Publicity and the Launch of the (Fleet) Jubilee line

[NorthKent1989]

I was going to post this in the history and nostalgia section, but as I’m talking about the tube I think it’s better here

The hype surrounding the Elizabeth line in the late 2010s and early 2020s was big, I also recall the Jubilee line extension being highly anticipated, while in the 60s there was a lot of attention to the launch of the Victoria line as it was the first new tube line in 60 years.

What about when the original Jubilee line was being planned, built and launched, was there any hype about this new line?

 

[announcements]

There was certainly promotional material showing the Fleet line and art work to show how it would interact with other lines at stations. However, given no social media, it does lead me to assume it would have been a more modest affair. Does anyone have any lived experiences of what it was like in reality?

 

[Dstock7080]

Posters at the time were very ingenious:

timetable booklets showing the new routes:

 

[NorthKent1989]

Posters at the time were very ingenious:

timetable booklets showing the new routes:

Thank you for these.

There was certainly promotional material showing the Fleet line and art work to show how it would interact with other lines at stations. However, given no social media, it does lead me to assume it would have been a more modest affair. Does anyone have any lived experiences of what it was like in reality?

The Victoria line was pretty hyped up in 1968.

Maybe the reaction was modest because in 1979 it was anticipated that the Jubilee line would have completed fully by the mid 1980s and that Baker Street to Charing Cross was phase 1 in what was supposed to have been a much larger project

 

[TonyW590]

Unofficial stickers appeared randomly all over the place objecting to the name, saying "Fleet Line - don't jubilee've it".

 

[yorksrob]

I'me glad they stuck with the name. "The Jubilee line" sounds a bit more fancy.

 

[NorthKent1989]

Unofficial stickers appeared randomly all over the place objecting to the name, saying "Fleet Line - don't jubilee've it".

I quite like that.

I'me glad they stuck with the name. "The Jubilee line" sounds a bit more fancy.

Fleet line would have world had there been a station at Fleet Street.

Another name consider was the River line but that sounds unimaginative

 

[bramling]

I'me glad they stuck with the name. "The Jubilee line" sounds a bit more fancy.

I would have preferred Fleet Line. However it’s somewhat fortuitous the name was changed, as with the extension as built being significantly different to that proposed in the 1970s, the Fleet Line name would have turned out to be very inaccurate.

 

[The exile]

I'me glad they stuck with the name. "The Jubilee line" sounds a bit more fancy

It’s the other way round - Fleet Line was the original name and it was changed to Jubilee (which was of course rather out of date by the time Phase 1 opened in 1979).

 

[yorksrob]

I quite like that.

Yes, gotta like the pun !

 

[NorthKent1989]

Yes, gotta like the pun !

Pity there wasn’t a pun for when CrossRail was renamed Elizabeth line.

 

[Mikey C]

Posters at the time were very ingenious:

timetable booklets showing the new routes:

It's a bit different opening a brand new line (Victoria) or extending an existing one (Jubilee Line in the 90s) to opening a new line that takes over part of an existing one. A lot of the publicity, I imagine, would have been to remind existing Bakerloo Line users that one branch of the line would overnight(?) change into part of another one!

 

[Dstock7080]

It's a bit different opening a brand new line (Victoria) or extending an existing one (Jubilee Line in the 90s) to opening a new line that takes over part of an existing one.

ok apologies, I misunderstood the OP, i thought they was asking about the opening in 1979.

 

[NorthKent1989]

It's a bit different opening a brand new line (Victoria) or extending an existing one (Jubilee Line in the 90s) to opening a new line that takes over part of an existing one. A lot of the publicity, I imagine, would have been to remind existing Bakerloo Line users that one branch of the line would overnight(?) change into part of another one!

ok apologies, I misunderstood the OP, i thought they was asking about the opening in 1979.

Actually you’re both right I’d like to know how Stanmore commuters felt and reacted to being on a new line and Also regarding the section between Baker Street and Charing Cross, since the Bakerloo also serves Charing Cross, was it promoted as being faster for example?

 

[bramling]

Actually you’re both right I’d like to know how Stanmore commuters felt and reacted to being on a new line and Also regarding the section between Baker Street and Charing Cross, since the Bakerloo also serves Charing Cross, was it promoted as being faster for example?

The main benefit for passengers will have been a more frequent service. The problem was always that the junction was too close to central London.

 

[Mikey C]

ok apologies, I misunderstood the OP, i thought they was asking about the opening in 1979.

I was talking about the 1979 opening! In that the publicity wouldn't just be about a whizzy new line opening, but that existing users of the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo line would need to be reminded that their trains would now be going via Bond Street to Charing Cross only, instead of via Oxford Circus and right through to Elephant.

 

[edwin_m]

I would have preferred Fleet Line. However it’s somewhat fortuitous the name was changed, as with the extension as built being significantly different to that proposed in the 1970s, the Fleet Line name would have turned out to be very inaccurate.

The line that most closely follows the River Fleet in central London is Thameslink.

Actually you’re both right I’d like to know how Stanmore commuters felt and reacted to being on a new line and Also regarding the section between Baker Street and Charing Cross, since the Bakerloo also serves Charing Cross, was it promoted as being faster for example?

A lot of Stanmore commuters would have changed onto the Met at Wembley Park for a quicker journey, regardless of where there train went in central London. I recall (not as a commuter) doing that and counting how many Bakerloo (later Jubilee) trains we overtook before Finchley Road.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I used the Bakerloo line daily at midday between Paddington and Marylebone before the opening of the Jubilee line.
At that time, the trains were either pre-war ones - with ominous cracks across the ceiling mid-way down the cars, that extended downwards to rip through the paper cove adverts, and doors that quite often didn't open in one car - and nearly new ones with bright lights, clean seats and quick acting doors.
Just before the opening, trains received revised route maps, either for the abbreviated Bakerloo line or for the new Jubilee one. It was a source of disappointment that the distribution showed that all the new stock to disappear to the new line, leaving the Bakerloo with entirely the old ones.

As far as the name change for the new line goes I have in my mind that it was related to London Transport around the same time ordering a very large number of double deck buses with the innovation (only to them) of being suitable for OPO. These were called "Fleetlines' and there was the suggestion that there might be some confusion. Equally, when these buses were introduced there was a poster campaign on the Underground that named them 'The Londoner'. A campaign that seems to have been even shorter-lived than the eponymous buses.

 

[simonw]

I used to use the line from Wembley to Queensbury in 1979/80. I can remember the change over and travelling on the 'new' line. I don't remember too much publicity other than posters at stations and some information in the railway press. It was a different era as far as media was concerned.

 

[NorthKent1989]

leaving the Bakerloo with entirely the old ones.

Sums up the Bakerloo’s entire existence, ironically it’s using trains now that the Jubilee would have used initially from 1979 to when the 1983 stock arrived.

I used to use the line from Wembley to Queensbury in 1979/80. I can remember the change over and travelling on the 'new' line. I don't remember too much publicity other than posters at stations and some information in the railway press. It was a different era as far as media was concerned.

I found pathe news type video yesterday regarding the opening of the Jubilee line which was opened by the then Prince of Wales.

There didn’t seem to be as much hype as when the Victoria line opened a decade earlier.

 

[Mikey C]

I found pathe news type video yesterday regarding the opening of the Jubilee line which was opened by the then Prince of Wales.

There didn’t seem to be as much hype as when the Victoria line opened a decade earlier.

I'm not surprised there wasn't much hype, as the first new section of the Jubilee Line was a short length of track with just 4 "new" stations if the include the separate platforms at Baker Street. The Victoria Line was a totally new line, with new ATO trains, so a technological leap forward.

 

[yorksrob]

Sums up the Bakerloo’s entire existence, ironically it’s using trains now that the Jubilee would have used initially from 1979 to when the 1983 stock arrived.




I found pathe news type video yesterday regarding the opening of the Jubilee line which was opened by the then Prince of Wales.

There didn’t seem to be as much hype as when the Victoria line opened a decade earlier.

The Victoria line got the Queen for the opening !

 

[NorthKent1989]

The Victoria line got the Queen for the opening !

Exactly this, first tube line in 60 years and first modern tube post war.

I wonder if the Jubilee line opening was subdued because of how small it was at the time and that it was supposed to have had other phases due to be opened later on?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jul 2026 ==

I'm not surprised there wasn't much hype, as the first new section of the Jubilee Line was a short length of track with just 4 "new" stations if the include the separate platforms at Baker Street. The Victoria Line was a totally new line, with new ATO trains, so a technological leap forward.

I agree with this, plus the Jubilee line still served Baker Street and Charing Cross albeit via a different route from the Bakerloo

 

[edwin_m]

I'm not surprised there wasn't much hype, as the first new section of the Jubilee Line was a short length of track with just 4 "new" stations if the include the separate platforms at Baker Street.

Arguably three and a half, as one of the Jubilee platforms at Baker Street was previously used by the Bakerloo.

 

[contrex]

The Victoria line was pretty hyped up in 1968.

Growing up in London from age 10 (1962) to 16 (1968) and later the Victoria Line was a daily thing in my awareness, publicity or not. There were a lot of changes in London to accommodate the construction, above and below ground.

 

[Mikey C]

Ironically, one of the largest legacies of the 1970s Jubilee Line, is the rebuild to create a single Charing Cross underground station out of Strand and Trafalgar Square stations, as 20 years later the Jubilee Line stopped calling there anyway!

 

[bramling]

Ironically, one of the largest legacies of the 1970s Jubilee Line, is the rebuild to create a single Charing Cross underground station out of Strand and Trafalgar Square stations, as 20 years later the Jubilee Line stopped calling there anyway!

I’ve always thought the Bakerloo side should be separated off into a separate station and called Trafalgar Square. Ever since the Jubilee vacated it has felt a very awkward station.

 

[Recessio]

I’ve always thought the Bakerloo side should be separated off into a separate station and called Trafalgar Square. Ever since the Jubilee vacated it has felt a very awkward station.

Possibly veering off topic but I've always thought just close one of the sets of Bakerloo+Northern platforms at Embankment or Charing Cross, then just combine it into one bigger complex, to improve the journey time on those lines given how close the two stations are

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jul 2026 ==

I'm not surprised there wasn't much hype, as the first new section of the Jubilee Line was a short length of track with just 4 "new" stations if the include the separate platforms at Baker Street. The Victoria Line was a totally new line, with new ATO trains, so a technological leap forward.

I wonder if the Jubilee line opening was subdued because of how small it was at the time and that it was supposed to have had other phases due to be opened later on?

How soon were the second phases of the Jubilee line planned to be built after 1979? I'm assuming it wasn't always planned that it would be 20 years later for the Jubilee Line Extension? I'm thinking that maybe if was planned to be a lot sooner then they'd save the fanfare until the whole planned line was fully finished?

 

[NorthKent1989]

How soon were the second phases of the Jubilee line planned to be built after 1979? I'm assuming it wasn't always planned that it would be 20 years later for the Jubilee Line Extension? I'm thinking that maybe if was planned to be a lot sooner then they'd save the fanfare until the whole planned line was fully finished

From what I’ve read they planned on phase 2 to New Cross/New Cross Gate in the early 80s, with the routes to Hayes and Thamesmead not long after, the Thamesmead phase was the “River Line” that would have been added to the Fleet line, the idea of having multiple branches on the tube nowadays is unheard of

Thatcher cancelled the next phases in 1980 but was obviously eventually revived in the early 90s as the JLE taking a much different route