Transport for London (TfL) is doing a podcast series on those who inspired the new London Overground names.
Each of the six lines will be renamed this autumn to make it easier for customers to navigate London’s transport network.
This significant change, which will include a major update to London’s world-famous Tube map, was announced in February 2024 following engagement with customers, local communities, historians and industry experts.
The news divided opinion when it first broke, with some saying it was a waste of money and would make it ‘more confusing.’ It includes the Windrush line -Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction – which stops at Peckham Rye, Surrey Quays and Canada Water.
In order to provide some context to the plans, the new series of TfL’s official podcast Mind the Gap is back with six new episodes.
This follows a successful run last year with the 160-year anniversary of London Underground series.
Hosted by railway historian and broadcaster, Tim Dunn, each episode will delve into the history and meaning behind the new names.
It starts with Mildmay, which runs between Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford.
Mildmay is a small, charitable NHS foundation that was first set up in 1866 to support the cholera outbreak in east London. In 1988, Mildmay became Europe’s first hospice to support and treat patients affected by AIDS.
Along with the help of the late Princess Diana, who visited the hospital 17 times, Mildmay was able to help change the public perception of HIV/AIDS. Today the hospital still supports patients with HIV and AIDS, and also provides services and support for people who are homeless.
Episode one of the new podcast is out now on all major streaming platforms. Click here to listen. Further episodes will be released throughout the summer.
What are the six new Overground line names?
- The Lioness line: Euston to Watford Junction. The Lioness line, which runs through Wembley, honours the historic achievements and lasting legacy created by the England women’s football team that continues to inspire and empower the next generation of women and girls in sport. It will be yellow parallel lines on the map
- The Mildmay line: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction. The Mildmay line, which runs through Dalston, honours the small charitable hospital in Shoreditch that has cared for Londoners over many years, notably its pivotal role in the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s, which made it the valued and respected place it is for the LGBTQ+ community today. It will be blue parallel lines on the map
- The Windrush line: Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon. The Windrush line runs through areas with strong ties to Caribbean communities today, such as Dalston Junction, Peckham Rye and West Croydon and honours the Windrush generation who continue to shape and enrich London’s cultural and social identity today.?It will be red parallel lines on the map
- The Weaver line: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford. The Weaver line runs through Liverpool Street, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green and Hackney – areas of London known for their textile trade, shaped over the centuries by diverse migrant communities and individuals. It will be maroon parallel lines on the map???
- The Suffragette line: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside. The Suffragette line celebrates how the working-class movement in the East End fought for votes for woman and paved the way for women’s rights.?The line runs to Barking, home of the longest surviving Suffragette Annie Huggett, who died at 103. It will be green parallel lines on the map
- The Liberty line: Romford to Upminster. The Liberty line celebrates the freedom that is a defining feature of London and references the historical independence of the people of Havering, through which it runs.?It will be grey parallel lines on the map