please empty your brain below
Not sure I see any of these readily slipping into common parlance. Weaver line is quite nice. Mildmay, for a line that doesn’t go there, had a wide geographical spread and had a perfectly good name under BR is bizarre and openly invites accusations of tokenism. Lionesses is tokenistic and embarrassing. But of a wasted opportunity and a waste of money. (David B)
Mildmay - without reading the blurb, my first thought was the area between Canonbury and Dalston. Lioness - how many members of the team can you name off the top of your head, probably the most contrived. (Still Anon)
I think Mildmay is geographically located due to the original Mildmay mission at St. Jude and St. Paul's church in Mildmay Park, Islington. There's also the former Mildmay Park station that was between Canonbury and Dalston Kingsland on the North London Line, which is now the Mildmay line. (TW)
The only name I truly like is Liberty, but for what it’s worth, I like all the names more than ‘Elizabeth Line’. (Jacques)
While the Mildmay line is named after a hospital, I think the naming of the hospital is sufficiently tied to an area that the line passes through that I'm happy with the geographical claim implicit in the name, albeit at one remove. (Chris)
Most of the selected names are fine, although Lioness is the most jarringly clunky. Remain of the opinion that numbers would have been simpler on the map, and easier for visitors to understand. (Frank F)
I'm very happy that we feel able to talk about the Sufferage movement, Windrush and equality of sporting championships. They're all important parts of British heritage that need celebrating. But I'm really not convinced that the way to do it is via rail line names. (Kirk)
I'm not annoyed by Mildmay because I have always associated it with the area around Canonbury. I should think the residents of Mildmay Road will be very pleased to be 'on the map'. (Nick W)
I'm not sure 'Goblin' will hang on - firstly it's being called the Suffy G already, which is likely to become a 'ting' - and Crossrail hasn't hung on despite being a better name and description. 'Mildmay' is an area, rather than a hospital, to me as well (as a North Londoner who often travels through the area). (Steve)
Some of the choices are a bit weird. I personally would've gone with numbers like metro systems in other countries. But I'm sure people will get used to them and this debate will have been forgotten about in the near future. (Charlie)
“Mildmay Line” is actually quite difficult to say, which is annoying. (Philip)
Considering London's resistance to European-style line numbering, these names do the job well enough... more meaningful than Metropolitan, District or the absurdity of the Northern line anyway. (Anonymous)
I think what I find jarring is that two (perhaps three) of the names have connections with already-named parts of London, but the others are a bit abstract. It feels like it ought to be all or nothing. (martin)
Liberty is a good and fitting and appropriate name, and a clever nod to the specific social and political outlook of Essex Haveringites, too. Lioness is silly and ephemeral, even more irrelevant than the previous harlequin branding of that line. Suffragette does not work as a line name ans has no real connection with the area, it will be the suffering line before too long, and also, why celebrate terrorists rather than the peaceful and arguably more successful suffragists? "Part and parcel", you say....? (Think the -ette form was a pejorative anyway). The intense irony of the Windrush line sailing through and over Brixton (and also East Brixton) without stopping. That one and the others are ok and seem to work. But bah to these sort of consultations (Dominic H)
There is an emphasis on East London, not entirely explained by the greater prevalance of the Overground in that area. The only Overground line to penetrate west and south west London is called "Mildmay", of little relevance to us for whom the line's usefulness ends somewhere near West Hampstead. (Timbo)
Lioness definitely seems a bit too ephemeral, and you make a good point about the Windrush line vs South Asian immigration - Wembley, Harrow and Watford have significant proportions of residents from that background so something to reflect that could have been a better choice. Overall I'm fine with the choices, I hope they don't become some stupid political football every time a mayor from a different party is elected (Hemed)
The Mildmay line is the only name that could cause any confusion about its pronunciation. Is it pronounced as in "A pint of mild may be good for you", or as in "A coin inaccurately milled may be valuable"? (Stuart R)
I would have preferred them just being named for their colour, eg the red one, the maroon one etc as that's what I'd probably say if trying to direct tourists! (Cornish Cockney)
Not sure everyone in the LGBT+ community will welcome being “commemorated” by an Aids hospice. The DC Line would be better off as the Wembley Line, thus also marking the 1966 final, plus the 1948 Olympics (just as ‘ancient’ as Windrush). Referencing the South Asian communities by recalling the 1924 British Empire exhibition might be going a little too far though! Upminster/Romford should be branded as shuttle part of the District Line or Crossrail. It doesn’t matter what colour the trains used are. (Kim)
Dire. Suffragette and Lioness abysmal, embarrassing, unspeakable. (Strabismus)
I was pretty underwhelmed when they finally announced the names. I guess anything more interesting would also be more controversial. To me Lioness is clearly the worst as it feels like a passing fad. A bit disappointed in Sufragette given they get all the glory when its debatable whether the Suffragists achieved more. I'd liked the Mildmay name until I discovered here that the hospital isn't in the area of Isington of the same name. (Anders)
I ride the Bakerloo, so do I ride the Lioness? I might say I’m ’on the Piccadilly’, so am I on the suffragette? (Edward)
Did this really need TfL to spend just over £115 thousand to come up with these names. Given the ubiquitous Windrush, and in hindsight the obvious addition of Lioness, then how did it take a branding agency five months to come up with the other four. I would have sat down with a couple of social history of London books and had a shortlist of 10 drawn up within a week. (Ken)
Of course,the ship that brought the emigrants from the West Indies was the "Empire Windrush", so anyone who considers Windrush Line excessively woke could use the other half of the ship name. (Crispy)
Suffragette Line might have its virtues, but I think that the wisdom of linking the word SUFFER with a railway line is asking for trouble. (Petras409)
Would still have preferred the Overground to be named after its colour! 'Poor service on the Overground green and Overground red lines'. Much simpler for knowing if that was the line you wanted - everyone know what colours mean! (Cornish Cockney)
Still despair about the Overground renaming nonsense. North London Line, East London Line, South London Line, West London Line, Watford DC Line, GOBLIN & Lee Valley Line were all in common use going back decades. What happens if they finally Open the Dudding Hill Line to electrified passenger services on the Overground? (Andrew Jarman)
I fully understand the need for separate line names, but I'm going to take a while to remember which is which. I've had a lifetime to learn all the existing lines, with new names introduced one at a time. As it's my closest I've already got the hang of the Lioness (which sadly I think will date fairly quickly) but the rest may take several years. (Andrew S)
When the new names were announced I remember thinking the Lioness was my least favorite. But now it's the only one I can remember and know what its replacing. Maybe not so bad then. (Simple Simon)
Yes, Lioness the most ephemeral, though arguably the least marginal, as clearly a sop to the 50%+ of the population who are female. Empire Line comes to mind as the British Empire Exhibition (1924/3) was the raison d’etre for Wembley Stadium and Pool (Arena). Probably not. How about the Elton (John) Line? Watford F.C. (Michael Jones)
It’s not like the Crossrail/Elizabeth line issue. The Overground brand will still be there for everyone to see and know.
They are likely to be joined by more over the next five years or so. Trigger warning: more whingeing to come.
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