction, Peckham Rye and West Croydon, which were named in honor of the Windrush community.
weaver line
Maroon parallel lines: The route takes in several areas of London known for their importance in the textile trade, with stops including Liverpool Street, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green and Hackney.
women’s suffrage line
Green parallel lines: Named to commemorate the fight for women’s rights by working-class communities in London’s East End, the line is the hometown of Annie Huggett, the oldest surviving suffragist, who died aged 103. I also go to Barking.
liberty line
Gray parallel lines: TfL said the road was named to celebrate the “character of London” and “to refer to the historic independence of the people of the borough of Havering”, which it passes through.