Night Tube will support thousands of workers, says Sadiq Khan ahead of tonight’s launch
The mayor of London has formally hailed the start of Night Tube, saying it will support thousands of workers and help get Londoners around more quickly, safely and affordably.
Sadiq Khan applauded the commencement of the 24 hour weekend services, which launch on the Central and Victoria lines tonight.
“The launch of the Night Tube this evening will provide wonderful benefits to London. It will support thousands of workers who have to travel to or from work at night, it will provide huge economic benefits to our vital night-time economy and it will help Londoners get home quickly and safely after a night out,” Khan said.
Read more: Pity the City's introverts now the Night Tube is here
Nearly 2,000 permanent jobs could be supported by the Night Tube, while estimates suggest the economy will be boosted by £77m a year.
London’s transport commissioner, Mike Brown, said: “Its introduction is a historic step in the modernisation of the Underground and our continuing work to make life easier for Londoners and to support London’s economic growth.”
Earlier this week retail groups welcomed the long-awaited introduction of the Night Tube, suggesting it would be a boost for workers and visitors to the capital alike.
Read more: Here are four ways London will benefit from the Night Tube
In fact, it appears almost everyone is a fan of the Night Tube, including the RMT – although one group rather less excited is, as we reported earlier this week, the City's introverts.
The initial Night Tube service map (Source: TfL)
Once the service launches tonight, Central Line trains are expected to run every 10 minutes between White City and Leytonstone, and approximately every 20 minutes between Ealing Broadway and White City, and Leytonstone and Loughton/Hainault. The Victoria Line will run every 10 minutes.