Request ID: FOI-4198-2324 Date published: 14 March 2024
You asked
Good Morning
Under the FOI act I'd like to request the following:
- How much DNCO were paid to undertake the rebranding of the London Overground services.
- Why the money used on this project could not have been used to help reduce fares back to the £1.50 bus fare and reduction in tube and rail fares to help increase patronage and bring more passengers back
I look forward to response to the query in due course, many thanks in advance
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-4198-2324
Thank you for your request received on 19 February 2024 asking for information about the renaming of London Overground lines.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.
When naming the London Overground lines, the aim was to develop the names in a collaborative and inclusive way, and use this as an opportunity to celebrate London, its diversity and culture, ensuring that more Londoners feel connected to the transport network they use every day. Therefore, it was integral that we engaged with communities as part of this project, as opposed to naming the lines internally.
Stakeholders, customers, historians, industry experts and communities played a key role in informing the new names through independent engagement which took place ahead of the decision on the final six names. This was key as London’s diverse history and culture has always played a significant role in shaping the city, and we wanted the names to reflect London's diverse culture and communities.
Making the network easier to navigate and more inclusive is a priority for both us and the Mayor. Naming the six routes of the London Overground aims to give customers, especially those unfamiliar with the network, more confidence to travel around London. Removing this barrier to travel could see more people choosing to travel sustainably, which would benefit the whole city.
We will be running an extensive campaign over the summer to help customers get familiar with the names. We have also enhanced our signage & wayfinding standards, so that signs include the line names and colour along with the Overground roundel.
More information about the renaming can be found on our website:
• How much DNCO were paid to undertake the rebranding of the London Overground services. • Why the money used on this project could not have been used to help reduce fares back to the £1.50 bus fare and reduction in tube and rail fares to help increase patronage and bring more passengers back
This change was needed because the evidence we have is that the current approach is confusing for customers, especially those visiting or using the network less regularly.
The project has an estimated cost of £6.3m; the budget has been provided by the GLA. The budget is for the entirety of the project and has been split over financial year 23/24 and 24/25. The majority of the budget allocated for the London Overground naming will be used to update customer information. This includes updates to all digital information, TfL Go, Journey Planner, Station digital screens, around 6,000 station wayfinding signs, in train maps and information and all Tube maps.
TfL used an external agency – DNCO - to capture the full breadth of perspectives and experiences of the communities of the London Overground. Research methods included field research, travelling on the Overground network to engage with users, with sampling to ensure a diversity of perspectives are captured, as well as interviews with London experts, staff and community groups with local expertise and creative groups.
DNCO is a creative agency that specialising in place branding and naming. Using their expertise in this area means that we could effectively engage with communities ahead of making any decisions on the line names. The total cost paid to DNCO was £115,600 which includes research which helped inform the shortlisting of the names.
The cost includes a number of different research methods, including desktop-based, stakeholder and expert interviews, customer intercepts and workshops to get the views of groups who are often underrepresented in public spaces. The range of methods enabled us to listen to many different perspectives. DNCO also carried out interviews with London Overground customers during their journeys on the London Overground network across 13 days in the summer.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
