MUMBAI: Following several public announcements and industry meetings over the last few months, there is a clear concern that the transport infrastructure for the late night economy will not be operational in line with the Government Roadmap strategy.

Press statements from TFL have revealed the delayed return of the Night Tube to 2022, with issues around the redistribution of driver resource and current traffic levels.

Many business have seen a huge increase in bookings and tickets sales as the economy starts to unlock leading up to Stage 3 ( 17th May) and Stage 4 (21st June) of the roadmap, which leads the industry to believe that TFL & GLA will be caught out by the level of traffic for these services.

Michael Kill CEO NTIA Said:

"The Night Tube is fundamental to the operation of the night time economy in London, the suggestion of this service not returning until 2022, will be catastrophic to the sector and will without doubt leave many frustrated given the volume of customers expected over the next few months

"This must be resolved by Transport for London and the Mayor as a matter of urgency, this service is brought back in time to support the high volume periods before the end of this year."

“There needs to be a contingency plan in place as a failsafe for late night economy businesses, and a working strategy for managing dispersal in light of the challenges presented by limited service. ”

Simon Thomas, CEO, The Hippodrome Casino, said:

"It's complete nonsense. The night tube was brought in to support the progressive 24-hour ambitions of London, and it's more essential now than ever before.”

"Stop putting hurdles in the way of a true West End recovery and face facts. We need a reliable transport infrastructure that serves all audiences. People want to experience everything London has to offer and support the recovery of thousands of night time businesses. So let them do this”

"The timings of when the night tube is restarted will be a clear indicator of whether TFL are supporting London's recovery and getting it started quickly, or using it as a bargaining tool to extract more money out of the Government. And we're right in the middle."

Simon Tracey, CEO Broadwick Live Said:

“We are concerned to hear that the night tube may not be reinstated until 2022 at the earliest. As our business and others within the night time industry start to welcome guests back through our doors later this year, we rely on TFL’s Night Tube to get those guests home as safely as possible.”

“Although we’re encouraged by the government’s determination to restart the economy, it’s imperative that the infrastructure is reinstated to sufficiently support businesses to do so and serve the public also.”

Regan McVaddy, Director, Steelyard London said:

“Following the recent announcement by Andy Byford at TFL that the London night tube will not be returning until 2022, we would like to express our concerns as to how this will affect the essential recovery of London nightlife. According to the roadmap nightlife should be reopening from 17th June 2021 therefore it is crucial that there is the infrastructure in place to support this economy. The night tube is key to this and with this not being in place, it will impact noise pollution and the ability of the public to travel home safely. We urge TFL to reconsider this decision and to take into account that there will be a high demand for its use.”