“When I see the enthusiasm from employers in London, investors to London, tourists in London, about the Night Tube, it’s surprising it’s taken us this long to get it”.
Advertisement
The night-time service was scheduled to start in September a year ago but was delayed by a dispute with trade unions over staff conditions and pay.
The all-night service, which was originally meant to start in September 2015, is hailed as a big step forward for the capital’s transport network.
Kate Nicholls, ALMR chief executive, said: “The introduction of the Night Tube has suffered delays and setbacks but we are pleased that it has finally arrived and we are confident it will be an asset to the licensed hospitality sector and the capital”.
And he told PA: “It can’t be beyond the wit of a full-time mayor and TfL to make this work properly”.
This is one of eight new bus routes to be brought in as passengers are able to travel on the Victoria and Central Lines for the first time throughout the night.
About half a million people use the Tube after 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays combined, and LU hopes this figure will be increased by around 40% once all five Night Tube lines are running.
All stations will also be staffed by Tube employees, who had staged a series of strikes in their dispute with Johnson over rotas on the new service. Huge logistical challenges in areas like safety, maintenance and engineering will remain under close scrutiny. Except, as we reported earlier this week, perhaps the City’s introverts.
Gants Hill in Essex and Barkingside are also spots to watch as Londoners, increasingly pushed further out of the City in search of better value homes with easy commutes, continue to boost demand, and therefore prices.
“Boris Johnson deserves credit for talking about the Night Tube, but it was important to get the details right”.
Famed for its simple map design and incessant warnings to “mind the gap”, it now carries over 1.3 billion passengers a year.
Advertisement
The Night Tube, which is expected to support 2,000 permanent jobs and boost the economy by £360m, will later launch on the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines in the autumn. Meanwhile taxis are expensive.
