Six names for London Overground lines have been officially launched by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

He has been at Dalston Junction today to unveil the names and a celebratory plaque.

The London Overground was launched at Hampstead Heath station in November 2007 by Sadiq Khan’s predecessor Ken Livingstone, when Transport for London took over control of the Metro lines which had been part of the Silverlink franchise.

Since then, more routes have been added, and each is now being identified with its own name and colour.

The names of Underground lines evolved and did not all appear at the same time, often being based on the name of the original company, so that the Central London Railway became the Central Line, while the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway soon became the Bakerloo Railway and later the Bakerloo Line, after the shortened name had been suggested by a newspaper columnist.

The six Overground names have been chosen in most cases to represent the communities they serve so that, for example, the Windrush Line, running from Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon, commemorates the name of the ship which brought 492 Caribbean migrants to Britain in 1948.

However, the name of the Lioness Line from Euston to Watford Junction via Wembley, which is often known within the railway as ‘the DC Lines’, refers to the English women’s football team.

Entrepreneur Levi Roots and singer Mica Paris joined community representatives of the line names at the official launch.

The new names and colours, which were developed through competitions and then fine-tuned by creative agency DNCO, were also considered by TfL’s Independent Disability Advisory Group, so that the colours would be as clear as possible to passengers with impaired vision.

Today’s launch came at the end of an intensive nine days, during which 6,000 new station direction signs were installed. Map posters, digital screens and information displays on trains were all updated, and a new pocket edition of the Underground map showing the line colours has also just been published.

TfL said final touches to the TfL website, TfL Go app and audiovisual passenger information on newer London Overground trains will be completed over the next couple of months.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘I’m delighted to officially launch the six new line names and colours of the London Overground, in an historic change to the capital’s transport network.

‘These distinct colours and identities will not only make our fantastic London Overground network easier for customers to navigate, they also celebrate the best of London, from the contribution of the Windrush generation to our inspiring England women’s football team, as well as other untold elements of London’s cultural history.

‘The London Overground is now a reminder that we wouldn’t be the city we are today without the energy and diverse experiences of everyone who lives here.’