London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greater London as well as Hertfordshire, with 113 stations on the six lines that make up the network.
The Overground forms part of the United Kingdom's National Rail network but it is under the concession control and branding of Transport for London (TfL). Operation has been contracted to Arriva Rail London since 2016. TfL previously assigned orange as a mode-specific colour for the Overground in branding and publicity including the roundel, on the Tube map, trains and stations.
London Overground in the context of Transport in London
London has an extensive and developed transport network which includes both public and private services. Journeys made on its integrated transport network account for 37% of London's journeys while private services accounted for 36% of journeys, walking 24% and cycling 2%, according to numbers from 2017. London's public transport network serves as the central hub for the United Kingdom in rail, air and road transport.
London Overground in the context of Réseau Express Régional
The Réseau Express Régional (French pronunciation:[ʁezoɛkspʁɛsʁeʒjɔnal]; English: Regional Express Network), commonly abbreviated RER (pronounced[ɛʁəɛʁ]), is a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving the city centre of Paris and its suburbs. It acts as a combined city centre underground rail system and suburbs-to-city-centre commuter rail, similar to the S-Bahn in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, S-train in Copenhagen, the Pendeltåg in Sweden, the Overground and Elizabeth Line in London, S Lines in Milan, plus many other commuter rail networks around the world.
Conceived of as a métropolitain express ('express metro') during the mid-1930s, the scheme was revived in the 1950s and construction began in the early 1960s. The RER was not fully conceptualised until the completion of the Schéma directeur d'aménagement et d'urbanisme (rough translation: 'master plan for urban development') in 1965. The RER network, which initially comprised two lines, was formally inaugurated on 8 December 1977 in a ceremony that was attended by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. A second phase of construction commenced at the end of the 1970s which saw additional lines constructed along with extensions to the original two. The RER is operated partly by RATP, the authority that operates most of the public transport in Paris, and partly by the SNCF, France's national rail operator.
TfL is the successor organisation of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and several other bodies in the intervening years. Since the current organisation's creation in 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority (GLA), TfL has been responsible for operating multiple urban rail networks, including the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway, as well as London's buses, taxis, principal road routes, cycling provision, trams, and river services. It does not control all National Rail services in London, although it is responsible for London Overground and Elizabeth line services. The underlying services are provided by a mixture of wholly owned subsidiary companies (principally London Underground), by private-sector franchisees (the remaining rail services, trams and most buses) and by licencees (some buses, taxis and river services). Fares are controlled by TfL, rail services fares calculated using numbered zones across the capital.
London Overground in the context of Clapham Junction railway station
Clapham Junction (/ˈklæpəmˈdʒʌŋkʃən/) is a major railway station near St John's Hill in south-west Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It lies 2 miles 57 chains (2.71 mi; 4.37 km) from London Victoria and 3 miles 74 chains (3.93 mi; 6.32 km) from London Waterloo. Despite its name, Clapham Junction is not in Clapham, a district 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south-east.
London Overground in the context of North London line
The North London line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of London, England between Richmond in the south-west and Stratford in the east, avoiding central London. Its route is a rough semicircle.