Transport for London (TfL) was paid £500,000 for temporarily changing the names of two tube stations, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed. London’s transport body changed the names of two of its stations to promote brand campaigns. Most recently, it changed Old Street Station into ‘Fold Street Station’ as part of a collaboration with Samsung during the launch of a series of flip and fold phones.
This came months after TfL temporarily renamed Bond Street as ‘Burberry Street’ during London Fashion Week in September 2023. TfL received £300,000 for ‘Fold Street,’ while ‘ Burberry Street’ raised £200,000, an answer to an FOI request published on 20 August found. The transport company has said that collaborations such as these help to engage with the many passengers that travel on the tube network, while other signage that identifies the actual station name does not change during these campaigns.
"Partnerships like this help us and brands positively engage with the hundreds of thousands of people who pass through our stations in a fun and playful way, while still ensuring they can use our network safely,” a TfL spokesperson told The Independent. "Signage within trains, including the in-car digital displays which show what the next station is, automated train announcements, and route maps within the trains, were not changed as part of the temporary take-over." They added that TfL also spoke to Govia Thameslink so staff could assist customers wh.