The blessed Night Tube has been the saviour of many a night out in the past, delivering us from inflated Uber fees (even if there was always the mild peril that you could fall asleep and end up in Morden or Cockfosters). But with services shut down from March 2020 until November 2021 – a combination of low ridership during the pandemic, and TfL’s need to conserve finances as a result of the former – we survived a long time without it. The Central and Victoria lines returned to action last November, and now it’s been announced that Night Tube returns on the Jubilee line, starting from tomorrow (Saturday, May 21).
That’s a big win, and there’s also been some news on the other two lines awaiting the resumption of Night Tube services, as TfL confirms that the Piccadilly and Northern lines will get the Night Tube back “later in the summer”. So, once we’re spilling out of the pub gardens or schlepping back from a house party in Acton this summer, we’ll have a full complement of Night Tube services to choose from, with the Night Overground service between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate also running once more.
TfL’s press release on the matter highlighted the importance of the Night Tube to London’s night-time economy, with restaurants, bars, clubs, and more benefitting from Londoners not having to rush out for the last Tube home. Additionally, Londoners who commute to work at night – such as NHS staff, hospitality staff, and others – will have at easier route to and from work on the night services.
On a more serious note, the return of Night Tube services has also been advocated as a way to keep Londoners safe at night, particularly in the wake of the horrifying murders of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard. A petition launched over the winter had called for the return of Night Tube services to increase the number of safer options for travelling home, with MP Nickie Aiken also having called upon Sadiq Khan to reinstate the service.
On May 21, Jubilee line services will once again run through the night on Fridays and Saturdays. There’s no confirmed date for the return of the Northern and Piccadilly lines, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know. In returning the Jubilee line to service at night, passengers will be able to connect easily between the other Night Tubes back in operation; to the Central line at Bond Street, to the Victoria line at Green Park, and to the Overground at Canada Water.