NIGHT TUBE is going to be “great for Redbridge”, an Assembly Member said after getting on his very first 24-hour weekend train.

London Assembly Member for Havering and Redbridge Cllr Keith Prince made sure he was one of the first to test one of the capital’s new Night Tube services when they launched this weekend (August 20).

Accompanied by Transport for London (TfL)’s Central Line operations director, Cllr Prince was given a tour of King’s Cross Underground Station, before hopping on his first ever Night Tube to Oxford Street at around 12.30am.

After changing to the Central Line to be shown around TfL’s control room at Monument, he spoke to British Transport Police officers about their first shift on Night Tube duty at Stratford.

He said: “It was a fantastic evening, I was very impressed.

“The Night Tube is going to be great for Redbridge, both for our nighttime economy, and more importantly to keep people who live in the borough safe.

“Having spoken to operational staff, police officers and tube users, I am confident TfL is committed to keeping people safe on the new trains.”

There was only one reported arrest on the service’s launch weekend, when a 17-year-old was detained by officers for drugs and weapons offences at Oxford Circus.

Cllr Prince said he believes 24-hour weekend trains could lead to a fall in anti-social behaviour among party goers.

He added: “People aren’t going to be rushing to finish their drinks at the end of the night, which will mean they won’t be drinking too much too quickly.

“That will mean they are less drunk and disorderly on the way home.”

Although British Transport Police and the Met are putting the same number of officers on the beat as they would during the day, Cllr Prince warned they would have to “keep a close eye” on people left alone in carriages late at night.

He said: “People being left vulnerable in carriages on their own late at night is a situation police will have to keep monitoring closely.

“But on the first weekend, every seemed to feel happy, safe and relaxed.”

Night Tube services are due to be rolled out on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly Lines later this year.