When I first moved to London at 18 years of age, from the small Cornish village where I grew up, I remember being amazed to discover that the Tube shut down at around midnight. I just assumed that everything in London was available 24 hours a day, and can still remember thinking how disappointing it was to spend hours on a night bus home every time my friends and I went out in central London.
Fast forward quite a few years, and the Night Tube is now a reality, at least at weekends. Six trains per hour were run on the Victoria and Central lines between 12.30am and 5.30am on Saturday and Sunday. Transport for London (TfL) estimates that around 100,000 people used the service on its inaugural weekend, and it expects 200,000 journeys per weekend once the service is rolled out on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines by the end of the year.
TfL managing director Mark Wild said: “We planned meticulously and it went exactly as we hoped. It was a great success. Indeed there was a mood of celebration and it showed how important the Night Tube will be in opening up the economy.”
The 24-hour Underground will certainly make life easier for Londoners and visitors on a night out – although those who frequently play the “last Tube home” card at dull parties will now have to find another excuse. But it is the impact on businesses that is really significant.
According to a report from EY and London First, the Night Tube could generate 2,200 new jobs in the city, with 500 new staff employed to operate the service. By 2029, the night tube could add £77 million to the capital’s economy every year, the report said.
And the night-time economy is big and getting bigger – it currently contributes up to £26.3 billion to the UK economy, but this number is set to rise dramatically. Caroline Artis, senior London partner at EY, said: “This new research predicts that by 2030, London’s 24-hour economy could directly support 790,000 jobs across a variety of industries and contribute nearly £30 billion to the capital each year. A 24-hour economy will also help to further increase London’s attractiveness to many overseas businesses who already regard London as the most attractive city for foreign direct investment across Europe.”
So significant is the night-time economy that former London mayor Boris Johnson has backed calls for an Amsterdam-style “night mayor” who would bring together businesses, residents, local authorities, transport and police to maximise the sector’s potential.
The introduction of the Night Tube is clearly good news for the hospitality sector. While there may be a small drop-off in last minute hotel bookings by guests who might be a little too well refreshed to get their last train back to the suburbs, this should be amply compensated for by customers staying longer and spending more in bars and restaurants.
And it is not only the customers who benefit, the army of hospitality workers who toil around the clock will hopefully find their journeys to and from their places of employment becoming easier.
London hospitality recruitment company Change Group conducted a survey which found 87 per cent of hospitality business owners feel the night tube will have a positive impact on their staff. And the staff themselves also believe it will have a positive impact, with 52 per cent saying they use night buses to return home after a late shift, but 66 per cent saying they would prefer to take the night tube over any other form of transport, to save time and money.
More than 70 per cent of hospitality staff said the night tube would result in an increase in job flexibility and making commuting easier. Around 40 per cent thought it would create more jobs, although However, 83 per cent were concerned that the night tube would lead to increased working hours.
Chef Angela Hartnett says most chefs and waiters will finish work after midnight at least twice a week, with London house prices forcing many hospitality workers to live outside zones 1-3. She said: “With a huge shortage of waiters and chefs I hope making it easier to travel home from work will help recruitment. The Night Tube will make London more accessible and affordable for the key workers who keep our city going.”
Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, said: “The night time economy in one of the best cities in the world deserves first class transport infrastructure. The BHA welcomes the introduction of the night tube in London. This is great news for the night time economy and the thousands of hospitality businesses that we represent. Safe, convenient and reliable night time public transport will help businesses, workers, domestic customers and tourist alike.”
So a positive reaction from the hospitality industry as a whole, but what about the serviced apartment sector specifically?
George Westwell, director of Cheval Residences – which operates apartments in Knightsbridge, Kensington and the City – says: “I hope the 24 hour tube will have a major impact on the serviced apartment sector. Not only will it offer an alternative form of travel for employees and guests to travel to and from their place of work or the apartment they are staying in, it will be a lower cost option and less time consuming – both of which have to be good. If Londoners truly embrace the new 24 hour tube and develops a 24 hour economy, then this will attract more visitors to London, which can only be good for the serviced apartment sector.”
The previous lack of a 24-hour Tube service – in contrast with other world cities such as New York and Tokyo – has been a hindrance to the capital’s economy. Now, at weekends at least, Londoners can work or play all night long.</p
