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Overground Windrush rebrand ‘can help stop ethnic minority passengers from getting lost’

by DD Staff

December 14, 2024

Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, oversaw the Overground rebrand - Jonathan Brady/PA

key takeaways

According to a report, the rebranding of Windrush by the London Overground may help prevent ethnic minority rail customers from becoming disoriented when traveling.

The capital's mayor, Sadiq Khan, is in charge of a £6 million rebranding of the Overground network, which has given each of its six lines a new name, including one that honors the Windrush Generation, and unique colors.

The streamlined method may help ethnic minority Londoners, for whom "language can be a significant barrier to public transport use," according to a Transport for London equity evaluation of the reforms' effects.

The report said “cultural and language issues can reduce confidence” thereby limiting their “ability to travel independently”, adding: “For some black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners language can be a significant barrier to public transport use, especially among people who were not born in the UK.”

The document said signs and customer information should be “clear, accurate and concise to prevent black, Asian and minority ethnic customers getting lost”, helping them “feel comfortable with travelling to unfamiliar places on the Overground”, particularly during the transition from the old to the new design.

It added that 10 per cent of black, Asian and minority ethnic people surveyed had said they were worried about getting lost when travelling, compared with six per cent of white Londoners. Clearer signage was needed to “prevent younger customers getting lost”, the document said.

The assessment concluded that the individualised and renamed branch lines, such as the Windrush Line, would be easier to navigate and improve accessibility compared to the previous system, under which all lines were orange and named according to their destination.

It recommended that Overground lines retain some of the old branding to remain recognisable to travellers with lower levels of English literacy

The Overground changes were put forward as a manifesto promise ahead of the 2024 mayoral election, in which Mr Khan was voted in for an unprecedented third term. Susan Hall, his former Tory mayoral rival, called the changes “virtue-signalling nonsense” when the plans were announced.

Transport for London has been contacted for comment.