Transport for London announces return of Jubilee line Night Tube in May 2022

Credit: Transport for London

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that Night Tube services will return to the London Underground’s (Tube) Jubilee line in May 2022, with the Northern and Piccadilly lines resuming later in Summer 2022, after all Night Tube services had been suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Services on the Jubilee line will run throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays, beginning from 21 May 2022, joining the Central and Victoria lines, which resumed Night Tube services in November 2021. The return of the Jubilee line Night Tube service also provides an important interchange with Night Overground, which operates between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate.

Restoring night services on these lines is helping businesses like bars, clubs and restaurants as London’s night-time economy returns to normal following the pandemic. It will also provide further safe and quick travel options for all Londoners and visitors looking to make the most of all the capital has to offer in the evenings, and those who need to travel to or from work at night.

Before the pandemic, London had 1.6 million people regularly working at night – a third of the city’s workforce. Therefore, the Night Tube will provide people who work in the capital at night to get to and from work in a safe, affordable and quick way.

Nick Dent, London Underground’s Director of Customer Operations, said: “The return of Night Tube on the Jubilee line, along with the Piccadilly and Northern lines later in [Summer 2022], will be a boost to the night-time economy and help our customers travel around London overnight at weekends. London is a global destination, and we are proud to be doing our part to help people to safely and enjoyably benefit from the best of its world-leading night-time economy.”

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The full introduction of Night Tube services has not been possible so far as training still needs to take place to address resourcing issues on the Northern and Piccadilly lines. The return of these lines also has to be planned around complex vital operational and engineering closures. Thus, TfL will re-introduce full Night Tube services over the coming months.

As London has begun to emerge from the pandemic, off-peak leisure travel has been recovering more quickly than other types of journeys, highlighting the growing demand for services that run later into the night during the weekend.

There are now regularly more than two thirds of journeys compared to before the pandemic on the Tube network on weekdays, which has reached as high as 80 per cent on weekends, while ridership on buses is regularly at 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

TfL also operates an extensive night bus network, along with the Night Overground, to ensure that everyone can travel around the capital whatever the hour. More than 100 routes currently run through the night, while licensed and regulated taxis and private hire vehicles provide door-to-door transport at all times of the day.