Watford's London Overground rebrand in place from tomorrow

Transport for London (TfL) will update 6,000 station direction signs as well as maps, digital screens and online journey planners as all the London Overground railway lines are given their own identity.

The line from Euston to Watford Junction, which also passes through Wembley, Carpenders Park, Bushey, and Watford High Street, will be known as the Lioness Line to honour the England women’s football team winning Euro 2022 at Wembley.

It will be represented by a yellow colour.

(Image: PA/TfL) TfL said “stakeholders, customers, staff, historians, industry experts and communities” played a “key role” in deciding the names, which were chosen to honour and celebrate different aspects of London’s history and culture.

The change is estimated to cost £6.3 million, which will be paid for out of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s Greater London Authority budget.

TfL said financial constraints mean it will not initially update maps and audio announcements on its other services, such as the London Underground.

London Overground train. (Image: Alamy/PA) The overhaul is one of the biggest changes in the history of the capital’s Tube map.

London Overground lines have all been coloured orange on TfL maps since the network was created in 2007, when the transport authority took control of services on four suburban rail lines.

The system has since expanded to 113 stations, creating what has been described as a “mass of orange spaghetti” on maps, making it difficult for some passengers to work out what train they need.

Diagram showing the new names and colours for London Overground lines (Image: PA/TfL)

From tomorrow, the other line names will be:

– The Mildmay line between Stratford and Richmond/Clapham Junction (blue).

(The Mildmay Mission Hospital in Shoreditch specialises in treating patients with HIV-related illnesses.)

– The Windrush line between Highbury and Islington and each of Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon (red).

(The name honours the Windrush generation, who came to the UK from the Caribbean to fill labour shortages after the Second World War. The line runs through areas with communities linked to the Caribbean.)

– The Weaver line between Liverpool Street and Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford (maroon).

(The line runs through areas known for the textile trade.)

– The Suffragette line between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside (green).

(This is in tribute to the movement that fought for votes for women. Barking was home to suffragette Annie Huggett, who lived to 103.)

– The Liberty line between Romford and Upminster (grey).

(This celebrates how Havering, which the line runs through, historically had more self-governance through being a royal liberty.)