Politicians have slammed Transport for London (TfL)'s decision to only open two of the remaining night tube lines.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the Central and Victoria line's night tube service will kick off again on November 27, with the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Northern lines continuing to only operate in the day.
Romford MP Andrew Rosindell and Havering and Redbridge AM Keith Prince wrote to Mr Khan to say the plans are “simply not good enough”, and demanding a return to “full resumption of all lines”.
A TfL spokesperson said the Central and Victoria lines will be resumed as they are the busiest on the night tube network.
They confirmed the other three lines will return to their night service “as soon as practicable”, which is likely to be some point in 2022” due to a shortage of drivers amid the pandemic.
In the letter, Mr Rosindell and Mr Prince stressed the importance of the night tube to improve the safety of women and said its closure has left the people of Havering feeling “very cut off from central London”.
Mr Prince said: “Dither and delay won’t make London’s streets safer for women and girls.”
Mr Rosindell said: "His decision to reopen just two of five night tube lines, not including the Jubilee line, further shows his lack of interest in connecting the people of Romford to the rest of the city he is supposedly the mayor of."
A spokesperson for Mr Khan said he knows the importance of the night tube to London’s economy and the safety of “everyone travelling home at night, particularly women and girls”.
They said: “That is why he was the first mayor in London’s history to start the night tube in 2016 and has been so determined to restart it now after the Covid pause.”
A full return of the night tube is “not possible in the immediate future”, they said, due to factors such as prioritising drivers in the day when demand is highest and delays in training new recruits.
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