Overground lines have impressively impractical names.
Here are three of them.
They're so long-winded that TfL rarely use them, indeed for general purposes everything comes under the umbrella 'Overground' brand instead.
But this has several disadvantages, not least when disruption hits the network because it's not explicit whether "Severe delays" refers to the Watford bit, the Wapping bit, the Chingford bit or just the pointless Upminster bit. I blogged about this way back in 2015, it's not a new problem.
So naming the six individual lines makes sense. Each could have its own row on the rainbow boards displaying line status, journey planning would become clearer and signage at interchange stations (such as Willesden Junction or Clapham Junction) could be differentiated.
It's such an obvious idea that it was in Sadiq Khan's manifesto for the Mayoralty in 2021 (when we discussed possible names in some depth). Now finally, two years later, he's making good on his promise and has kickstarted the process that will eventually lead to six distinct names.
As yet there's no press release but a new page has appeared on the TfL website called 'Naming London Overground lines' and these posters have started popping up at Overground stations.
This one's on the digital screens at Liverpool Street, but I've also seen paper versions at stations elsewhere.
London Overground line naming research
TfL and the Mayor of London have launched a programme of community engagement to name individual lines on London Overground.
But don't think you're going to get a say in what the lines are called because that's not how this community engagement works.
Over the next few months we'll be speaking to London Overground customers and different communities to understand more about the history of the network and the people it serves.
TfL have absolutely no need to interview passengers about "the history of the network", that's plainly absurd. But asking about "the history of the people it serves" is far more pertinent because the Mayor isn't seeking ordinary geographically-related names, he's after something more diverse.
That's the "rich and diverse history" of the capital, not its transport system. This is all related to the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, a body unveiled by the Mayor in June 2020 as one response to the Black Lives Matter protests. It exists because "statues, plaques and street names don't reflect our city's stories" and that's definitely true of the existing TfL tube and rail network. Only two lines are named after people, all of them white female royalty, and it's now time to counterbalance that.
It also offers a unique opportunity to totally enrage customers and communities, even if carefully chosen. Many republicans and left-wingers were furious when the previous Mayor announced that Crossrail would henceforth be known as the Elizabeth line. I expect Sadiq's choices will similarly infuriate those on the right and anyone who bandies the word 'woke' around a lot. Here's proof.
So the Overground is going to be used to 'tell stories' and to 'educate', presumably by linking each line to the name of a person or group who exemplify an overlooked part of London's diverse history. We could get the Suffragette line, the Choudhury line or the Turing line. We are not going to get the 'East London line' or the Goblin, indeed Goblin is completely off the table.
Let's go back to the poster at Overground stations.
As part of this, researchers from our partner agency DNCO, a creative studio specialising in place and culture, will be travelling on the network speaking to customers about their experiences on London Overground.
Note they're not necessarily asking for suggestions, they're collecting 'experiences' and perhaps establishing important cohesive themes from which a melting pot of representative names might emerge. It's worth saying that DNCO were also behind the process for renaming the street on which City Hall now sits, producing a shortlist consisting of Kamal Chunchie Way, People's Way and World's Gate Way, and I would suggest that in that case they were seriously overpaid.
If you want to have any chance of influencing the final decision you need to be on the same train as a researcher. I made two Overground journeys yesterday but alas failed to have my say. According to the poster the crucial dates are Friday 30 June, Sunday 9, Tuesday 11, Thursday 13 and Wednesday 19 July. It also warns that "photographs may be taken" and you should say if you don't want to be included, which presumably is why they've had to flash up the poster across the network in advance of the official press release.
Renaming Overground lines is difficult because the chosen name needs to have relevance to somewhere along the line, ideally all of it. Stephen Lawrence would be an ideal candidate, perhaps, except that where he lived in Eltham is nowhere near the Overground. Havering's first black resident lived less than a mile from Romford station but I can't see travellers in Havering taking the Cumba line to their hearts. A Windrush line sounds very plausible, except the Overground sails through Brixton without stopping and the name has little relevance to the other branches. Mary Seacole is buried in a cemetery close to Willesden Junction station but that's not exactly a cohesive reason to name either of the adjacent Overground lines after her. There is a risk that this all gets horribly tangential and ends up looking simultaneously over-targeted and under-specific.
I posted a photo of that poster on Twitter yesterday and it's already received dozens of responses and suggestions. A lot of people are keen on Liney McLineface, or some similar confection, which is one reason the public aren't being asked to vote on anything. Names of Wombles proved very popular, based of course on 'Underground Overground wombling free'. A heck of a lot of people want Goblin to be made official and are going to be very disappointed when it isn't. The only likely suggestion I've seen is the Brunel line, which may not be diverse but Isambard has a great story which is 100% relevant to the Overground line which passes through his Thames Tunnel.
So I'd like to offer you the chance to list six names you think might come out of the hat when the final names are announced next year. You can pick funny ones if you like but only in the certain knowledge of scoring zero. A diverse selection is far more likely to maybe possibly get one or two right. Just give us names and perhaps a short rationale, thanks, and save any broader thoughts for the main comments box at the end of the post. comments
It's interesting to note that the Overground lines nearly all got different names (and different colours) back in 2015. A new tube map was poised and ready to go but when Mayor Boris caught wind he insisted it would never happen on his watch and the Overground would remain orange. And those would have been nice bland geographic names, nothing the Daily Mail would have got agitated about, but his decision has left the door open for Mayor Sadiq to introduce a diverse sextet sure to antagonise millions.
Most Londoners now happily call Crossrail the Elizabeth line, and will likely embrace whatever set of names eventually emerges on the Overground. But it's going to be a bumpy ride so buckle up, because that shortlist is going to look utterly ridiculous when they finally announce it.
