The Night Overground is returning in December

It’s mere weeks until the Night Tube begins to return to our lives and TfL has given another piece of good news to London’s night owls looking for cheap and safe ways to get around the city. The Night Overground will also make a comeback, just in time for peak Christmas party season. 

While the Central and Victoria lines are set to reopen their night services on November 27, we’ll have to wait a little longer to ride the rails between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate after midnight. But from December 17, we’ll be able to do just that, with trains running every 15 minutes throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays.

That’s great news not just for people who don’t fancy spending ages trying to get an Uber or Bolt to pick them up. The return of the Night Overground means one more safe transport option, particularly for women, an affordable route for the city’s 1.6million night workers and easier travel to help get punters back into London’s clubs, pubs and venues. 

According to TfL, there’s strong demand for services that run later into the night at the weekend as London continues to bounce back from the closures of the pandemic. Off-peak leisure travel has been recovering more quickly than other types of journeys and ridership on the overground is currently at 71 per cent of pre-pandemic levels – a figure that gets even higher at weekends. 

In a press release, Mayor Of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘I am delighted we have managed to ensure that the Night Overground will be returning next month, linking up diverse and vibrant areas of London with all the nightlife they have to offer, just in time for the festive period. Coming only a few weeks after the return of the Victoria and Central Night Tube lines, this is another important milestone as London's vibrant night-time economy continues its recovery from the pandemic. 

‘I am determined to make the capital as safe as possible for all Londoners, especially women and girls, and the return of the Night Overground will make a huge difference to those who are travelling home late at night, offering another quick, easy and safe way for people to travel around the city.’

Night Czar Amy Lamé added: ‘Our incredible culture and hospitality businesses are gearing up for their busiest period of the year, so it really is great news that the Night Overground is on the way back. From our award-winning restaurants, bars and clubs to our magnificent grassroots live music venues, London's nightlife is unrivalled all over the world. The return of the Night Overground is a great festive boost to our nighttime economy, not only for those who want to have a great night out but for those who work in this vital sector too.’ 

TfL launches new campaign to get tough on sexual harassment

A scheme to improve nightlife safety is extending across London