From Friday 15 December, trains will run between New Cross Gate, in south-east London, and Dalston Junction, home to one of the capital’s most bustling nightlife scenes, into the small hours of Saturday and Sunday morning.
Due to Crossrail construction work taking place at night, Night Tube Overground trains will not call at Whitechapel station until work on the new Elizabeth line is complete. Crossrail services are scheduled to start running on December 2018.
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TfL says it plans to extend the night-time service beyond Dalston Junction to Highbury and Islington in spring 2018.
Night Tube fares are charged at off-peak rates for Oyster card and contactless card holders, while Travelcards are valid until 4.30am on the morning after their expiry date.
The extended service comes into effect just in time for the busy Christmas season, and will surely be welcomed by revellers travelling to trendy east London for office parties and festive get-togethers.
Patrons of the “ginger line”, as the Overground is nicknamed in honour of its orange colour on the official Tube map, celebrated the news:
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The announcement is good news for east London’s bars, restaurants, pubs and clubs, too. “It is hoped the all-night service will boost businesses along the line by nearly £200m a year,” the London Evening Standard reports.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said he was “delighted” that a key corridor of the London Overground is to join the Central, Northern, Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines by offering an all-night service at the weekend.
“The Night Tube has proven such a success with Londoners, I know the Night Overground will help thousands more who are working through the night or out enjoying our capital’s nightlife,” he said.
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From 12 September, the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines will service selected stations 24 hours a day, just in time for the Rugby World Cup. Standard daytime tube fares will apply.
Transport for London (TfL) is optimistic about the impact the new service will have, both on passengers and the economy. It claims that the new tube service will cut night-time commutes by 20 minutes compared with taking a public bus. The move is also expected to boost the local economy by as much as £360m and create 2,000 jobs.
TfL cited a hike in demand as the primary reason for the extension in services. "Late-night tube use has increased at double the rate of day-time trips and night bus usage has risen by 173 per cent since 2000," it said in a statement. It claims that more than half a million users ride the Tube after 10pm on weekends.
However, not everyone is happy. London Underground drivers have voted to strike over the implications of the new service. Rail union Aslef says employees could be made to work an unlimited number of night shifts without adequate additional compensation.
Union members will strike for 24 hours from 9.30pm on Wednesday 8 July. London Underground said it was committed to finding a "fair, affordable and sustainable" solution to the union's issues.
The new Underground service will operate on Friday and Saturday nights, and will serve the following stations:
Central Line: Between Ealing Broadway and Hainault
Jubilee Line: The full line
Northern Line: The full line, except for the Mill Hill East and Bank branches
Piccadilly Line: Between Cockfosters and Heathrow Terminal 5
