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London Tourism: the Tube joins the nightlife

2 min reading time

Published on 01/09/16 - Updated on 03/06/22

London night tube

London's "Night Tube", offering nonstop service on weekends, now operates on the three primary lines of the London metro, that serve some of the liveliest nocturnal destinations in the British capital, may boost activity at nocturnal destinations.

Until the Night Tube there had only been two major cities worldwide with non-stop service at night: New York 24/7 and Berlin on weekends. As for London, it was a promise made by the former mayor Boris Johnson and finally implemented by his successor, the Labour Party's Sadiq Khan. He happily took over with a goal to making London Europe's nightlife capital.

While the extended hours offers added appeal to nocturnal revelers, it is also well perceived by those who work at night for whom it will be easier getting home, as London is 15 times bigger than Paris proper in terms of surface area and 3.6 times more populated. Brigid Simmons, Chief Executive of British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), remarked that "the launch of the non-stop Night Tube was excellent news for the 100,000 people working in pubs and bars at night". Nonetheless, according to Craig Allen, general manager of The Change Group, a luxury hospitality recruitment agency, "one of the risks is that those working the night shift may not necessarily be paid commensurately."

More than 100,000 Tube riders have already used the night services and Transport for London plans to increase the frequency of London's trains at night by up to 200,000 per weekend before year-end. Simon Prideaux, founder of VQ - the 24 hr restaurant whose 3rd property just opened its doors in Notting Hill, says he is "convinced about the positive impact of night time operation for revenues at restaurants." Costa, the brand by the Whitbread group and second most important chain of coffee shops after Starbucks, also opened one of its flagship boutiques 24/7 for nocturnal clientèle before doing the same throughout its London venues if the trial is conclusive. London First, an organization that promotes the London's economic dynamism, estimates that the night service could generate up to 90M€ in business for the city by 2029. According to a report about the economic windfall published by Transport For London, the "Night Tube" could help create close to 2,000 jobs.
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