The London Overground gets a major rebrand

For the primary time in almost 20 years, the London Overground is debuting a colourful new look—and renaming all six of its strains.

The Overground, in-built 2007 by Transport for London (TfL), modernized town’s public transit by connecting extra routes outdoors of central London, creating “a totally orbital community” across the capital. On London’s iconic Tube Map, all six of those strains had been represented in orange and finally nicknamed “the Ginger line.” However because it’s grown over time, the Overground has began to look a complete lot extra like a multitude of orange squiggles. 

“[The lines are] presently proven as a sophisticated community of orange on route maps,” TfL transport commissioner Andy Lord mentioned in a press launch. “This may be complicated for patrons much less accustomed to the community and could possibly be a barrier for some wanting to make use of the London Overground.”

London’s Tube Map was initially designed by Harry Beck in 1931 and has since been lauded for its simplicity and topology-forward perspective. Nonetheless, analysis from the TfL uncovered that the ever-expanding monotone Overground strains had been making the map much less legible. Now, every line will probably be redesignated with its personal shade and culturally important identify. The total rebrand is anticipated to value $7.9 million and attain completion by the top of 2024.

To pay homage to native landmarks and leaders, a gaggle of consumers, native historians, and transport specialists helped the TfL brainstorm and choose names for the brand new strains. The yellow Lioness line, which runs close to Wembley Stadium, honors England’s ladies’s soccer workforce; the blue Mildmay line is a testomony to a small hospital that was instrumental in supporting its neighborhood in the course of the HIV/AIDS disaster; and the inexperienced Suffragette line celebrates working-class ladies within the East Finish who fought for equal voting rights. 

“There are such a lot of fascinating, and sometimes forgotten, tales from our metropolis that must be advised and remembered,” London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan advised the TfL. “Naming the strains won’t solely assist educate guests about our superb metropolis and its unimaginable historical past, however can even make it simpler for individuals who stay, work, or go to London to navigate town.”