Sadiq Khan is Chair of Transport for London (TfL) as well as the city’s mayor (Image: Getty)
Sadiq Khan has been told to curb ‘wasteful’ spending and use money to house homeless people instead of on ‘vanity projects’ after a £6million rebrand of a railway network.
In February, the Labour Mayor of London announced that Transport for London’s (TfL) Overground lines would be re-named.
They will also be represented on the Tube map using different colours.
Officials say this will make the network easier to navigate, whilst celebrating London’s ‘diverse communities and histories’.
The Overground was represented by orange lines but, after the rebrand, will be differentiated by two parallel grey, yellow, light blue, green, maroon and red lines.
The new names will be the Liberty, Lioness, Mildmay, Suffragette, Weaver and Windrush lines. They will officially be launched this week.
:
Full list of rebranded lines
Updated map showing new coloured Overground lines (Image: PA)
Here’s a full list of the rebranded lines:
-
Lioness: Yellow parallel lines, runs from Watford Junction to Euston
-
Mildmay: Blue parallel lines, runs from Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford
-
Windrush: Red parallel lines, runs from Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace, and West Croydon
-
Weaver: Maroon parallel lines, runs from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt, Enfield Town, and Chingford
-
Suffragette: Green parallel lines, runs from Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside
-
Liberty: Grey parallel lines, runs from Romford to Westminster
The London Overground lines are getting a makeover (Image: Getty)
As well as an updated Tube map, a refreshed network map will be released, as well as a number of on-network assets, including way-finding signage at all 113 stations, .
Now, Mr Khan, who is Chair of TfL, has come under fire from opposition politicians.
Reform UK’s only London Assembly Member, Alex Wilson, told The Express: “The vast majority of Londoners are fed up of their money being wasted by the left-wing establishment in London, this is just another example of that.
“Sadiq Khan should be concentrating on the pressing issues facing our city, rather than engaging in nonsense like this.
“Reform UK will slash wasteful spending to increase funding for frontline public services and reduce taxes for working-people.”
Neil Garratt AM, the leader of the Conservative group at City Hall, said: “Spending £6.3m to rename Overground lines without any improvement to the service looks like a spectacular waste of money, compared to just £4.8m the Mayor recently announced to tackle homelessness.
“That should have been his priority, where this money could have made a real difference to Londoners who are really struggling.
“Instead, he’s wasting it on a vanity project. It’s another wrong choice from a Mayor that’s wasted eight years in office and is now desperately seeking a legacy.”
A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: “Customer research showed that renaming the lines would help passengers navigate the Overground and encourage more people to confidently use public transport. “The Mayor is proud of these new names that honour and reflect London’s diverse communities and histories.”
A Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) report said in October that 4,780 people sleeping rough were counted between July and September this year.
that this represented an 18 per cent increase on the same period last year, and was 13 per cent higher than the previous quarter.
It was the highest quarterly figure on record. Mr Khan in the city by 2030 during the mayoral election campaign in the spring.