Mutant Lemming
Established Member
The phrase or concept of "the circle line" may be known worldwide, but perhaps not its route. Tourists for the most part aren't looking for "the circle line", they're after the destination on the front end of a train, and if they're okay with looking for the word "Cockfosters" they're going to be okay with looking for the number "C5".
Cockfosters, Upminster, Amersham - they mean something. C5 is a meaningless number. If you like a sterile meaningless world fine but I prefer some local identity to transport systems instead of a bland, faceless, if efficient, teutonic style.
S4 Frankfurt, S4 Hamburg, S4 Munich - it might all be efficient and easy to use etc blah blah blah but it's downright dull and ultra boring
Give me Кольцева́я ли́ния, Bakerloo Line or something with local meaning to some sterile number any day. Keep your numbers for the bus routes. As for Thameslink - I'm quite happy with that as a name. Give it a number and I'll ignore it and still call it Thameslink.