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Feature: First ever all-night tube trains turn London into a city never sleeps

Xinhua, August 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

London will join New York as a city that never sleeps Friday when the capital's famous underground introduces its first ever Night Tube services.

Tube trains will operate through the night on the busy Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday nights, with trains stopping at 51 stations. There will also be a range of new all-night bus services introduced to link with underground stations.

To meet expected demand there will be six trains per hour through central London on all Night Tube lines between 00:30 and 05:30.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "The launch of the Night Tube will provide wonderful benefits to London. It will support thousands of workers who have to travel to or from work at night, it will provide huge economic benefits to our vital night-time economy and it will help Londoners get home quickly and safely after a night out."

"The safety and security of Londoners is vital, and it's why we've invested in new police officers on the Tube and it's why we're bringing in brand new 24-hour bus services," said the mayor.

"It's another key step in helping everyone travel quickly and safely at night, and another boost to unlocking the full potential of our night time economy," added the mayor.

Mayor Khan said 100 British Transport Police (BTP) officers will be patrolling stations and trains on Night Tube services as part of a package for extra security on all-night trains.

"Passengers on the Night Tube must be able to travel with the same confidence they are used to during the day," said Mayor Khan.

It is expected weekend Night Tube services will gradually be introduced onto other underground lines across London.

Transport for London (TfL) says London's night-time economy will open up to a host of new opportunities, with the Night Tube supporting around 2,000 permanent jobs and boosting the capital's economy by more than 100 million U.S. dollars a year.

Night Tube services will operate on the Victoria line with trains running on average every 10 minutes across the entire line. Central line will operate every 10 or 20 minutes depending on terminal points.

Figures from TfL show that more than 50 percent of people using existing Night Buses are going to or returning from work. It is expected many of them will switch to the Night Tube.

To mark the launch of thru' the night tube services City Hall has released a short film created by Hussain Manawer, a young rising star from Ilford, London.

In the film Hussain takes inspiration from the Mayor's #LondonisOpen campaign. He performs an original poem he has written about the launch of the Night Tube and its potential to change the lives of Londoners.

The film shows Hussain as he moves through a Tube station at night interacting with Londoners of all backgrounds. His words highlight that the all-night services are not just for party-goers, but for London to keep operating at every level for every person. Endit