As of this month, London Overground takes over North London Line services from Silverlink, and travellers will be able to use pay-as-you-go Oyster cards on the line for the first time.
It marks the culmination of a four-year campaign by our Mayor, Jules Pipe, to secure better public transport for the borough.
Fares will be cheaper with an Oyster card, stations will be fully staffed while trains are running, and faredodging will be reduced by new ticket barriers.
Stations will get a welcome deep clean next Spring and new trains delivered towards the end of 2008.
The carriages will have room for more passengers, air-conditioning, CCTV, plus improved accessibility with dedicated wheelchair bays.
New stations will be opened at Dalston Junction, Haggerston, Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street by 2010 as part of the East London Line project, followed by a link to Highbury & Islington in 2011.
The improvements will see eight trains an hour on the North London Line and 12 trains an
hour on the East London Line by 2011.
Jules Pipe said: “Hackney has been held back for too long by being the only inner London borough without a proper Tube link. Major improvements to the North London Line and the new stations on the East London Line show our campaign to get Hackney properly on every Tube map has been on the right track.”
