Night Overground returns on Friday

Night Overground services between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate return this Friday (17 December), making night time journeys faster and easier and providing another safe travel option for thousands of Londoners to get around.

Having been suspended in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Night Overground will now run every 15 minutes throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays providing an easy interchange with Night Tube services on the Victoria line at Highbury & Islington station and helping link key areas in the city's night-time economy such as Shoreditch, Hoxton and Upper Street in Islington.

Restoring this service will help the 1.6 million people who work at night in London travel around, and will provide another safe transport option for all Londoners.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 'As the Mayor who first opened the Night Overground in 2017, it's great to see the Night Overground returning this weekend, which will make a huge difference for Londoners.

'Returning just in time for the key festive period, this is another milestone in London's recovery, linking up diverse and vibrant areas of the city and offering a quick, easy and safe way to get around.'

Rory O'Neill, TfL's General Manager of London Overground, said: 'It's great to see the return of Night Overground helping to make it easier for our customers to get around.

'An extra safe, green and affordable transport option for those working late or enjoying London at night will help all those that need it.'

Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville said: 'This week I'm really pleased we will see the return of night services on the Overground in Hackney. This is really important for confidence in our town centres such as Dalston and Shoreditch and their diverse night time economies.

'From this weekend we will also be reconnected to the wider Night Tube network which will help people living, working or visiting Hackney to get around more cheaply and safely in the weeks and months ahead.

'Though there is more uncertainty in the run up to Christmas than we and local businesses may have hoped, Hackney is home to restaurants, cultural and music venues, bars and pubs who will really benefit as services restart, as will the many shift workers who commute to other parts of London.'

Customers are reminded that Night Tube services on the Central and Victoria lines are set to be disrupted by planned RMT strike action again this Friday night (17 December) and planned 24-hour strike action on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines will also impact shoppers and those enjoying the city's nightlife from 04:30 on Saturday 18 December.

Customers are advised to check before they travel and use buses to complete their journeys where required. Further information will be available ahead of, and during, the strikes at tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike as well as on the TfL Go app, TfL website and Journey Planner.

The RMT is taking this action over new rosters, which have been agreed by the other recognised union, and mean Tube drivers will be rostered to work up to four night-shift weekends every year, which they'll be able to swap with colleagues as they wish.

Talks between TfL and the RMT have been ongoing for months, and TfL remains open to further talks in the hope that strike action at a crucial time for the capital can be called off.

In addition to the returning Night Overground and Night Tube services on the Victoria and Central lines, TfL operates one of the most extensive night bus networks in the world, with more than 100 routes running to ensure everyone can travel around the capital whatever the hour.

The Tube continues to operate between approximately 05:30 and 00:30 through central London from Monday to Saturday, and TfL has started running some trains earlier on Sunday mornings to help customers travel at those times. Additionally, licensed and regulated taxis and private hire vehicles provide door to door transport at all times of the day.

The Mayor's Women's Night Safety Charter also sets out guidance for venues, operators, charities, councils and businesses to improve safety at night for women - including better training of staff, encouraging the reporting of harassment and ensuring public spaces are safe. More than 600 organisations are now signed up, with more joining all the time.

Notes to editors

• Night Overground has been suspended since March 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic
• TfL continues to work closely with the police and the night-time industry as part of our commitment to get all Londoners home safely at night. This includes working relentlessly to bring offenders to justice, being a leading promoter of the Mayor's Women's Night Safety Charter and making any incidents easier to report
• Night Tube returned on 27 November on the Central and Victoria lines. Training still needs to take place on the other Night Tube lines - the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines - so Night Tube services on those lines can return as soon as possible. The return of these lines also has to be planned around complex vital operational and engineering closures
• More than 600 organisations are signed up to the Mayor's Women's Night Safety Charter with more urged to get involved: www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/24-hour-london/womens-night-safety-charter
• More than 100 Night Bus routes operate in London
• The Night Bus network has extensive CCTV coverage and all London bus drivers are able to speak directly with the control room and contact the police
• Stand-alone Night bus services typically operate between the hours of 23:00 and 06:00, overlapping with day routes and 24-hour routes to ensure that there is a 24 hour a day service along key transport corridors
• There are currently more than 104,000 licensed private hire drivers in London and around 20,000 licensed black-taxi drivers, all of whom undergo extensive police checksPolice and TfL compliance officers are out every night to support safer travel at night. More information on TfL's Safer Travel at Night initiative can be found here: tfl.gov.uk/campaign/safer-travel