The London Overground is set to get a major update as the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the service will receive individual line names and colours to make the network easier to navigate.

Rail lines on the services will now be called: Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty.

The Mayor said that each name was chosen to honour and celebrate “different parts of London’s unique local history and culture”.

The change to the London Overground will require one of the biggest changes in the history of the capital’s Tube map.

Hackney Gazette: The change is set to make the Overground easier to understand. The change is set to make the Overground easier to understand. (Image: Getty)

London Overground faces huge change

Since they were created in 2007, all Overground lines have all been coloured orange on the map when Transport for London (TfL) took control of services on four suburban rail lines.

The TfL network has expanded significantly since then, 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.

But now, similar to the London Underground, each Overground route will be represented on Tube maps as parallel lines in different colours.

Discussing the change,  Mr Khan said: “This is a hugely exciting moment, transforming how we think about London’s transport network.

“Giving each of the Overground lines distinct colours and identities will make it simpler and easier for passengers to get around.

“In reimagining London’s tube map, we are also honouring and celebrating different parts of London’s unique local history and culture.

“The new names and colours have been chosen through engagement with passengers, historians and local communities, reflecting the heritage and diversity of our amazing city.”

The change to the Overground will cost an estimated £6.3 million, which will be paid for out of Mr Khan’s Greater London Authority budget.

The majority of this will go towards updating customer information such as redesigning and redisplaying maps across all Tube and London Overground stations and issuing new versions in print and online.

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Public address announcements will be re-recorded and around 6,000 station direction signs will be updated.

Andy Lord, London’s transport commissioner, said: "These new names and line colours will simplify the maps and routes for our customers, and it is hoped it will encourage more people to make the most of our services.

“It is also a great way to tell the stories of some important parts of London’s cultural diversity.”

The most recent major naming of a rail line in London was the Elizabeth line after Queen Elizabeth II, which opened in May 2022.