London Underground announce 24 hour tubes, making gig travel easier

Transport for London has confirmed that 24-hour weekend tube trains will run in London from 2015.

As the Guardian reports, six trains an hour will run through the night from 12 September. They will be focused across the five lines - Jubilee, Victoria, Piccadilly, Central and Northern. Which should mean in turn that it's easier to get back from: The O2 Arena, Brixton Academy, Scala, Shepherd's Bush Empire and The Forum.

Mike Brown, the managing director of London Underground, said: “Already over half a million Londoners use the Tube after 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and the introduction of the night tube, which will cut journey times and open up new possibilities across the nighttime economy, is a historic step in our modernisation of London Underground.”  

As well as getting gig-goers home considerably quicker than a nightbus, Transport for London have said the move would support almost 2000 more jobs and provide a £360m boost to the economy. Clubbers, night owls and those who are waiting for Axl Rose/Lauryn Hill/Rihanna to come on stage will no doubt be grateful.

The launch of 24-hour weekend tubes coincides with the start of the Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted by England from 18 September. An estimated 400,000 overseas visitors are expected... all of whom will no doubt stand on the left of the escalators on the tube.