In the loop
How one railway line helped change the way Londoners commute
WHEN Transport for London (TfL), the authority behind the city’s roads and Tube network, took over what is now known as the London Overground in 2007 it was in a sorry state. The route, which incorporated several rail lines, was overcrowded, with neglected stations and rickety trains. How the line was transformed illustrates some of the ways that infrastructure projects can alter a city.
Since it opened in 2010—with extensions in 2011 and 2012—the London Overground changed two things. First, the way that commuters get around the capital has shifted. In 2008, 33m passengers zipped up and down the service. Last year 120m did. Fully 64% of those who use the network are getting to and from work. This initially lightened heavily congested trains on the Southern service (another line running along the route) with 46% of new passengers swapping from other train services.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “In the loop”
From the October 5th 2013 edition
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