Weekly Summary: March 29th

Whilst the middle of the week has been completely dry, the very start was filled with activity, whilst this weekend is probably the biggest you'll find all year.

This week in action:

• Saturday 23rd March saw CT Plus take over the 20, with a mixture of new E40H Cities which were rushed into service, along with two Stagecoach Enviro 400s which are being loaned until the 388 receives its proposed curtailment. Whilst the service has been pretty poor, it's only week one out of (theoretically) 260, so hopefully some improvement should be seen.
• Metroline also took over the 393 on this date, with mid-length Enviro 200s transferring down from Potters Bar (PB) garage at the last minute, along with some of the ex-Arriva buses which have been loaned. A mysterious Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TL, which logged into LVF for several hours on Saturday, was unfortunately not legitimate.
• The 'RF' running day in the Kingston area on Sunday 24th March was highly attended and considered a success, despite South Western Railway presenting some challenges in travelling to the event. 
• Two Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles have transferred over to Holloway (HT) garage for the 43.
• In an attempt to support the pitiful service on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, two supplementary rail replacement services have commenced between Hampstead Heath and Finsbury Park (using Arriva E200s), along with from Walthamstow to Leytonstone (Arriva double deckers).
• ADH51, a 62-reg Enviro 400 hybrid at London United, has transferred down to Epsom (EB) garage as accident cover.
• Abellio 8108, an ex-Surrey vehicle, has re-entered London service from Beddington Cross (BC) garage primarily on the 367.
• Monday saw the proper introduction of Great Northern Class 717 Desiro units from Moorgate to Hertfordshire (beyond the initial preview trips), with the withdrawal of the ageing Class 313 units starting from now.
• Route 25 has fully converted to hybrid operation this week, using brand new Wrightbus Streetdeck vehicles for the bulk of its allocation. The remainder of the PVR consists of MCV EvoSetis already found at Lea Interchange (LI) garage.
• Tender results were published on Monday, with full details on the dedicated tenders page.
• Deutsche Bahn are going to sell the bus operator Arriva, who operate a large number of routes in London.
• Thursday saw a Croydon Tramlink strike, with Abellio sending out extra buses on the 289, as well as some Stagecoach Enviro 200s on the 54.
• Abellio West London have continued the trend of sneaking out interesting workings on Friday, with the Enviro 400H 2401 making an appearance on the U5, perhaps hinting at part of what will be used on the 207 from next week.
• Other rare workings include the MCV EvoSeti VMH2543 on the W8, as well as a spike in the number of conventional Enviro 400s on the 211.

 This weekend: 30th/31st March

• Another classic bus running day will take place on Saturday 30th March, commemorating the 40th anniversary since the withdrawal of London Transport's last RF and RT. This will be centered around Barking (BK) and River Road (RR) garages, with special bus services being operated between and beyond the two locations, as well as a procession of RTs at the end of the day.
• Routes 262 and 473 will pass from Stagecoach London to Tower Transit on the Saturday, with Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TLs from the 25 taking over the current allocation of Scania OmniCity vehicles, on Saturday 30th March.
• Stagecoach also lose the 396 on this day, but this route will head over to Go-Ahead with existing Enviro 200s. It is likely that double deck workings will cease with this contract change!
• Metroline, at Potters Bar (PB) garage, will take over route 317 from Arriva London.
• Friday 29th March marks the last day of route C2 operating as a London bus service. Its replacement will come in the form of a re-routed and extended 88, which will deviate to serve London Zoo and Albany Street between Oxford Circus and Camden Town instead of its current routeing via Mornington Crescent. It will run through to Kentish Town and Parliament Hill Fields like C2 currently does.
• The 87 will receive New Routemaster vehicles which are no longer suitable to run the 88 due to its revised routeing.
• Rail replacements are in operation from Earl's Court to Wimbledon, Addiscombe to Elmers End, Hackney Downs to Chingford, Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction and Stratford to Romford.

 Next Weekend: 6th/7th April

• Abellio London, at Hayes (WS) garage for the time being, will assume operation of the 207/N207 on Saturday 6th April, with the allocation being a mixed bag of Enviro 400s, including five brand new smart hybrid MMCs. This route will transfer to a new base, Southall (GW), at a later date. The two afternoon school trips from Twyford Avenue will be withdrawn.
• In an attempt to fill the void created at Greenford (G) garage following the 207 loss, Metroline will transfer route 607 over there from Uxbridge (UX) garage. This route should also have received new MCV EvoSeti B5LH vehicles by this date, but it is expected the current vehicles will transfer over instead as these are nowhere to be seen. An extra stop will be introduced at Iron Bridge for this limited stop service, so that driver changeovers can take place.
• The South East Bus Festival, which will take place on a field near Ashford (Kent), is also on April 6th.
• Rail replacements are in action from Addiscombe to Birkbeck, Stratford City to Redbridge and Loughton (Sunday), Ilford to Woodford (Sunday), Barking to Grays via Rainham.

Weekly Summary - March 22nd

It's been a fairly active week on the bus scene, whilst the next two weekends certainly won't disappoint either!

This week in action:

• Both the 1938 stock and 'On The Buses' tours were successful last weekend, with both events being very popular.
• Routes 696 and 697 have had their allocations transferred to Hounslow (AV) garage, which means there's now roughly a 50/50 split between this base and Hounslow Heath (HH) for the limited number of remaining 56-reg Scania OmniCity N94/UD vehicles.
• WDL1, the Wrightbus Gemini 2 DB300 demonstrator vehicle operated by Go-Ahead, has been withdrawn from London service and can now be found at Carousel Buses.
• It has been confirmed that route 607 will have its operation transferred to Greenford (G) garage on Saturday 6th April.
• A new Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH has arrived at Fulwell (FW) garage for route 65.
• The last Class 43 HST operated by Great Western Railway is believed to operate on Saturday 18th May, forming the 1830 London Paddington to Taunton via Bristol Temple Meads.
• One of the new E40H Cities ordered by CT Plus for the 20, 2540, was on display at the ExCeL Centre earlier this week, allegedly boasting an innovative iBus screen.
• TfL have released another consultation regarding changes to route 339 within the Olympic Park, this time involving a new bridge in Fish Island.
• Abellio have sneaked out two of its new ADL Enviro 400 'smart hybrid' MMCs, 2001 and 2002, onto routes 427 and U5, whilst a refurbished E40D has emerged on the E1 and E9. These buses will form part of the 207s allocation when the operator takes over on April 6th.

This weekend: 23rd/24th March

• A classic bus running day will take place on Sunday 24th March to commemorate the 40th anniversary since the withdrawal of London Transport's last RF. These will be on routes 218 and 219, from Kingston to Staines and Weybridge.
• CT Plus will assume operation of route 20 on Saturday 23rd March, with new ADL Enviro400H Cities displacing the Gemini 2s which usually work the route under Go-Ahead. However, the planned frequency reduction of route 388 has been cancelled at the last minute (this would've freed up two existing City vehicles to complete the allocation), so for now two diesel E400s will be loaned from Stagecoach.
• Metroline take over the 393 too, but the existing ADL Enviro 200 vehicles which Arriva currently use will be loaned since the new buses ordered against the contract are too long. It is expected that some existing 9.3m E200s already in the Metroline fleet will also work the route.
• Rail replacements are in action from Earl's Court to Wimbledon, Stratford to Romford, Sandilands to Birkbeck and Elmers End, Teddington to Shepperton, Purley to Caterham and Tattenham Corner (Sunday), Beckenham Junction to Orpington (Sunday) and Lewisham to Dartford via Bexleyheath (Sunday). 

Next Weekend: 30th/31st March

• Another classic bus running day will take place on Saturday 30th March, commemorating the 40th anniversary since the withdrawal of London Transport's last RF and RT. This will be centered around Barking (BK) and River Road (RR) garages, with special bus services being operated between and beyond the two locations, as well as a procession of RTs at the end of the day.
• Routes 262 and 473 will pass from Stagecoach London to Tower Transit on the Saturday, with Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TLs from the 25 taking over the current allocation of Scania OmniCity vehicles, on Saturday 30th March.
• Stagecoach also lose the 396 on this day, but this route will head over to Go-Ahead with existing Enviro 200s. It is likely that double deck workings will cease with this contract change!
• Friday 29th March marks the last day of route C2 operating as a London bus service. Its replacement will come in the form of a re-routed and extended 88, which will deviate to serve London Zoo and Albany Street between Oxford Circus and Camden Town instead of its current routeing via Mornington Crescent. It will run through to Kentish Town and Parliament Hill Fields like C2 currently does.
•  Rail replacements are in operation from Earl's Court to Wimbledon, Addiscombe to Elmers End, Hackney Downs to Chingford, Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction and Stratford to Romford.

Weekly Summary - March 15th

This week has been even quieter than the past two, with events concentrated on single days as opposed to throughout the week.

This week in action:

• Route 27, as of Saturday 2nd March, has received its curtailment to Hammersmith, with buses continuing just beyond the bus station to the town hall, before picking up again at the Hammersmith & City Line. Misleadingly, this is displayed as 'Hammersmith Glenthorne Road' on the front even though passengers can't actually board there. The N27, which only runs as far as the bus station, has also made its debut.
• The 27 has now fully converted to New Routemaster operation, seeing off the final Scania OmniCity vehicles at Stamford Brook (V) which makes the E3 100% Enviro, although unusually the presumed dead SP140 revived itself for two days before bowing out for good (we think).
• Typically, the rerouteing of the 440, for it to serve Chiswick Business Park and Wellesley Road before terminating at Turnham Green, has turned out to be farcical. On the first day, conveniently timed road surfacing resulted in vehicles running non-stop between Bollo Lane and Turnham Green, missing out the rest of Chiswick completely and infuriatingly sailing past stops which should've been closed. Although the new routeing has been in place since Sunday, most vehicles are still blinded for the old destination, Power Road, with iBus also showing this incorrect information.
• The last Marshall Capital in London, DMN1, seems to have disappeared, perhaps marking the extinction of the type once and for all.
• Arriva have confirmed the opening of two outstations in Erith and Beddington.
• The first Mercedes Sprinter minibus has arrived at Go-Ahead London for their demand responsive service in Sutton.
• Rare workings include the MCV EvoSeti VMH2452 on the 307, ADL Enviro 400s E59 on the X26 and T103 on the 137.
• Friday 15th Mrach saw several operators send out heritage vehicles in light of comic relief, with donations for Red Nose Day. Despite the Westminster area being invaded with angry schoolchildren for several hours and therefore lots of diversions, the event was hugely popular with enthusiasts and the public alike with vehicles appearing on routes 8, 9, 14, 23, 24, 159, 217 and 228. 

  

This weekend - 17th/18th March:

• Although tickets are sold out, a second tour of the art-deco 1938 London Underground stock will happen on Sunday, with the train starting at Northfields at approximately 10am. More details can be found here
• Rail replacements are in action from West Croydon to Sutton and Epsom Downs, Streatham to Epsom, Stratford to Romford, Lewisham to Dartford via Woolwich (Sunday) and Hounslow to Staines/Windsor (Sunday).
• Slightly late notice, although from Saturday Class 378s only will work the Gospel Oak to Barking Line at a half hourly frequency.
• Courtesy of Visions International, a London bus tour is scheduled to take place on Saturday 16th March, based on the programme "On The Buses" it involves taking an RT through a variety of relevant locations in North London, including the former Eastern National Wood Green garage and the current Sullivan Buses base at South Mimms.

 Next weekend - 23rd/24th March:

•  A classic bus running day will take place on Sunday 24th March to commemorate the 40th anniversary since the withdrawal of London Transport's last RF. These will be on routes 218 and 219, from Kingston to Staines and Weybridge.
• CT Plus will assume operation of route 20 on Saturday 23rd March, with new ADL Enviro400H Cities displacing the Gemini 2s which usually work the route under Go-Ahead. The 393 will also change operators, with Arriva losing out to Metroline who have ordered a batch of longer Enviro 200 MMCs for the change. For you dedicated nutters, the 0020 from Chalk Farm and 0015 from Walthamstow are scheduled to be the last ever Arriva 393 and Go-Ahead 20 respectively. 
• Rail replacements are in action from Earl's Court to Wimbledon, Stratford to Romford, Sandilands to Birkbeck and Elmers End, Teddington to Shepperton, Purley to Caterham and Tattenham Corner (Sunday), Beckenham Junction to Orpington (Sunday) and Lewisham to Dartford via Bexleyheath (Sunday). 

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Weekly Summary - March 8th

It's been a really quiet week on the buses, with hardly any news worth reporting. Nonetheless, a few rare workings and some 'vintage' events for those interested will be happening over the next two weekends.

This week in action:

• Some progress has been made in regards to the misplaced bus stop reading 'Selfridges' at the top end of Baker Street. The incorrect name is yet to be corrected, although some of the right routes have been installed with the use of a permanent marker.
• The first brand new ADL Enviro 400 MMC smart hybrids have been delivered for Twickenham (TF) garage for route 207, which Abellio will take over in April.
• Route 15H has taken a break from operation and will return on Saturday 30th March, on weekends and public holidays only.
• Arriva successfully assumed operation of the 158 on Saturday 2nd March, with the Gemini 2 B9TLs and DB300s being much newer than the previous allocation of Trident ALX400s ; most of these have been stood down.
• New MCV EvoSeti B5LH and existing ADL Enviro400H vehicles have entered service at Holloway (HT) garage, primarily on routes 43 and 271 respectively, in an attempt to 'clean up' their allocations in time for the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Those Volvo/B7TL Presidents won't be around for much longer!
• Two Dart Pointers are still active on route 72 at London United.
• Arriva London's Wrightbus Streetdeck micro-hybrid has transferred from Norwood (N) garage to Palmers Green (AD) and can now be found on the 141.
• Rare workings have been even more sparse this week, with an Optare Versa on the 413 and a technically overweight E200 MMC on the 33 being of significance on the single deck front. Interestingly, over at Rainham (RM) garage the Enviro 400 19000, better known as 'Spirit of London', strayed onto route 372 for half a rounder (banditised) instead of sticking to the 248 and 252

 This weekend - 9th/10th March:

• On the Saturday route 27 will be curtailed to Hammersmith Grove (with a shortened route N27 being introduced to terminate at the bus station) whilst the 440 will be restructured. From South Acton it will no longer go through Chiswick Park, Turnham Green, Wellesley Road then to Power Road. Instead it will serve Chiswick Business Park and Wellesley Road to terminate at Turnham Green.
• Rail replacements can be found from Stratford to Romford, Sandilands to Elmers End and Barking to Grays via Rainham, Lewisham to Orpington (Saturday), Orpington to Sevenoaks (Sunday) and London Bridge to Streatham (Sunday).

Next weekend - 17th/18th March:

•  Although technically not at the weekend, Friday 15th March marks Red Nose Day 2019 and this year a large number of operators will be sending out Routemasters and other vintage double deckers on Central London routes, with donations to charities of their choice. Confirmed routes are the 2 (Arriva London), 8 (Stagecoach London), 9 (London United), 14 (Go-Ahead London), 23 (Tower Transit) and 24 (Metroline). Interestingly, one route 9 journey at 1330 will continue from Hammersmith to Liverpool Street, with a return at 1513
• Rail replacements are in action from West Croydon to Sutton and Epsom Downs, Streatham to Epsom, Stratford to Romford, Lewisham to Dartford via Woolwich (Sunday) and Hounslow to Staines/Windsor (Sunday).
• Courtesy of Visions International, a London bus tour is scheduled to take place on Saturday 16th March, based on the programme "On The Buses" it involves taking an RT through a variety of relevant locations in North London, including the former Eastern National Wood Green garage and the current Sullivan Buses base at South Mimms.  

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Weekly Summary - March 1st

As this is the first edition of the series, I shall attempt to briefly explain the format of these quick publications. They will consist of any news or events which have occurred in the past week, along with anything worth covering for the next two weekends.

This week in action:

•  As of Sunday 24th February, the one-way system around Gloucester Place and Baker Street has been scrapped, in favour of both roads becoming two way. As ever, TfL's delivery has been poor with the initial opening delayed and filled with a diversion due to a overhanging tree. The bus stops contain incorrect information since they have just been taken from their previous positions - Selfridges is now located near Baker Street Station according to this and TfL have had to draft in stewards to force buses to actually stop there! There is no clue as to which bus routes are serving which street, given the online information hasn't been updated, whilst the traffic has still been a problem even with the new system. What a mess!
•  On the same day a rail-tour of the art-deco 1938 stock London Underground train took place, with locations ranging from Ealing Common to Moorgate and Baker Street.
• After a considerable amount of time in absence, London's only BCI tri-axle bus, TA1, has returned to service on the 12.
• Given that the 4-car Class 710 Aventra trains were meant to upgrade the Gospel Oak to Barking line in February 2018, people have started to wonder if they will ever be able to accumulate fault-free mileage and enter service. However, just as the temporary "solution" has been implemented, there have been actual sightings of these trains whizzing up and down the line over the past few days, finally showing some signs of progress. It'll be a while before they start picking up passengers - a Class 37 locomotive did have to follow directly behind in the likely to event of breakdown - but the earlier they can enter service the better.
• Rare workings have been few and far between this week, with the only examples being an Enviro 400 MMC (EH222) on the N1, a long Enviro 200 (DEL2062) on the 268, along with two smart hybrid MMCs (11067 and 11068) on the 61.
• VWH1362 is said to be the first Metroline Wrightbus Gemini 2 B5LH to return from a refurbishment.
• It has been confirmed that, contrary to popular belief, the 406 will be using Scania OmniCity vehicles for its new contract in June.
• A rather baffling mix-up has occurred with the new ADL Enviro 200 MMCs which Metroline have ordered for their takeover of the 393 later this month. Although they specified 9.7m DEM-class vehicles, photographs of them speeding down the motorway on delivery seem to suggest that they are actually much longer. 
• One Scania OmniCity vehicle, SP160, is still active on route E3.
• LDP206, one of the oldest Go-Ahead London Dart Pointer vehicles, has been withdrawn.

This weekend - 2nd/3rd March:

• Route 15H will take a break from operation this month - the last weekday service ran on Friday 1st March and after between the first and last weekend of March, it will not operate. After this, the route will return at summer weekends and public holidays only.
• Stagecoach London lose the 158 (Stratford to Chingford Mount) just after midnight on Saturday 2nd March, with this change reducing the number of Trident ALX400s in service rapidly. Arriva will take over with a mixture of Wrightbus Gemini 2s in the form of both DB300s and B9TLs.
• Rail replacements are in action this weekend from Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays, Twickenham and Kew Bridge (last two Sunday only), Stratford to Romford, Sandilands to Elmers End and Barking to Grays via Rainham.

Next weekend - 9th/10th March:

• On the Saturday route 27 will be curtailed to Hammersmith Bus Station, whilst the 440 will be restructured. From South Acton it will no longer go through Chiswick Park, Turnham Green, Wellesley Road then to Power Road. Instead it will serve Chiswick Business Park and Wellesley Road to terminate at Turnham Green.
• Rail replacements can be found from Stratford to Romford, Sandilands to Elmers End and Barking to Grays via Rainham, Lewisham to Orpington (Saturday), Orpington to Sevenoaks (Sunday) and London Bridge to Streatham (Sunday).

Thanks for reading and stay safe!