The night tube: A year of chaos and convenience
On the first birthday of the 24-hour Tube, a retrospective look at the good, the bad and the ugly
A year ago this weekend, the London Undeground ran its first regular 24-hour service. The long-awaited night tube attracted 100,000 passengers to the Victoria and Central lines on Friday 19 August 2016.
In the 12 months since, it has become a showcase for the good, the strange and - sometimes - the hilarious side of London's nightlife. Here are some of the highlights.
Initial scepticism
The idea for the night tube was originally floated by former London mayor Boris Johnson in 2013, and even when it got the final go-ahead in early 2016 it met with some scepticism.
Others noticed that anti-social Londoners had lost a valuable weapon from their arsenal:
And following a lengthy dispute between transport unions and management about driver salaries and hours, BBC Three identified the real heroes of the nocturnal transport network:
Launch day
By the time the first night tube trains were rolled out, however, excitement was widespread.
Even London Mayor Sadiq Khan got in on the action, and was photographed exploring the network with punters.
One year on
Since the grand opening, night tube has seen its fair share of incidents, jokes and mishaps.
There were people imitating Cirque du Soleil (as best they could):
For some, the festivities continued until the next morning.
But there are still rules to follow:
Amateur photographer Paul Coomber stumbled across a scene that summed up the night tube experience:
But all in all, it can't be said that the night tube hasn't been a success. City AM reports this morning that the service has boosted the capital's economy by £171m in the past year, and has supported 3,600 jobs.
