Petition urging London to reopen Night Tube crosses 80,000 signatures

A new petition is urging London TFL and Sadiq Khan to re-open the Night Tube following concerns over women’s safety.

The petition, which was launched by Ella Watson, says that in the UK and London, women are “unsafe on the streets, especially at night”.

So far, more than 80,000 people have signed up, pushing for London’s regular Night Tube to be reinstated. With a number of recent violent incidents in and around the capital, there have been calls for greater safety and vigilance, especially when commuting at night.

Following the death of Sarah Everard, there has been an outcry from women who are fearing for their safety. The last trains currently depart central London around 1am, but don’t restart until 5.30am, leaving people who come home late without a safe mode of public transport.

In response to the petition, London mayor Sadiq Khan has hinted that there will be a possible reopening of some lines within the next few weeks. The Night Tube was closed during the pandemic, and with a large reduction in passenger numbers, has yet to be re-opened to the public.

As TFL grapples with a significant budget shortfall and lost revenue due to the lockdown in the capital, passenger numbers have yet to recover to their pre-pandemic peak – adding to the network’s financial woes. Many Londoners have also switched to remote working, creating less demand for travel in and around the capital, which was a big revenue source for the TFL network.

A spokeswoman for the mayor said that he was “committed to improving women’s safety and re-opening the service”, but did not confirm an opening date yet.