Thursday, 5 December 2024

Train lines

 



What do you see in the picture? Where is this taken? What does it mean?

This photo is taken on a platform at a London overground train station.

Last month, London train maps had 6 new names added. Train lines have been renamed or rebranded.

The new names are:
Suffragette Line
Liberty line
Lioness line
Mildmay line,
Weaver line
Windrush line

When a train line is changed, it takes a lot of work. Think about where passengers see those names as they travel on the trains; what things need to be changed (timetables, maps, signs on platforms and in carriages, announcements at stations.)

The aim, when London Transport looked for new names, was to honour histories and communities and choose names to showcase London's rich history, heritage and diversity."

What do you think that means?
How might they do that?
Do you know where each of the names come from?

Suffragettes line celebrates how people fought for votes for women and paved the way for women's rights. The line runs to Barking, which was where the longest surviving suffragette lived. Annie Huggett died there aged 103.

Windrush line- runs through areas of London with strong Caribbean communities and honours the contributions that people who arrived in England on the Empire Windrush ship that arrived in England from the Caribbean in 1948. People on the ship had been invited to Britain to help rebuild the country after World War 2.

Mildmay line honours a small hospital in London that for years has cared for people for many years, particularly LGBT people.

Weaver line honours diverse migrant workers in Bethnal Green and Hackney who built up London's textile trade.

Lioness line honours the achievements of the England's women's football team who continue to empower the next generation of women and girls in sport.

Liberty Line celebrates "the freedom that is a defining feature of London"

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said; "The new names and colours have been chosen through engagement with passengers, historians and local communities, reflecting the heritage and diversity of our amazing city."

- Why do you think London transport decided to do this?
- Why choose names of events and people that happened a long time ago, why not look forward instead?
- What do you think "The freedom that is a defining feature of London" means?
- Is freedom a defining feature of our town, our school? How do you know?
- Why didn't they choose more names like liberty; why not choose names like "Equality" or "Democracy" or "Welcome line"? Why choose real people/ real events?
- What does this show about the UK today?
- What can we learn from London transport?
- Why is this about No Outsiders?
- Which British value is this about?





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