Night Tube: 24-hour weekend service to begin next year

The launch of a 24-hour weekend Tube service on the London Underground has been confirmed for next year. From 12 September 2015, 'night Tubes' will serve the capital's five main underground lines on Friday and Saturday nights.

"London is a bustling, 24-hour global city and by this time next year we'll have a 24-hour Tube service to match," Mayor Boris Johnson told the BBC. Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground described it as "a historic step in our modernisation of London Underground.

The night-time service will "support London's vibrant night-time economy and boost businesses, jobs and leisure opportunities," according to Transport for London (TFL). It believes the extra services will provide a £360m boost to the capital's economy by creating vital new jobs and cutting journey times by up to an hour.

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The launch will coincide with England's hosting of the Rugby World Cup which is expected to draw in an estimated 400,000 overseas visitors.

However, not everyone has welcomed the announcement. Mick Cash, the new Rail, Maritime and Transport Union general secretary has accused Boris Johnson of using it as a "diversion from his massive cuts and closures programme that will axe a thousand staff and decimate services and safety."

"This proposal is being bulldozed through without any proper risk assessment or agreement on core issues," Cash said. It is "a disaster waiting to happen."

The night lines:

• Victoria line: Trains will serve the entire line
• Jubilee line: Trains will serve the entire line
• Central line: Trains will run between Ealing Broadway and Hainault, and between White City and Loughton (no service on the West Ruislip branch)
• Piccadilly line: Trains will run between Cockfosters and Heathrow Terminal 5 (no service on the Rayners Lane/Uxbridge branch)
• Northern line: Trains will serve the line except on the Mill Hill East and Bank branches