Night Tube launch set for August, TfL confirms
The London Underground is set to launch its long-awaited Night Tube on 19 August.
The 24-hour service was meant to start last September but disagreements with unions on working conditions for Tube staff held up the process.
New London mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed the round-the-clock services will begin on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturdays from 1230am to 530am.
"The Night Tube is absolutely vital to my plans to support and grow London's night time economy - creating more jobs and opportunities for all Londoners. The constant delays under the previous mayor let Londoners down badly,” Khan said.
The service will extend to the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines in two separate phases later in the autumn when Tube drivers have completed their training.
A Tfl spokesman said there will be six trains per hour through central London on all Night Tube lines.
“This will rise to eight trains per hour on the Northern line to meet demand at busy stations between Leicester Square and Camden Town.”
About 200 part-time drivers are taking part in a 14-week training programme for the new service.
Unions agreed a pay deal earlier this year to end the workers’ strikes over the night service.
Drivers and other London Underground staff working the night shifts will receive a £500 bonus, and four years of above-inflation pay rises backdated from last April.
However, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union is still in talks with London Underground over unresolved issues on conditions for engineering workers linked to the new service.