The Overground launched in 2007 after London’s first Mayor, Ken Livingstone, persuaded ministers to hand control of the failing Silverlink Metro service to Transport for London.
Over the course of the following decade the service has expanded to include additional lines – the East London line (2010), South London line (2012) and West Anglia lines (2015) – and benefited from hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in new trains, extended platforms to support the introduction of 5-car trains, and dedicated platform and on-board staff.
Passengers on former West Anglia services will benefit from new trains next year, when a modern, air-conditioned fleet starts to replace the 30 year old trains currently operating on the routes.
This investment, which started under Mr Livingstone and was continued by his successor Boris Johnson, has helped the London Overground become one of the UK’s most successful rail services, with independently measured passenger satisfaction scores routinely above 80%.
Since launch, more than a billion passenger journeys have been made on the network which now serves 23 of the Capital’s boroughs as well as southern Hertfordshire.
As well as its past successes, the service is key to the successful redevelopment of the Barking Riverside area where a further extension will support the delivery of more than 10,000 new homes.
All three of London’s Mayors have repeatedly cited the Overground’s success in their efforts to persuade Government ministers to devolve more rail services in the capital to TfL.
Jonathan Fox, TfL’s Director of London Rail, said: “Since forming London Overground in 2007, we have focused on improving the frequency and reliability of services for customers.
“We have now seen over a billion journeys on the network and record levels of customer satisfaction, making it one of the most popular railways in the country.
“Further improvements will include an extension to Barking Riverside and a new fleet of trains, providing improved capacity and reliability.
“We would love to bring the benefits of London Overground to more Londoners by taking on responsibility for other rail lines in London in future.”
Since its inception, the Overground has been operated for TfL by Arriva Rail London, first in partnership with MTR and more recently as a standalone contractor.
Managing Director Will Rogers said: “Since 2007 our teams in stations and on trains have worked tirelessly to transform the service for our customers and communities.
“They have played a fundamental role in making the London Overground one of the most popular and reliable railways in the UK.
“As we celebrate 10 successful years, we look forward to delivering further improvements and working closer with the communities we serve.”
