London Overground to go 24 hours from 15th December
TfL have formally announced that the London Overground will run 24 hours a day on Fridays and Saturdays from mid-December.
Not all of it mind, but the stretch from New Cross Gate to Dalston. It’ll be extended to Highbury and Islington next year.
This will help those who frequent the nightlife venues along that stretch. As South-East London is particularly poorly served for late-night entertainment this’ll help you get home from east London on a weekend.
But of course, any hopes of continuing your journey from New Cross to other parts of South East London by train looks scuppered for a decade at least as Transport Secretary Chris Grayling blocked TfL taking over Southeastern metro routes from Central London to Dartford. Slow buses remain for you.
I’m sure some who never go to gigs, or clubs, or enjoy many of the things east London offers will sniff at this move, yet South-East London is so lacking in things like good small and mid-size venues that they’ll be many who will greatly appreciate London finally becoming a 21st century city.
The next big question is will Crossrail become 24-hours either at opening, or more likely, shortly after once it’s bedded in? As a brand new line it should be possible. The sticking point is whether TfL’s finances will allow it.
At one of the Crossrail Liaison Panel meetings in Abbey Wood a Crossrail man who made it clear that he was offering only a personal opinion said he would be very surprised if Crossrail was not opened with night services.
At a following meeting a different Crossrail man said there were no such plans.
Good news though right about the buses. Get from other parts of London to North Greenwich or New Cross in a jiffy then 1-2 hours on a bloody bus after. SE London is screwed over so much compared to elsewhere in London.
Why does it stop at new cross and why extend north but not south. Also seem to have dropped plans for night tube on dlr.
Because Network Rail control the track south and they aren’t keen. DLR wouldn’t be before 2021 as the extension was a 90s PFI project and changing a PFI contract is a minefield which the private companies won’t agree to with massive cost.
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If they’d extended it down to Brockley you wouldn’t be able to move for beards….
If only this was in operation when I used to spend my Friday nights at the Buffalo Bar in Highbury…
Good news, but shame this coincides with a reduction in service on the N89, and no thought seems to have been put into aligning night buses with the new service.