"The main thing TfL has done with its new names is to highlight the contribution to London’s life made by people who are not the Queen of England. Anyone who sees this as virtue signalling may, in fact, be signalling rather more about themselves."
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I'm aware of the Act of Union and its consequences. I am also aware, however, that the commonly used phrase is "the Queen of England", that Victoria and Elizabeth *were* queens of England among many other places, and that other forms of phrasing would have sounded deeply weird.
Love the new names. On a practical note it will make it much easier to work out which part of the overground is affected by delays/engineering work. Very happy that my closest station is on the Suffragette line.
Yes! I’m so pleased TfL have done this and shrugged off the usual suspects wailing ‘woke’
So much is Victoria this or QE 2 that, it’s so lazily deferential and uninspired.
Agreed that that one may not age well, and the phonemes of Lioness and Line are too similar for it to roll off the tongue nicely. But yes, it could have been a lot worse!
It's more the picture of people in 2070 calling that line the Lioness Line because England women won a European Championships in 2022 (not even a world cup) that gets me!
Yeah - if they had called it the Lion Line, people might have assumed it was inaugurated in 1966, which was the last time England’s male footballers won an international tournament.
I must admit, when I found out we were on the Weaver line it was like primary school classes again - beech, ladybird, etc. But I am very glad to get away from naming it after nobs.
I use the Overground pretty much every day. The people who complain about the new names a) don't remember when we called them the Goblin or StabLink, and b) are the EXACT SAME people who say we should keep statues of slavers for educational purposes.
I'll all for celebrating London's rich diversity and history, but this doesn't feel right, it feels forced and trivial. Same goes for the Elizabeth line.
All the tube lines have names which are obviously derived from their reach, or their old ownership, and that suits.
She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Such a name is not as forced as naming a line after a football team that won a competition one year.
I agree. There is so much lazy naming in the UK. There are other things than the royal family. Most egregious to me was imposing the subjugating "Prince of Wales" on the bridge connecting Cymru to Bristol
And the King Charlie III England Coast Path.
It's nothing to do with the bloody king, he hasn't been involved with it in any way, and the royal family are being obstructive where the route passes Osborne House and are preventing it from following the coastline. Embarrassing to have his name on it.
So many walks and public footpaths exit *despite* major landowners. My mother-in-law has singlehandledly kept a local path open by walking it and turning up to local meetings. She's 85 and we walk it together as a family at least once a year because access is important.
This, this and this again. Came here to say exactly this. It pissed me off the day I heard it, and now it sullies all my lovely OS maps. Makes me gag every time I see it.
Word is, mayor Boris Johnson killed an earlier ppan to split the lines because he thought it should all be orange - highlighted the growth of the network
It did improve in time for the London Olympics but now ime it’s deteriorating again. Anyway the network didn’t grow. The lines were already there. Just ignored.
Any idea when/if train announcements are being updated, Jonn? First venture out in over a week and hoped to hear (e.g.) ‘change for Mildmay and Windrush lines’ at Highbury. Nope.
The only thing I have against the names is that some of them are a bit of a mouthful and perhaps not all easy to remember.
But what a wonderful thing the London tube is, so easy to navigate unlike the Metro. If only it was cheaper to use.
My only issue is that "the" Weaver line is 2 lines, each needing its own name. The need to distinguish them will be the reason we don't use the new name. It's important to say this now, before those with an agenda try to claim that a popular objection to the name's theme lies behind any lack of use.
Excellent. London Overground are improvised systems woven from former discarded rail tracks.
Doing their best against the odds. Creating value.
Like the nominees.
The Richmond to Stratford line - formerly the Broad Street/North London line and now Mildmay - has been operating for nearly 70 years to my personal knowledge, is often jam packed. Long overdue incorporation into the map. Inexplicable why not.
Yes. Most of the lines are overcrowded in rush hour etc, train lengths are often limited by platform length, and frequency by cross-overs with other lines.
We can thank nationalisation for the Richmond-Stratford, etc
But why do the signals at Gunnersbury fail so often? This line is the only E-W transport along much of its route. Much of the outer Tube ‘radiates’ out and leaves deserts.
Possibly vandalism / theft of copper?
The Super-Loop buses are filling the E-W need in some places but there need to be more, and the roads are clogged by the growing width of cars & vans parked everywhere.
(My personal grrrrr moment)
If you are thrown off the line at Kensal Rise or Willesden Junction( recent examples) with a pram it’s incredibly difficult to get the short distance back to Richmond.
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So much is Victoria this or QE 2 that, it’s so lazily deferential and uninspired.
Long shot question: what's this one going to be called? https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/planning-for-the-future/west-london-orbital
"Dad, what's a Mildmay?"
"Well, sweetie ..."
Also I’m just pissed they killed the Goblin line. That’s one that should’ve remained.
I'll all for celebrating London's rich diversity and history, but this doesn't feel right, it feels forced and trivial. Same goes for the Elizabeth line.
All the tube lines have names which are obviously derived from their reach, or their old ownership, and that suits.
I don't think the nostalgia for her will be particularly transcendent. To me, it seems contrived.
I suppose we should be grateful Johnson didn't do this when he was London mayor...
The Brexit Line
The Carrie Line
The Two World Wars And One World Cup Line
The (insert name of peer who gave me the most money) Line
Etc
It's nothing to do with the bloody king, he hasn't been involved with it in any way, and the royal family are being obstructive where the route passes Osborne House and are preventing it from following the coastline. Embarrassing to have his name on it.
And yes, the south west coast path is just that.
Stuff obsequiousness
(map of the week, below the paywall, soz)
But what a wonderful thing the London tube is, so easy to navigate unlike the Metro. If only it was cheaper to use.
I just think they are awful names for trainlines (as was the elizabeth line).
Doing their best against the odds. Creating value.
Like the nominees.
We can thank nationalisation for the Richmond-Stratford, etc
The Super-Loop buses are filling the E-W need in some places but there need to be more, and the roads are clogged by the growing width of cars & vans parked everywhere.
(My personal grrrrr moment)