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Night Tube

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Night Tube
Overview
LocaleGreater London
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines5
Operation
Operator(s)London Underground
Night Tube map

* Also includes the planned overnight service of London Overground.

The Night Tube is a service pattern on the London Underground system which provides night-time services to travellers on Friday and Saturday nights on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines.

Background

First Night Tube train pulling into Pimlico.
The first Victoria line Night Tube service pulling into Pimlico tube station. London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Managing Director of London Underground Mike Brown were on board.

Since the London Underground's inception, the practice of running night-time services has been difficult, mainly due to night-time noise factors, and the ongoing maintenance works that usually occur during the night. General mass upgrades to the overall London Underground network from the late-1990s onwards, along with large infrastructure improvements to stations and signalling, plus the building of Crossrail (with the future probability of Crossrail 2) which will have sections going underground to connect with the main London Underground system, made it possible to introduce a limited night-time Tube service.

The Bakerloo, Waterloo & City and sub-surface lines have yet to be upgraded and re-signalled, but it is expected that when these works are completed on these lines, they will also have 24-hour services.[1] Part of the London Overground (Dalston Junction to New Cross Gate) are scheduled to begin Night Tube services in December 2017, with a planned extension to Highbury and Islington in 2018. The Docklands Light Railway is planned to begin Night Tube services in 2021.[2]

Plans

Platform gates at the Westminster station in the "closed" position
Closed platform screen doors at Westminster tube station.

TfL announced in mid-2014 the introduction of the Night Tube. The initial plans were for a Friday and Saturday night service on a limited number of lines, with, on average, a train every 10 minutes or less, continuing from around midnight to 06:00 and into the usual morning service.[3][4][5][6]

Beginning with the whole of the Jubilee and Victoria lines, and parts of the Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines, the service was planned to launch on 11/12 September 2015,[7][8][9] with the prospect of expansion across further lines in subsequent years. However, due to strike action, the start of the Night Tube was postponed.[3][4][5][6]

Following agreement of new terms by TfL and the unions, Night Tube operations were confirmed to start in the second half of 2016. The Central and Victoria line services started on 19 August 2016.[10] The Jubilee line services started on 7 October 2016,[11] the Northern line on 18 November 2016[12] and the Piccadilly line on 16 December 2016.[13] Charing Cross on the Northern line was served by Night Tube services, from 29 June 2017.[14][15]

Services summary

Summary of the Night Tube service:[4]

Predicted benefits

Map of the Night Tube including service frequencies in minutes

TfL estimated that the Night Tube would lead to the creation of 1,965 permanent jobs, the net additional output produced as a result equating to an additional £360m over 30 years (i.e. £12m per year). These include:[4]

  • An estimated 1,965 permanent jobs supported by the Night Tube — 265 through direct operation of the service and 1,700 indirectly in the night-time economy, taking into account impacts on London's night-time economy and the additional London Underground staff required.
  • Time savings of, on average, 20 minutes (but in some cases up to an hour) on some routes.
  • Standard business case shows that for each £1 spent on delivering the Night Tube, benefits will be £2.70. Adding in wider economic impacts increases this benefit by £1.20 for every pound spent.

In addition to the above quantifiable benefits, other benefits TfL believe the service is likely to help create include:[4]

  • Reduced demand for illegal minicabs, thus improved safety in taxis at night.
  • Improved commuter journeys for many people who work during the night-time in central London but live outside the centre.
  • Potential for longer operating hours for bars, clubs, restaurants, bowling alleys, cinemas, museums, art galleries, and other attractions.
  • Reduced congestion at stations after events at entertainment venues like the O2, as people are not in such a rush to leave to catch the last Tube as events finish.
  • Improved accessibility to Heathrow for passengers flying or entering before 07:00 at the weekend.

Strike action

Members of several unions decided to take strike action in relation to the terms and conditions being offered by London Underground, largely regarding agreements specifically over the pay deal and hours worked by new Night Tube service personnel. Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), and Unite officially started the first 24-hour strike at 18:30 BST on 8 July 2015, and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) drivers starting their 24-hour action from 21:30 BST on 8 July 2015, with disruption occurring several hours either side of the start and finish times. London Underground warned there could be no services on Thursday as a result of the walk-out. The strike affected all Tube lines and finished at 21:30 BST on 9 July 2015.[17]

A second 24-hour strike action by London Underground trade unions took place from 18:30 BST on 5 August 2015 until 05:00 BST on 7 August 2015, and there was no service at all on 6 August 2015.[18]

Three unions also threatened to strike on 25 and 27 August as of 12 August 2015, with talks being held to try to prevent this.[19] ASLEF decided not to participate in the planned strikes.[2]

On 27 August 2015 it was announced that the start date for the Night Tube had been pushed back due to ongoing talks about contract terms between trade unions and London Underground.[20]

References

  1. ^ "All-night services extended to Overground, DLR and most Tube lines". BBC. 20 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Tube strikes: London Underground drivers' union decides not to take part". The Guardian. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b "The future of the Tube – Transport for London – Night Tube". Transport for London. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e "TfL 90993 – Impact of the Night Tube on London's Night-Time Economy – Transport for London" (PDF). Transport for London. September 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Night Tube map – Transport for London". Transport for London. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  6. ^ a b "'Historic' new Night Tube service – Transport for London". Transport for London. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  7. ^ "'Night Tube' weekend service to launch in September 2015". BBC News. BBC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  8. ^ "'Night Tube' gets September 2015 launch date". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  9. ^ Hargreaves, Ruth (24 September 2014). "London 'Night Tube' Start Date Announced". Londonist. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Over 50,000 journeys completed on London's first Night Tube services". Transport for London. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Night Tube: Jubilee Line service to begin and Northern Line gets start date". BBC News. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Night Tube services to begin on the Northern Line". BBC News. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  13. ^ "London night tube services to Heathrow start this weekend". The Guardian. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Night Tube Map". Transport for London. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  15. ^ [1]
  16. ^ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486297/bank_underground_station_capacity_upgrade_inspectors_report.pdf
  17. ^ "Tube strike: London Underground delays as strikes begin". BBC News. BBC. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  18. ^ "Tube strike to bring London Underground to standstill from Wednesday - how will it affect me?". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  19. ^ "All-night Tube service may be delayed". BBC News. BBC. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  20. ^ "Night Tube start date postponed as talks continue". Sky News. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
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