Commuters have been left in stitches today over the Overground’s new Weaver Line after joking viral star Jackie Weaver had finally got the recognition she deserved.
Mrs Weaver became an unlikely overnight hit when a chaotic Handforth parish council Zoom meeting went viral three years ago.
And she has now become a internet sensation once more after Sadiq Khan announced a £6.3 million revamp of London’s rail lines which will be given individual colours and names, one of which features the surname of the local councillor.
The newly named Weaver Line caught the eye of most people on social media who were ‘disappointed’ to learn it was not named in honour of the internet star.
In response, baffled commuters have ironically poked fun at the name change, as they celebrated Mrs Weaver finally getting ‘the tube map recognition she deserves’, with the local councillor once again trending on social media.
Commuters have been left in stitches today over the Overground’s new Weaver Line and joked Jackie Weaver had finally got the recognition she deserved
Social media users were in hysterics after learning one of the new Overground lines had been named the ‘Weaver Line’
The Weaver line, which will run between Liverpool Street and Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingfordis actually named after the area of London known for its textile trade
One delighted Jackie Weaver fan posted on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Finally, Jackie Weaver gets the tube map recognition she deserves.’
Another added: ‘I LOVE that Jackie Weaver is trending. The people and I are on the same wavelength. #LondonOverground’
A third made fun of the councillor’s rant from 2021: ‘Why have they named a line after Jackie Weaver when she didn’t even have the authority?’
A fourth praised other users for baffling commuters about the name change.
They said: ‘British Twitter deliberately misleading potential tourists that the “Weaver line” is named after Jackie Weaver is peak UK. Well done, lads!’
Another person added: ‘The Weaver Line: an entire section of the transport network permanently dedicated to Dame Jackie Weaver.
‘A monument to the Stakeholders. To the Teams call. To the cuppa. Lockdown may be paused for now – but the Revolution is permanent.’
However, other people were less impressed to find out the new name was not in honour of the internet sensation. One said: ‘Disappointed that the Weaver line isn’t a tribute to Jackie Weaver.’
Another baffled commuter questioned the decision making behind Sadiq Khan’s revamp: ‘I can’t work out if when naming the new lines they knew that the Weaver line would instantly become the Jackie Weaver line on the internet, thus giving them free publicity, or if I’m crediting them with knowledge of the “common folks” that they don’t possess.’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan unveils the new Overground lines at Highbury and Islington today
The new Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty lines on the Overground
London Overground rail lines are being given individual names and colours in a major overhaul
The Mayor said today that the cash was ‘within the TfL budget already set aside’, and the change would make it ‘really easy’ to get across the 113 Overground stations.
From the Lioness to the Windrush line: What the London Overground’s six new names mean
Here is the full description from TfL about the new Overground line names:
The Lioness line: Euston to Watford Junction
‘The Lioness line, which runs through Wembley, honours the historic achievements and lasting legacy created by the England women’s football team that continues to inspire and empower the next generation of women and girls in sport. It will be yellow parallel lines on the map.’
The Mildmay line: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction
‘The Mildmay line, which runs through Dalston, honours the small charitable hospital in Shoreditch that has cared for Londoners over many years, notably its pivotal role in the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s, which made it the valued and respected place it is for the LGBTQ+ community today. It will be blue parallel lines on the map.’
The Windrush line: Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon
‘The Windrush line runs through areas with strong ties to Caribbean communities today, such as Dalston Junction, Peckham Rye and West Croydon and honours the Windrush generation who continue to shape and enrich London’s cultural and social identity today. It will be red parallel lines on the map.’
The Weaver line: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford
‘The Weaver line runs through Liverpool Street, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green and Hackney – areas of London known for their textile trade, shaped over the centuries by diverse migrant communities and individuals. It will be maroon parallel lines on the map.’
The Suffragette line: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside
‘The Suffragette line celebrates how the working-class movement in the East End, fought for votes for woman and paved the way for women’s rights. The line runs to Barking, home of the longest surviving Suffragette Annie Huggett, who died at 103. It will be green parallel lines on the map.’
The Liberty line: Romford to Upminster
‘The Liberty line celebrates the freedom that is a defining feature of London and references the historical independence of the people of Havering, through which it runs. It will be grey parallel lines on the map.’
He also said there had been much consultation and ‘not everybody is going to be happy, but we think we’ve managed to please most people which is really important.’
Mr Khan, who is standing for re-election on May 2, caused fury with his Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) expansion last August – and is now battling for votes with his recent decisions to freeze Tube fares and make Fridays off-peak from next month.
But the Conservatives said naming rights given to companies would have earned TfL tens of millions of pounds which could have been invested in the beleaguered Central line – and this was just ‘a new lick of paint over a creaking transport system’.
The names and colours for London Overground lines will be:
- The Lioness line between Euston and Watford Junction (yellow): This honours the England women’s football team winning Euro 2022 at Wembley, which is on the line.
- The Mildmay line between Stratford and Richmond/Clapham Junction (blue): The Mildmay Mission Hospital in Shoreditch specialises in treating patients with HIV-related illnesses.
- The Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon (red): The name honours the Windrush generation, who came to the UK from the Caribbean to fill labour shortages after the Second World War. The line runs through areas with communities linked to the Caribbean.
- The Weaver line between Liverpool Street and Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford (maroon): The line runs through areas known for the textile trade.
- The Suffragette line between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside (green): This is in tribute to the movement that fought for votes for women. Barking was home to suffragette Annie Huggett, who lived to 103.
- The Liberty line between Romford and Upminster (grey) This celebrates how Havering, which the line runs through, historically had more self-governance through being a royal liberty.
Overground lines have all been orange since the network was created in 2007 when TfL took control of services on four suburban rail lines.
The network has expanded significantly since 2007, creating what has been called a ‘mass of orange spaghetti’ on maps, making it difficult for some passengers to work out what train they need. TfL claims the overhaul will now ‘make it easier to navigate.’
The decision to rename the Overground lines received a muted response from those using it this morning, with many asking if the money could have been better used on other things.
Speaking from Highbury and Islington station in North London this morning, Mr Khan told: ‘The money for rebranding these six lines is within the TfL budget already set aside.
‘We speak to customers every day who find it a nightmare getting across these 113 stations across these six separate lines. They are all called London Overground, all have the orange colour.
‘You’ll recognise from this great city of ours, we’ve got 12 Tube lines with distinct names, distinct colours, we’ve got the Elizabeth line.
‘But these six particular lines are quite confusing – how do you get from Liverpool Street to White Hart Lane. How do you get from Croydon to Enfield? It’s the same colour line, 113 stations, and it’s a nightmare.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (third left) joins other representatives during a visit to Highbury and Islington station in North London to announce the new Overground line names
The Liberty line between Romford and Upminster (grey): This celebrates how Havering, which the line runs through, historically had more self-governance through being a royal liberty
The Suffragette line between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside (green): This is in tribute to the movement that fought for votes for women. Barking was home to suffragette Annie Huggett, who lived to 103
The Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon (red): The name honours the Windrush generation, who came to the UK from the Caribbean to fill labour shortages after the Second World War. The line runs through areas with communities linked to the Caribbean
The Mildmay line between Stratford and Richmond/Clapham Junction (blue): The Mildmay Mission Hospital in Shoreditch specialises in treating patients with HIV-related illnesses
The Lioness line between Euston and Watford Junction (yellow): This honours the England women’s football team winning Euro 2022 at Wembley, which is on the line
‘So what we’ve done is, we’ve engaged with customers, with local communities, with industry experts, with historians, and announced today six brilliant new names for these six distinct lines that will make it much easier for commuters to get across our great city.’
He added that TfL was ‘helping those who are visually impaired to get themselves around our city’ and described wayfinding as a ‘big challenge’.
Mr Khan continued: ‘The challenge is how you get around our fantastic stations and public transport network. We also know we are a city that has the largest number of tourists in the world. How do tourists get around our great city?
‘So it’s been a long process, we’ve been engaging with customers, communities, people across our city. We’ve announced the six names today. Not everybody is going to be happy, but we think we’ve managed to please most people which is really important.’
