A major expansion of outer London’s bus network, the Superloop, would be made up of limited-stop express bus routes around outer London
The Mayor has already committed to an increase of over one million kilometres in outer London ahead of the expansion of the lifesaving ULEZ in August
The Superloop has been made possible by the extra £6m provided by the Mayor of London for even more improvements in outer London bus services
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,) announced plans for a network of limited-stop express bus routes that circle the entire capital,connecting outer London town centres, railway stations, hospitals and transport hubs, faster.
The Superloop will provide quicker journey times, with the Mayor of London providing £6m funding as an initial catalyst to improvements to outer London orbital bus services. It is proposed to be introduced in stages with some routes that would become part of the Superloop now in operation, providing quick links across outer London. This includes the X140 connecting Heathrow and Harrow, and a more frequent route X26 connecting Heathrow and West Croydon. The next new part of the outer London bus network will be the route linking Harrow with North Finchley, subject to consultation. TfL is working with the relevant boroughs on initial proposals for this next section and will consult on the route in the coming months.
Following that, views will be sought on future sections of the orbital network. These proposed future sections include a limited-stop express link between North Finchley and Walthamstow and between Walthamstow and the Royal Docks via Ilford. Links are also proposed between Bexleyheath, Bromley and Croydon. Some of the benefits of the proposed Superloop will be realised later this year, with the X26 doubling in frequency so that buses run every 15 minutes instead of every 30 minutes.
The Superloop brand is designed to work with the iconic London Buses brand by using a new Roundel and bus livery to ensure clear identification of the new service, but still recognisable as part of the London Buses network. The new branding will also feature on maps, timetables and other pieces of customer information.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “When I made the tough decision to expand the ULEZ London-wide, one of my key commitments to Londoners was to improve transport links in outer London. Today I am delivering on that commitment as we announce the Superloop, the game-changing new network of express buses that will add over four million additional kilometres to our bus network in outer London, linking stations, town centres, hospitals and transport hubs. These new routes will make it much easier for Londoners to get around the capital, and help build a better, greener London for everyone.”
Alex Williams, chief customer and strategy officer at TfL, said: “The Superloop is the jewel in the crown in our plans to strengthen alternatives to the private car ahead of the ULEZ expanding London-wide and is a game changer for outer London. For the first time we will be bringing a number of the capital’s town centres together with express orbital routes. We know these kinds of services are hugely popular from what we have seen in the rise in the number of people using the X140 during the week.
“Part of making the bus network even more attractive is providing new routes and increasing frequencies where it is required – both of which we are doing with this new iconic service. The Superloop is on top of, and complements, a million additional bus kilometres committed by the Mayor in the capital’s outer ring and includes improvements from Sutton in the south to Brent Cross in the north, as well as transformational changes to London’s rail network outside the centre of the city.”
John Holland-Kaye, ceo of Heathrow Airport, said: “Bus routes are vital for thousands of colleagues and passengers travelling to Heathrow. We welcome the announcement of a Superloop service that will provide quicker connections and we look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor to deliver vital connectivity in outer London’.
James Murray, Member of Parliament for Ealing North, said: “In outer London, it is especially important for us to have quick and reliable bus routes. I very much welcome the Mayor’s new Superloop, and its more direct services between many of our town centres and stations. I hope this will make it easier and faster for many people living in outer London to get around the city by public transport.”
In addition, TfL confirmed yesterday that more than £35m of further funding has been allocated to outer London boroughs to make streets healthier and safer for all as part of TfL’s Local Implementation Plan funding. The whole programme will see 29km of bus lane schemes and is providing £10.6m to London boroughs to deliver bus journey time improvements.
Enhanced public transport, walking and cycling options in outer London will help people move to more sustainable travel options. Recently announced TfL data shows that nine in 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day now meet the Ultra Low Emission Zone standards. It is expected that when the standards cover the larger area, the proportion will be even higher. The ULEZ has already been hugely successful in central and inner London, helping to reduce harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels by 46 per cent in central London and 21 per cent in inner London. The ULEZ expansion will save nearly 27,000 tonnes of CO2 in outer London in its first year, more than double that which the central London ULEZ achieved in its first year of operation. Amongst other improvements, the expansion is forecast to make further progress to reduce air pollution, by reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from cars in outer London by 10 per cent and reducing PM2.5 car exhaust emissions in outer London by nearly 16 per cent.
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