The Anonymous Widower

Riding The X140 Bus Between Heathrow Airport And Harrow Bus Station

I did this journey, which will be part of the Superloop, in better weather than yesterday, and was able to take these better pictures.

Note.

1. The roads were much better than yesterday’s trip and were mostly two lanes each way, with large roundabouts at junctions.
2. I suspect the bus was going at between 30 and 40 mph most of the way.
3. There was still quite a lot of traffic.
4. It is a distance of about 15 miles.
5. The timetable says that buses run every 10-13 minutes.
6. The X26 buses run between about six in the morning at midnight.
7. There are twelve intermediate stops.
8. Harrow-On-The-Hill station is next to Harrow Bus station.
9. Heathrow Central connects to Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth and Piccadilly Lines.
10. Hayes and Harlington connects to the Elizabeth Line and GWR’s local services.
11. Northolt station connects to the Central Line.
12. Northolt Park station connects to Chiltern.
13. South Harrow station connects to the Piccadilly Line.
14. Harrow-On-The-Hill connects to the Metropolitan Line and Chiltern

The journey took 49 minutes, which is only a minute longer than the timetable.

I have a few thoughts.

Passenger Numbers

These were my observations on my journey that started at about 11:30 on a dry day.

• Few got on at Heathrow Central, but I suspect we had just missed a bus.
• By Hayes & Harrington station, the bus was about a quarter full.
• At South Harrow station it must have been about three-quarters full.
• At Harrow bus station all the lower-deck seats were taken.

I would expect that the loading I saw fits with TfL’s expectations.

The Bus

The bus was one of the latest ADL battery-electric buses.

• It had a strong performance.
• It had wi-fi and phone charging.
• It was probably less than a year old.
• It was a lot better than yesterday’s bus!

At present not all buses on the route are battery-electric, as some are still older hybrids.

Travelling To Heathrow From The Northern Reaches Of The Metropolitan Line

Many people travel to and from Heathrow either for work or because they are flying.

• But it is not an easy journey from the Northern reaches of the Metropolitan Line.
• I believe the X26 bus could be a viable way to get to the airport for many.
• There would be a change at Harrow-on-the-Hill, but the station is at least step-free.
• It would avoid parking fees.
• Fares could be less than fuel costs.

The only big drawback, is that the X26 bus is not twenty-four hours.

More And More Frequent Buses Would Help

I believe that the Superloop should be a 24-hour service, as a lot of things go on at airports in the middle of the night.

I’ve just found out that there is an N140 bus that covers the route.

I also think, that as with the Overground, services should be at least four buses per hour.

March 29, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | AlexanderDennis, Battery-Electric Buses, Buses, Central Line, Chiltern Railways, Elizabeth Line, Great Western Railway, Harrow Bus Station, Harrow-On-The-Hill Station, Heathrow Airport, London Bus X140, Metropolitan Line, Piccadilly Line, Superloop, Transport for London