Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

London Night Tube delayed: Who will be affected by the wait for the 24-hour service?

The service was originally planned for September 

Kashmira Gander
Wednesday 14 October 2015 23:52 BST
Comments
The night Tube has been delayed due to union talks
The night Tube has been delayed due to union talks (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The Night Tube in London will not be rolled out until 2016, after talks between Transport for London (TfL) bosses and unions broke down.

The service, which was due to start in September, will allow passengers to travel between Central London into the outskirts of London via the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, and Victoria lines for 24-hours on Fridays and Saturdays.

However, unions and TfL have been embroiled in a bitter row over the details of the plan, with workers striking over the summer in protest over shift patterns and fair pay.

So, who and what will be affected by the delay?

Homeowners

A view of housing
A view of housing (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Better transport links make properties more desirable. So, the prospect of the night Tube was a welcome one for homeowners, who would have likely seen the value of their properties rise.

The potential impact of new transport services is reflected in a study by property adviser firm GVA, which found that Crossrail would increase residential and commercial value on the route by as much as £5.5billion between 2012 and 2021, City AM reported.

However, renters may be pleased by the delay, as it will help to keep spikes in payments at bay.

Pubs and clubs

Real ales on tap
Real ales on tap (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

As many punters will no longer be faced with a chilly wait at the bus stop and a likely long ride home, pubs, restaurants and clubs have welcomed the night service.

Baroness Jo Valentine, the chief executive of business lobby group London First, said the move will bring investment and jobs to the hospitality and entertainment sectors, the Financial Times reported.

It is hoped that this will bring London in line with other European cities, like Berlin, where the party goes on well past midnight.

Safety

More BTP officers will be patrolling when the night service kicks in
More BTP officers will be patrolling when the night service kicks in (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Along with night-long services, a further 100 British Transport Police officers will patrol the 144 stations, according to TfL, meaning that travelling after dark on the weekends should become safer.

The delay to the service will also delay more patrols by BTP Police Community Support Officers.

Cabbies

A black taxi cab makes its way over Westminster Bridge
A black taxi cab makes its way over Westminster Bridge (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Their bread and butter is driving people around at night when the prospect of a bus is too much to face, and the warmth of a taxi is the only other way to get home.

Those with travel cards will likely be even more tempted to jump on the Tube instead of calling a cab.

Additional reporting by PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in