Random Route: 252

One of London's slightly less interesting routes is the 252, running between Collier Row and Hornchurch Town Centre at a 10 minute frequency. It takes a fairly indirect route between the two termini, serving Romford and Elm Park in the process. Describing it as residential can almost be seen as an understatement, with no real break at all apart from Romford Town Centre. Thankfully, there are occasional changes of scenery to complement the housing, and if you do love routes that constantly travel through suburban residential areas, then I would definitely recommend the 252. It runs from Stagecoach London's Rainham (RM) garage with a mixed allocation consisting of ADL E400s and Scania OmniCity vehicles, which are some of the nicest examples in London.

An ADL E400 is seen at Romford Station on the 252 to Collier Row.

The 252 starts at the very end of Collier Row High Street, a smaller equivalent of the thriving Romford Town Centre. This modest suburban development is located in the London Borough Of Havering (which the 252 doesn't leave throughout its journey) just North of Romford and contains lots of surrounding housing areas where several bus routes terminate. Most of them take the direct route to Romford, via Hainault Road, but there is a substantial amount of homes along White Hart Lane and Mawney Road, which the 252 serves to start off. My bus left on time, in the form of a Scania OmniCity, at the start of a fairly lengthy journey to Hornchurch. After loading up at the first stop, my bus skipped past a few semi-detached houses before approaching a much smaller parade of shops, mostly consisting of independent places and an average-sized Aldi, which was seemingly popular for a Wednesday afternoon.

My bus suddenly turned left onto White Hart Lane (no we didn't teleport to Tottenham) which was much less exciting than the North London equivalent, containing a mixture of low-rise flats and some average housing which was beginning to look like Essex. My bus encountered a small green space, which was part of a primary school, before stopping for the first time after the small parade of half-decent shops, providing essentials and takeaway meals for the local community. The road suddenly became much narrower and this was where White Hart Lane morphed into Mawney Road, which had a few bungalows but was mostly made up of housing similar to the previous street. Despite the large number of cars parked in front of houses, a decent number of people boarded the bus to head to Romford Town Centre, with some of the passengers from Collier Row alighting from this point. Unusually, my bus contained two different door alarms for the front and rear, so I spent the next couple of minutes listening to the difference in pitch as there wasn't anything noteworthy happening outside.

When I saw the fairly lengthy traffic queue I was concerned at first, but then the A12 dual carriageway revealed itself and I realised that this wouldn't continue until Romford. I managed to catch sight of a single decker on the 296 speeding off towards Ilford, which was quite the opposite to the sedate pace of my Scania OmniCity, although that was probably due to the loose scheduling on this section rather than an underwhelming bus. The sign for parking indicated that Romford Town Centre was nearby and the first residential chunk of the 252 was almost over. Hardly any passengers boarded after this point, as all the shops are probably within walking distance, but I was quite relieved that some louder external surroundings were approaching.

Stagecoach London 15007, my refurbished Scania OmniCity, stands under a threatening sky at Hornchurch Town Centre.

A much busier road revealed itself and then my 252 was speeding around the outskirts of Romford Town Centre, racing a much busier Enviro 400 on the 86. The overflowing Romford Market stand was certainly an amusing sight, as a flurry of number 5 buses had just arrived and a couple of 248's were taking their break too. As the bus navigated another huge roundabout, the familiar "Mercury Gardens" announcement played and a sizeable number of passengers alighted here and at the next stop, on the lively Western Road, which contains no less than 23 bus routes. Due to an inconvenient one way system, my 252 was forced to literally head round the back of the shops, which was much less appealing and quite derelict compared to the bustling town centre. However, civilisation re-emerged shortly and my bus passed the rather hectic Romford Station, which is a considerable distance away from the 252 stop! The majority of routes heading towards Roneo Corner serve Queen's Hospital, but there is a small residential area on South Street, which is the route the 252 takes. The fairly mundane stretch of houses was occasionally interrupted by a public house or warehouse, and there was little demand for the bus along this stretch, which suggests that the recent re-routing of the 5 away from this area can definitely be justified, as the 252 and 248 are comfortable with taking the rest of the passengers.

As the road started to twist a little, the 252 had arrived at Roneo Corner, a fairly substantial junction and interchange point for buses heading in various directions but mostly ending up in Romford eventually. The 252 turned left onto the busy main road, with most of the traffic heading for Tesco Extra, but the noisy and congested road was clearly too much for my bus, which started to head into even more housing after almost circling the biggest roundabout so far. For the next couple of minutes the bus went through solid housing, but a driving school with an impressive number of parked cars provided something else to stare at for a few seconds. The housing was reduced to the left hand side only, as the trees and bushes of Eastbrookend Country Park dominated my other view. Shortly after this point, my 252 started to pick up the pace as the scenery became much more rural as Harrow Lodge Park replaced the residential homes on the left, which was filled with children and parents despite the threatening clouds.

An interesting coincidence meant that I was on the 252 bus at 2:52 PM, demonstrated by the iBus screen upstairs.

Unfortunately, the 252 didn't continue into the depths of the countryside, with even more homes to serve. Elm Park Avenue was a tight squeeze, although nobody wanted the bus here and the eventuality of ending up at the tube station is probably the only reason why this road boasts a frequent bus service. In general, I noticed that the 252 is a lone wolf in terms of routeing, with the majority of bus stops it serves having no other routes present. This trend was muted briefly at Elm Park Station, with the addition of three more bus routes that form the popular Hornchurch-Rainham corridor. The unpretentious parade of independent retail units complemented the busy District Line station, found near the end of the line at Upminster. However, after one bus stop of sharing the 252 had had enough and dived down Coronation Drive, which appeared to be pretty similar to the roads served previously. South End Road was surprisingly busy and the random patches of grass alongside the street livened things up a little. The 252 then passed another school (this route must be horrible during term time), before the road widened up considerably, enabling some high-speed running past the houses that were partially hidden behind a wooden fence.

My bus then turned left again (a popular manoeuvre in the Hornchurch direction) onto Airfield Way, with the corresponding Airfield Estate and large wilderness named after the former RAF Hornchurch base, which has typically been turned into residential homes. This section contained some dense housing and was the most popular part of the 252 on my journey, with lots of people wanting to travel to Hornchurch Town Centre. The Tesco Superstore car park was unusually quiet and the bus started to pick up the pace once again despite the twists and turns. The overgrown Hornchurch Country Park was the last green space I saw on the trip, although the end was near and I surprisingly wasn't too fed up at this point, as the amount of housing this bus serves can feel relentless at times. 

Suttons Lane is bungalow territory, but it's also home to the termination point of the 256 and the former St George's Hospital, which will be become a residential development site (surprise surprise). The sudden influx of tudor houses was brief and a modest parade of shops revealed itself, presumably because the appearance of Hornchurch District Line station was imminent. All the retail units that weren't considered good enough to appear in the town centre seem to have been dumped here, a location that's a little too far from the more substantial shopping street to be appealing. Due to the close proximity to the tube and high street, the houses were much more expensive and the appearance of another small chain of shops and Hornchurch Police Station indicated that my journey was almost over. The 252 terminates at the edge of Hornchurch Town Centre on a roundabout, so the bus can turn around and head back on its indirect routeing to Collier Row, but the shops are only a short walk away.

In general, I can say that the 252 certainly wasn't one of the best routes I've done, being a bit too residential for my liking. However, I've definitely been on routes that have been much worse and the excellent Scania OmniCity kept me entertained throughout the journey. There are also some rural elements and speedy sections, so there is some balance after all. I rate the 252 6/10 and if you like going through residential areas, then I think you'll enjoy it a lot! Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Northern Piccadilly Changes

The area surrounding the North end of the Piccadilly Line has seen a decent number of bus service changes over the past couple of months, with Holloway Road, Turnpike Lane, Southgate and Cockfosters stations all welcoming various enthusiasts who recently covered the respective contract changes and new route introductions. Chronologically, the first change we're documenting occurred on Saturday 3rd June 2017, concerning the 217, running between Waltham Cross and Turnpike Lane Station.

Sullivan Buses E77 arrives at Waltham Cross Bus Station on a route 217 journey from Turnpike Lane Station.

Sullivan Buses are London's only independent bus operator, based at South Mimms (SM) garage. They operate a mixture of commercial routes around the Potters Bar area, and TFL services such as the 298 and W9, as well as contributing to weekend rail replacement services using their spare double deckers that are officially allocated to school work. They successfully won their third TFL contract in November 2016 for route 217, which was previously run from Metroline's Potters Bar (PB) garage. The former allocation consisted of ADL Enviro 400 double deckers, part of a common user arrangement at the garage, with routes 82 and W8. The service under Metroline was pretty decent for such a difficult route; even though its physical length is quite short (Waltham Cross-Bush Hill Park-Edmonton-Turnpike Lane), the route sticks to the Great Cambridge Road for the majority of the journey, which is home to road traffic accidents fairly frequently, resulting in tailbacks and chaos that  can rapidly deteriorate the service of the 217.

The batch of brand new ADL Enviro 400 MMC diesel double deckers (the last non-hybrids to enter service in London) arrived early, allowing them to venture onto route 298 before the contract change, to iron out any teething issues. Sullivan Buses have ordered personalised number plates for the vehicles, with the last three letters "SUL" abbreviating the company name, and the first two letters standing for the initials of drivers who work for the company. The vehicles will also contain posters documenting the history of route 217, suggesting that Sullivan Buses really take pride in their brand new batch of E400s. The first day produced a poor service, with lots of bunching and curtailments - at one point there wasn't a single bus heading towards Turnpike Lane, although the customary accident along the A10 wasn't helpful for the controllers.

Since the contract change, the service has improved slightly, but the company are evidently still struggling with this service, a massive step up from the much quieter 298 and W9. Having said that, customer service is brilliant, with lots of friendly staff members, such as the driver of E77 on Saturday 29th July 2017. The route itself is fairly interesting, passing through a mixture of residential and commercial areas at high speed along the dual carriageway. The extremely tight running times in the early morning hours mean that a fast-paced journey is guaranteed, with drivers struggling to keep up to their schedule! The buses themselves (E70-E81) seem to be a little underpowered from my limited observations, but I'm sure they will be popular with enthusiasts as the last diesel double deckers to enter service in London! Occasionally, other double deck vehicles found at South Mimms (SM) garage have strayed onto the route, such as the Scania OmniCity buses normally allocated to school work. It seems that Sullivan Buses are trying their hardest to improve service levels and I think they will get there eventually; we must remember that running a major trunk route between two town centres for the first time isn't easy!

Metroline Travel DEM1351 stands at Millbrook Park, before starting another 382 journey to Southgate.

On Saturday 15th July 2017, route 382 (Millbrook Park-Mill Hill East-Finchley Central-Friern Barnet-Arnos Grove-Southgate) was awarded to Metroline Travel, with some existing single deckers. The previous operator, Arriva London, ran the route from Edmonton (EC) garage with some 8.9m ADL Enviro 200 single deckers, which were only introduced on the route recently following the loss of the 192 to Go-Ahead London. Under the previous contract, the service was pretty poor, with frequent gaps and a noticeable lack of buses in service on many occasions. Many enthusiasts predicted that the route would pass to Metroline upon contract renewal, especially with the rumoured closure of Edmonton (EC) garage, which still hasn't happened yet! Existing single deckers were compatible with the latest contract standards, which gave the route a modest capacity increase to 9.3m single deckers, involving the addition of a second door. The 15 minute frequency of the 382 is suitable for this quiet route, providing some useful round-the-corner links in North London, as well as serving housing areas that main bus routes simply cannot reach. The route was recently extended to the Millbrook Park housing development site, which is a couple of minutes further than the previous terminus, Mill Hill East Station.

On Saturday 15th July 2017, Metroline took over the contract for route 382, with some existing ADL Enviro 200 DEM-class single deckers based at Potters Bar (PB) garage, made available from the loss of the W9 to Sullivan Buses earlier in the year. As usual, the first day produced a terrible service, with constant bunching and curtailments, even worse than the previous operator. Thankfully, this was only temporary and since then the service has improved drastically, with buses generally maintaining an even service. Hopefully, local residents are grateful for their new-found reliable service and longer buses, which should make travelling on the 382 much easier, if Metroline can keep up their excellent work.

The route itself isn't that interesting, passing through lots of residential areas that look fairly similar to each other. Additionally, the DEM-class single deck buses have astonishingly powerful heating, which might be useful in the colder months, but managed to almost send me to sleep last week! As there weren't enough ex-W9 vehicles to cover the Peak Vehicle Requirement for routes 382 and 384, a couple of DEM-class single deckers have transferred over from Alperton (ON) garage, the only other Metroline garage with this type of vehicle, with some longer DE-class E200 buses replacing them in West London. I wish good luck to Metroline for the next five years, who have become the second operator to attempt running this rather neglected route in North London.

Metroline West DEM1916, one of the recent transfers from Alperton (ON) garage, is seen at Barnet Hospital on route 384.

Metroline also retained route 384 (Cockfosters-Bevan Estate-New Barnet-High Barnet-Quinta Drive) on Saturday 15th July 2017, with a controversial frequency reduction to every 20 minutes. Many enthusiasts were angered by this preposterous change, with the 384 being fairly busy under the previous contract. It serves a lot of dense residential housing, especially near Cockfosters and I was gutted when the frequency reduction was announced, as this emphasises the sorry state TFL are in, being forced to make bus cuts with their limited amount of money. The only good news is that longer buses are now being used on the route, partially compensating for the loss of 1bph. Like the 382, the 384 now uses DEM-class vehicles displaced from the W9, but the Alperton transfers also appear on the route fairly regularly, such as DEM1916 illustrated above.

Even though the routeing is heavily residential and quite mundane at times, the sheer number of twists and turns make this route quite unique, especially as they are all concentrated in one small part of Barnet. Most of these indirect routes are forgotten by transport enthusiasts, but this one is famous for destroying the dreams of those undertaking the Tube Challenge, where the main aim is to visit all 270 London Underground stations in one day. The close proximity of High Barnet and Cockfosters (the termini of the Northern and Piccadilly lines respectively) means that a short bus connection is incredibly useful for tube challengers, but only the number 307 travels between the two quickly. Many have made the awful mistake of taking the 384 bus between the two, and losing out on what could've been a world record finish. Knowing your bus routes well really does help sometimes!

Go-Ahead London WVN14 is seen at Holloway Nags Head at the start of a route 530 journey to Islington Angel.

The most valuable section of Upper Street (near Angel Station) is closed Southbound until November 2017, for "essential works." As a result, a large number of bus routes have been diverted away from the area and a new temporary route has been set up to act as a lifeline for residents who are currently isolated from the majority of the rest of the bus network. However, the buses are still using their normal line of route heading Northbound. Heading in the opposite direction, routes 4, 19, 38, 56 and 341 have been diverted via New North Road, Old Street and Clerkenwell Road, avoiding the Angel area entirely. The 73 has been diverted via New North Road, Old Street Roundabout and City Road, so it still serves Islington Angel, but doesn't travel along some of Essex Road to get there. The 43 and 274 have been diverted via Caledonian Road and Pentonville Road, with the former no longer serving Upper Street or Highbury & Islington and the latter no long serving Copenhagen Street or Barnsbury Road. The 153 has been diverted via King's Cross Road, no longer serving some of St John Street, whilst the 30 and 476 have been diverted via Tolpuddle Street and Chapel Market. These routes still serve Islington Angel and Upper Street/Essex Road respectively, only missing out the first two stops along Pentonville Road.

 A temporary route, numbered the 530, is running between Holloway Nags Head and Islington Angel Southbound only, every 12-13 minutes from 6am-11pm. This route maintains the link between Nags Head and Islington Angel lost by the 43 diversion, and also serves all stops along Upper Street, which have lost three bus routes due to the works. The 530 has a peak vehicle requirement of 3 buses and refurbished WVN-class Wrightbus Gemini 2 vehicles are being used, based at Northumberland Park (NP) garage. From my observations, the route is extremely popular for a temporary service, picking up lots of passengers at every stop along the way, which justifies the use of double deck vehicles, something I questioned when the service was introduced on Wednesday 16th August. There has been some disruption and I do suggest you avoid the area, but Angel was surprisingly traffic-free when I visited on last Saturday.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Metroline's Frog Exchange & Enviro Shuffle

Since 2015, Metroline have consistently ordered Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH buses for their recent contract gains and renewals, with the latest examples often called"frogfaces" by enthusiasts. A huge number of these vehicles have started to enter service recently, primarily for routes 260, 302 and 17. However, the buses couldn't simply enter service on their designated routes, as these modified Gemini 3's have a long rear overhang, which prevents them from working routes 4 (which was originally meant to receive these buses in September 2017) and 17. However, the buses had already been ordered before route testing, so some re-shuffling was necessary in order to have the right buses allocated to the right route. Additionally, some of the cleaner, more technologically advanced buses will be diverted onto Central London routes in an attempt to improve air quality, meaning that Greater London buses are being downgraded to cast-offs.

Metroline VWH1415 arrives at Willesden Bus Garage after a route 52 journey.

Due to increasing pollution levels in Central London, the 52 will require brand new Euro 6 hybrid buses. However, the contract isn't due to be awarded until 2019, so some new vehicles have to be sourced from elsewhere. The 260 (which is also based at Willesden Bus Garage) was recently retained with brand new Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles, which are compatible with "green bus corridors" in Zone 1, so these buses will be used on the 52 instead, with the 260 taking the existing Gemini 2 vehicles (see above for illustration) currently on the 52. However, due to a ticket machine shortage, the 260 is still using the old Volvo President vehicles that have been the mainstay on the route for many years, even though the contract was retained on Saturday 24th June 2017! By December, all of Willesden's Central London routes will be operated by Euro 6 Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles, as a result of more contract renewals and even more new Gemini 3's for the 6 and 98.

Metroline Travel VWH2314 pauses en route to Mill Hill Broadway, working the 302.

The one route at Willesden Bus Garage that has received the correct type of bus is the 302, running between Mill Hill Broadway and Kensal Rise. Although the route is extremely popular and creates many new links, residents at the Southern end of the route have always complained about it, stating that it "always runs empty" and "should be withdrawn from the area." There were also some complaints about noise from the roaring Volvo President buses, so hopefully the Kensal Rise area is grateful for their brand new quiet buses. This route was also retained on Saturday 24th June 2017, but the process of introducing buses onto this route has been very slow, with the majority of the allocation consisting of the older vehicles almost two months later! Hopefully some ticket machines can be sourced and the 302 can gain the new buses it deserves sooner or later, until it's robbed like all of its fellow outer London routes!

Metroline Travel VWH2017 departs Ludgate Circus on a route 17 journey to London Bridge.

On Saturday 22nd July 2017, the contract for route 17 was renewed with a batch of Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles, although these aren't the buses originally ordered for the contract. The newer "frogface" examples have a longer rear overhang, which resulted in an unsuccessful route test on the 17. However, the new buses had already been ordered for the contract, and some shorter vehicles that still complied with the latest tough emission standards had to be sourced for the fast approaching contract renewal. Before the upgraded Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH was made available, a temporary model was ordered for a handful of new contracts around 2014/15 (often known as the "smiley-face" by enthusiasts) which is just as clean as the latest examples, but also has a shorter rear overhang. A batch of 23 of these vehicles were working the 7, running between Oxford Circus and East Acton, a route with a similar Peak Vehicle Requirement to the 17. As a result, the former 7 buses (VWH2001-2023) are being transferred to Holloway (HT) garage for the 17 contract, with green blinds fitted from existing fleet at HT, whilst the 7 has been upgraded with the brand new vehicles originally destined for the 17. This efficient swap ensures that all contract standards are met, but the vehicles are also suitable for their respective routes.

VWH2296 stands at Oxford Circus on its first day in service on route 17.

Routes 4 and 17 have always been seen as the neglected routes at Holloway (HT) garage, with the oldest buses in the garage consistently appearing on these routes over anything else, even though they spend a considerable amount of time in Central London. Lots of enthusiasts were delighted that new buses were finally being prioritised for these routes (the 4 is scheduled to convert on Saturday 30th September 2017), although when both routes failed their route tests for the new buses ordered, it was announced that these routes would be receiving cast-offs instead (the 4 will receive existing "smiley-face" Gemini 3's from either Willesden or Potters Bar), further contributing to the constant degradation of these forgotten routes at Holloway (HT) garage. The 7, on the other hand, has always been one of Metroline's favourite routes, being allocated the unique Scania Olympus buses before 2014. It was also the second route in London to receive Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH "smiley-face" vehicles (Metroline's first batch), and now it has unexpectedly received brand new vehicles again, without a contract renewal prompting them! Instead of ordering various separate batches, Metroline decided that one large chunk of buses for all of the routes would be easier to handle, so some of the buses currently found on the 7 were originally destined for route 260, and carry Willesden (AC) garage code.! These buses have used existing blinds from the "smiley face" vehicles previously allocated to the route, so this swap also removed the need for ordering any new blinds. Hopefully regular users of route 7 are grateful for yet another batch of new buses, and the 4/17 commuters also (will) appreciate their modest upgrade.

The latest fleet shuffle across Metroline garages involved finding a large number of ADL Enviro 400 vehicles for their latest win, a temporary contract for the 266, a route they used to operate five years ago.

Tower Transit VH38118 is seen at Acton Old Town Hall, on a route 266 journey to Hammersmith.

Since Tower Transit started operating route 266 in June 2013, they've been slammed for their poor performance and constant failure to meet low targets. Sometimes the service was fairly decent, although mileage was a large issue and large gaps were a common occurrence. The allocation consisted of a dedicated batch of Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TL vehicles which were inherited from First London's brief stint on the route from 2012-2013, but towards the end of the contract some Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles strayed onto the route, such as the bus seen above. The route was based at Atlas Road (AS) garage for the majority of the contract, conveniently located in the middle of the route, but for the last month the 266 was based at Westbourne Park (X) garage as the expansion was complete, resulting in the closure of Atlas Road. Upon tendering, the service was lost to Metroline, the same company who operated the route before 2012. Enthusiasts speculated that the route would be based at Willesden Junction (WJ) garage due to their available space, although the route returned to Cricklewood (W) after an absence of five years, on Saturday 29th July 2017.

Metroline Travel TE1090 pauses at Willesden Lane en route to Hammersmith on the first day of operation. I bet you're all delighted that you have the opportunity to play 'spot the enthusiast' here.

 Due to the high PVR of this long route, a large number of ADL Enviro 400 vehicles had to be sourced from multiple garages for the new contract. Around 50% of the buses have transferred from Potters Bar (PB) garage, following the loss of route 217 to Sullivan Buses. They have been refurbished recently and contain new inserts that display "Hammersmith Bus Station", which is a little confusing as there are two bus terminals there! The rest of the buses on the 266 were formerly allocated to the 113 at Edgware (EW) garage; these have been replaced by TEH-class ADL E40H vehicles that have transferred from Cricklewood (W) garage, enabling the 113 to convert to 100% hybrid operation (which means 80% in practice). Many enthusiasts were angry that the route has received some 11 year old vehicles for the changeover, although the 266 is on a special 2-year temporary contract due to route modifications in conjunction with Crossrail, meaning that the vehicles should still be in a decent condition towards the end. As the route is becoming very difficult to operate due to its impressive length, TFL have proposed to curtail the 266 to Acton High Street, meaning that it will no longer serve Acton Vale or Hammersmith, although the night service will be maintained for the whole route, with the Brent Cross-Hammersmith through trips re-numbered "N266". The daytime replacements will consist of DD route 306 (running between Acton Vale and Fulham Sands End) and SD route 218 (running between Hammersmith and North Acton). Click here for a link to the consultation, where you can share your views on the 266 restructuring with TFL themselves by submitting a response.

Metroline Travel TA642 pauses at Willesden Green Station. Ironically, these ALX400 vehicles were used on the 266 for the previous contract before 2012!

The first day was rather dramatic, as the new Metroline schedule hadn't been updated into the TFL system, resulting in buses not appearing on countdown screens or London Vehicle Finder, which made chasing the solitary Trident ALX400 on the route rather difficult! Despite the technical difficulties, Metroline have made a promising start, with a generally reliable service since the first day, which makes me think that the curtailment of the route could potentially be unnecessary, and perhaps the service can be operated sustainably with a dedicated operator. Although the ADL Enviro 400 buses have made up the majority of the allocation since the new contract, some of the 6 Trident ALX400 vehicles based at Cricklewood (W) garage have strayed onto the route, which has been amusing for some enthusiasts as these vehicles were used on the previous contract before 2012. Even though regular users of route 266 have received a downgrade in terms of vehicle type, the service has improved significantly and hopefully Metroline can keep up the good work for the next 28 months.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Busageddon: Central London Bus Changes

Due to ever-worsening congestion in Central London, bus patronage is falling dramatically, with most passengers switching to the faster, more convenient tube network. Empty buses taking up valuable road space has become an important concern for TFL, who recently published a consultation about reducing the number of services in Central London. A detailed report and summary of the changes can be viewed here, although the consultation is now closed and you won't be able to respond! Unsurprisingly, all of the changes have been given the green light and most of them have already taken place, with the few remaining modifications expected to happen later this year, or in 2018.

The first set of changes took place on Saturday 17th June 2017, affecting routes 6, 73/N73, 172, 242 and 390.

Route 6:

Metroline VWH2100 prepares for departure at Marble Arch, the first stop along the new routeing of route 6.

In order to reduce the number of buses travelling down Oxford Street, route 6 has been diverted between Marble Arch and Piccadilly Circus. It now travels down Park Lane and Piccadilly, omitting Oxford Circus and Regent Street. As well as providing an (underused) round-the-corner link between the aforementioned streets, the removal of a high frequency route along Oxford Street will certainly improve travel times for the remaining buses. Even though the number 6 was pretty popular on its Central section, routes 23 and 98 provide a sufficient alternative for customers wishing to travel to Aldwych, Edgware Road, Maida Vale and Willesden. At the moment, the 6 isn't very busy on its new line of route, but I'm sure passengers will soon realise that this is a much faster alternative to the slow, overcrowded 23 between Marble Arch and Piccadilly Circus. Overall, this is a positive change that should be quite useful to lots of us, especially when the other remaining through route along this corridor is removed from zone 1 altogether (more on that later).

Routes 73/N73:

Arriva London LT531 terminates at Oxford Circus, the new destination for the 73.

The old 73/N73 closely mirrored the Victoria Line between King's Cross St Pancras and Victoria, which seems to have taken a large number of passengers away from this route, due to the significantly faster journey time. As a result, routes 73/N73 have been curtailed to Oxford Circus, no longer serving Marble Arch or Hyde Park Corner, which sneakily removes another high frequency bus route from the crowded end of Oxford Street. In order to maintain the somewhat popular link from Oxford Street to Victoria, route 390 has been re-routed as a replacement for the 73. This curtailment has led to the stand at Holles Street becoming rather overcrowded, especially as the 73 (which runs every 5 minutes at rush hour) is sharing with the high frequency route 25, meaning that sometimes buses have simply had to depart early, or queue in the middle of the road! It's hard to imagine that in 2011, the 73 still ran all the way from Seven Sisters-Victoria, whereas now it's merely a shuttle between Stoke Newington and Oxford Circus, being duplicated by the 476 for 80% of its journey. Personally, I think that this curtailment is part of a wider scheme that will see the 476 extended to Tottenham Court Road (a few minutes away from Euston, its current terminus, and Oxford Circus) and the withdrawal of route 73, with a re-numbering to keep certain people happy! Even though this has been one of the more controversial changes, residents of Stoke Newington can appreciate a more reliable service from now on, even if a few links have been broken. 

Route 390:

Metroline London LT117 pauses at Marble Arch en route to Victoria/

Due to excess capacity along the Bayswater Road corridor, TFL decided the 390 wasn't needed between Notting Hill Gate and Marble Arch (something they might regret during Notting Hill Carnival). As the 73 was struggling to maintain a reliable service, the 390 took over the Oxford Circus-Victoria section instead, with a frequency increase to every 6 minutes. Even though this should've been a fairly straightforward changeover, many passengers still aren't comfortable with the change of number, as I've spotted numerous empty 390 buses on the new section of route, even though the 73 was pretty busy along this corridor. Essentially, this change makes the 390 much more purposeful heading West from Oxford Circus and makes it a much more significant route in Central London. However, this change isn't exactly altruistic in nature, as reducing the number of buses along Oxford Street is clearly the top priority. The curtailment of the 73 has removed 12bph at rush hour, and even though the 390 has received a frequency increase, it's runs every 6 minutes at rush hour, which is slightly less regular than the previous 73 service. A few extra New Routemaster vehicles have been drafted in from other companies to help achieve the frequency increase on the 390, which will certainly benefit commuters travelling from Tufnell Park and Archway. Hopefully, the re-numbering doesn't put people off using the bus from Victoria-Oxford Circus and beyond, so that the 390 can be a suitable replacement for the 73.

Route 172:

Abellio London 2440 stands at Brockley Rise, showing the incorrect destination.

 In order to reduce the number of buses travelling along Fleet Street, route 172 has been diverted at Ludgate Circus to terminate at Clerkenwell Green, rather than St Paul's, which has freed up stand space for the 242. Additionally, the 172 now improves accessibility to Farringdon Crossrail Station, as it will stop directly outside the main entrance. However, the 243 already provides a sufficient link from Waterloo-Farringdon (travelling via Holborn, which is quicker) and the 172 will be caught in heavy traffic during rush hour at Ludgate Circus, so at the moment the extension is very lightly used, with buses carrying little more than 2 or 3 passengers at a time. I'm sceptical that this change will be very successful, as the 243 copes easily between Farringdon and Waterloo already, having room for a small increase in demand; I think TFL have overestimated the number of people travelling between these two areas. However, the 172 might've been re-routed simply because its stand at St Paul's was required for another route, and the terminus at Clerkenwell Green has been abandoned for many years now. Personally, I've never thought that the 172 had much of a purpose further than Aldwych, and it could easily be curtailed there and extended further South, perhaps to Lower Sydenham, to provide some more useful links into Central London.

Abellio London 9060 pauses at Lancaster Place, showing correct blinds this time!

Unfortunately, Abellio weren't fully prepared for the changeover on Saturday 17th June, with most of vehicles showing the incorrect destination, usually 'Ludgate Circus' or 'St Paul's'. Some home-made blinds were placed in the front window for a few vehicles, but others just ran around fully banditised. Thankfully, the majority of the allocation have been fitted with correct blinds now, although any odd workings probably won't be blinded, considering the route is transferring to Go-Ahead London next year. Hopefully, my predictions about light loadings are incorrect and this change will be worthwhile in the long term, and maybe the route might become slightly more reliable as it doesn't have to deal with some of Fleet Street now.

Route 242:

Arriva London HV237 approaches the end of the line at Bread Street, St Paul's.

As the 172 has been re-routed to terminate at Clerkenwell Green, a vacant stand at St Paul's permitted a curtailment of route 242, which has been running empty between Tottenham Court Road and Bank for a long time. Apart from a few trips during rush hour, the 242 was very quiet beyond Liverpool Street, with most passengers from Dalston/Homerton choosing to alight there. This superfluous section of route has now been withdrawn, with routes 8/25 maintaining the link to Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus respectively. Conveniently, this also provides a permanent stand for route 8, which has been standing near Goodge Street until recently. Even though I always loved the 'inner-city' section on the 242, the reasons for its withdrawal are understandable, and hopefully a more reliable service for Homerton can be achieved, where the route can get very busy from my observations.

The next set of changes took place on Saturday 15th July 2017, affecting routes 22/N22, 137 and C2.

Route 137:

Arriva London LT954 stands at Marble Arch, the permanent new terminus for route 137.

 The 137 has made intermittent appearances along Oxford Street over the past few years, being curtailed at Marble Arch frequently, either due to an event along the aforementioned road, or as a mitigation measure. With the Oxford Street Bus Reduction Plan in full swing, the 137 was naturally one of the first routes to be curtailed. Regarding the issue of stand space, the 159 has been 'temporarily' curtailed at Oxford Circus due to works along Whitehall, so the 137 has settled in on Cumberland Gate for the time being; whether the 159 actually returns is another matter, so the 137 might be safe in the future. Interestingly, the highest number of broken links as a result of the changes were on this route, suggesting that the link to South London along Oxford Street was appreciated after all. Having said that, Marble Arch is a short walk away and hopefully shoppers have been made aware of their new bus stop, so the route can still be a popular method of reaching Central London from Clapham and surrounding areas.

Route C2:

Abellio London 9531 stands at Conduit Street, at the end of a C2 journey.

One of the more controversial changes involves the curtailment of route C2 to Oxford Circus (in reality, this means the junction of Regent Street and Conduit Street), in an attempt to improve reliability on this route, with the diversion of the 22 partially compensating for the loss of route C2 in Mayfair. The Green Park-Oxford Circus corridor has frequently changed route over the past decade, with the 8, C2 and 22 all having a go. The popular Victoria-Oxford Circus/Camden Town link has been broken, much to the annoyance of many commuters, who were pretty miffed when their bus was turned at Oxford Circus. In my opinion, this change was unnecessary, as the C2 didn't have previous reliability problems and has been converted to a ridiculously short route that merely shuttles people between Kentish Town and Oxford Circus, conveniently travelling through Camden Town in the process. Operation of the route from Battersea (QB) garage is rather inappropriate now, considering the route now terminates nowhere near there, so a loss of the contract is to be expected. Once again, I suspect this change is more to do with finding stand space, with extra room at Victoria being especially important with all these changes. As a result of the curtailment of route C2, the 3 has temporarily been stopped at Trafalgar Square, although an extension to Russell Square is expected to take place in 2018. Overall, I'm unhappy with the C2 change, as it's now nowhere near as useful as before, and the best section of the route has been cut!

Routes 22/N22:

Go-Ahead London WHV33 approaches the end of the journey in Mayfair.

As a result of the curtailment of route C2 to Regent Street, the 22 has been diverted at Green Park to serve Mayfair and terminate at Oxford Circus rather than Piccadilly Circus. This partially fills in the void left by the absence of the C2, maintaining a few crucial round-the-corner links and creating some new ones to Sloane Square and Chelsea, although the removal of the fast Oxford Circus-Victoria link has angered lots of commuters. The 22 is already fairly popular on this section, with many 137 users changing for this route at Sloane Square, which takes them to Oxford Circus fairly quickly. Instead of merely providing additional support for the 14, the 22 now provides a unique link from South-West London and is much more useful than before; it's also now gained a very interesting section of route and I look forward to riding the revised 22 from start to finish soon. As the C2 was a 24 hour route, the N22 has also been diverted to Oxford Circus, which is slightly more convenient for some parts of Soho. Embarrassingly, Go-Ahead London completely forgot to run the N22 to the new terminus on the night of Friday 14th July 2017, but the C2 did curtail at Regent Street, leaving Mayfair without a bus service for one night! Thankfully, patronage on that section is fairly low, and Oxford Street is a short walk away, which is home to several 24-hour services and night buses. Rather conveniently, this now frees up stand space at Piccadilly Circus, which is going to be very important for the next few years, due to its close proximity to Oxford Street. Overall, this aspect of the change has been pretty successful, but I'm still debating over whether the loss of the C2 was worth it...

Future changes:

As well as the changes reviewed above, some other routes will be diverted at some point in the future. Once they take place, another blog post will come out and my thoughts will be expressed then, but for now, I'm simply going to list them here and allow you to digest this information as it's quite heavy-going! Click here for the consultation page, which shows some detailed reports and maps on the changes.

• Route 3 will be extended from Trafalgar Square to terminate at Russell Square, via Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road in 2018.
• Route 425 will be extended from Stratford Bus Station to Ilford, with a frequency increase to every 10 minutes Mon-Sat, and to every 12 minutes on Sundays. These will replace the current short trips on route 25 that run between Ilford and Mile End only. September 2017.
• Route 46 will be curtailed at Paddington, no longer serving Lancaster Gate.
• Route 332 will be re-routed between Kilburn High Road and Paddington, serving Maida Vale, Shirland Road and Warwick Avenue instead of Edgware Road. It will terminate at Lancaster Gate rather than on Bishop's Bridge.
• Route 23 will be completely restructured to no longer run East of Paddington. Instead, it will terminate at Lancaster Gate and run up to Ladbroke Grove Sainsbury's as usual, then continue to Kensal Green, Harlesden, Brent Park and Wembley.
• Route 452 will be withdrawn between Ladbroke Grove Sainsbury's and Kensal Rise, and re-routed to serve Westbourne Park as a replacement for the loss of route 23, before terminating at Harrow Road. The last four changes will take place in 2018.

It seems that the Central London Bus Consultation has been somewhat successful. The number of buses in zone 1 has been reduced, although some links have been broken and inconvenienced lots of commuters. As many of the changes have been triggered by making more efficient use of stand space, we can infer that another 'Central London Bus Consultation' will be on the way soon, so make the most of your useful zone 1 bus routes, they might disappear!

Thanks for reading and stay safe!