First there was “Gareth Southgate” Tube station. Then Bond Street station was renamed “Burberry Street” and Old Street became “Fold Street”.
Now Transport for London is looking to generate millions with a major gear change in how it cashes in on the Tube’s world-famous brand – by offering businesses the chance to sponsor an entire line.
TfL has begun promoting the opportunity to become the “first-ever sponsor of the Waterloo & City line”, the two-stop, three-minute shuttle service that links Waterloo and Bank stations.
It has placed an advert on its LinkedIn page offering an “exclusive” deal that “goes far beyond a typical media opportunity”.
But TfL insists that the line will not be renamed - nor even have the name of a sponsor appear as a prefix.
Instead, both of the line’s platforms and all the trains on the line could be “wrapped” in advertising “vinyls” to create an immersive experience for passengers. This could include all the seats featuring the sponsor’s logo.
TfL said: “It’s full-line branding, from moquette seat fabric and signage to maps and experiential spaces, all right in the heart of London’s business district.
“Millions of professionals and decision-makers travel this route every year. Now, your brand can own the journey.”
However the proposal has been criticised by the Liberal Democrats at City Hall.
Lib-Dem group leader Hina Bokhari said: "This decision is a disgrace. Once again, neurodivergent and disabled Londoners have been sold down the river so TfL can chase corporate cash.
“Rebranding stations may seem like a bit of harmless fun, but for neurodivergent Londoners and visitors, of whom there are many, it can cause genuine confusion and distress. We urge the mayor and TfL to reconsider and put people before profit."
TfL said any rebranding would be "subject to an Equality Impact Assessment" prior to being implemented.
A TfL spokesperson said: “This new opportunity on the Waterloo & City line is part of our ongoing work to find new ways brands can use our network to engage with their audiences as they travel across the city.
“No line or stations will be renamed, but brands will have the chance to further incorporate their brand identity on platforms and in the train carriages, including on the seat moquette.
"All revenue generated through any brand partnerships with us will be invested into the wider transport network, helping to keep London moving.”
Nicknamed “The Drain” and traditionally used by commuters heading into the Square Mile after arriving by train at Waterloo, the Waterloo & City is the shortest of the 11 lines on the London Underground and is only open on weekdays.
Southgate station, at the northern end of the Piccadilly line, was temporarily renamed “Gareth Southgate” Tube station by Visa in honour of the then England manager after the national team reached the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.
The two-day “takeover” of Southgate station generated £80,000 for TfL and included branded roundels, themed Tannoy announcements, digital screen messages and flash mobs.
Bond Street was briefly renamed “Burberry Street” by the fashion brand to mark London Fashion Week in October 2023.
However this led to 57 complaints to TfL, relating mainly to concerns about passengers becoming confused by the mock Tube signs.
Last year, Old Street became “Fold Street” to promote Samsung’s “Fold and Flip” smartphones, generating £250,000 for TfL.
At the time, Transport For All, which represents passengers with disabilities, raised concerns about the Tube becoming a “wild-west PR playground”.
One of the most lucrative Tube branding deals was the £830,000 TfL received from Galaxy when it allowed the Circle line to feature in a “reimagined” version of Harry Beck’s classic Tube map in January 2024.
But the five-year IFS Cloud sponsorship of the cable car – which crosses the Thames between the Royal Docks and North Greenwich – may be the best baseline indicator of the kind of deal TfL will be hoping to secure for the Waterloo & City line.
The cable car sponsorship is worth £2.1m – but the Waterloo & City line boasts tens of thousands of commuters each day as a “ captive audience”, rather than day-trippers and foreign tourists.
The rebranding of the 42nd Street Shuttle by the Metropolitan Transport Authority in New York is said to have inspired the idea for the Waterloo & City line.
The Waterloo & City line first opened in 1898 and was only the second electric line on the Underground.
Passenger access to the platforms at Bank station – originally known as City station - was via a lengthy sloping subway, which is believed to have led to the nickname The Drain. The walkway was upgraded with moving walkways in 1960.
The 48-hour rebranding of the Circle line was done by Samsung to promote its S24 Ultra phone. There were advertising displays at Victoria, Blackfriars, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Westminster stations and “a complete domination of Kings Cross St Pancras”.
TfL said the campaign was “hugely popular, receiving rave reviews and has been nominated for numerous awards”.
Amazon Prime paid TfL £250,000 in 2020 to rebrand Piccadilly Circus station as Picardilly Circus for 48 hours to promote the Star Trek spin-off series, Picard.
The station name was changed to Picardilly on all line maps and platform roundels to create an “immersive experience” for passengers.
There were also themed Tannoy announcements in the voice of Captain Jean Luc Picard and an advertising domination throughout the station.
The promotion was widely covered by the news media and even featured on The Graham Norton Show. It also won the ‘Most Spectacular’ award at the Drum Out of Home Awards.
In 2020, Sony replaced the roundels outside Oxford Circus station with PlayStation symbols for 48 hours to promote the launch of the PS5.
Inside the station, PlayStation symbols featured on line maps and special vinyls across all six platforms.
At four other stations, large-scale graphics were installed featuring the name of the station changed to reference a PS5 game, such as Ratchet and Clankaster Gate and Miles End.
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