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.
- The roads were much better than yesterday’s trip and were mostly two lanes each way, with large roundabouts at junctions.
- I suspect the bus was going at between 30 and 40 mph most of the way.
- There was still quite a lot of traffic.
- It is a distance of about 15 miles.
- The timetable says that buses run every 10-13 minutes.
- The X26 buses run between about six in the morning at midnight.
- There are twelve intermediate stops.
- Harrow-On-The-Hill station is next to Harrow Bus station.
- Heathrow Central connects to Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth and Piccadilly Lines.
- Hayes and Harlington connects to the Elizabeth Line and GWR’s local services.
- Northolt station connects to the Central Line.
- Northolt Park station connects to Chiltern.
- South Harrow station connects to the Piccadilly Line.
- 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.
Riding The X26 Bus Between West Croydon Bus Station And Heathrow Airport
I did this journey, which will be part of the Superloop, in the pouring rain yesterday, and took these were the awful pictures.
Note.
- The rain didn’t help, but the journey was so slow and it is timetabled for an hour and forty minutes.
- There was a lot of traffic and this meant we were a few minutes late.
- I was sitting up front, with another pensioner, who was going to have lunch with mates in Kingston.
It may be an express bus, but I can’t see the speed of this section attracting a lot of passengers.
When I took my ride across Birmingham in a hydrogen bus, which I wrote about in Riding Birmingham’s New Hydrogen-Powered Buses, where I said this about the Wrightbuses.
I very much feel that the buses are the best hydrogen-powered vehicles, that I’ve travelled in, as they are smooth, comfortable, quiet and seem to have excellent performance.
There were some sections of dual-carriageway in Birmingham, where the buses were able to use their excellent acceleration to get through the traffic and make up many seconds.
It should also be noted, that Dublin uses the same hydrogen buses for a long-distance commuter bus.
West Croydon Bus Station – 28th March 2023
This morning I went to West Croydon Bus Station, to catch the X26 bus between West Croydon station and Heathrow Airport.
This was to investigate TfL’s Superloop.
I took these pictures of the bus station.
It was nice to see a well-designed bus station, that had been built to a high standard.
New Fast Bus Service To Link London’s Outer Boroughs
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A new fast service bus network has been announced for London’s outer boroughs.
These three paragraphs outline the concept.
Six new routes will be created and four incorporated into the ‘Superloop’ network, complete with distinct branding.
The plans propose a fast service to make more stops linking many of the peripheral boroughs.
The network is part of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s effort to compensate for the impact of the ultra-low emission zone expansion, due to start in August.
This draft map from TfL illustrates the concept.
In the draft map, the following can be discerned.
- Arnos Grove station is in the North.
- West Croydon station is in the South.
- Royal Docks and Bexleyheath are in the East.
- Uxbridge and Hayes & Harlington stations are in the West.
- Elizabeth Line stations on the route include Ilford, Custom House, Heathrow Airport and Hayes & Harlington.
The plan may work well, as in the 1950s and 1960s, I used the 107 bus route very regularly, as it cut a circular path between Queensbury in the West and Enfield in the East.
I have some thoughts.
Royal Docks And Bexleyheath
This Google Map shows the Royal Docks.
Note.
- The dotted red line indicates the Royal Docks.
- The runway of the London City Airport can be seen.
- Custom House station on the Elizabeth Line is served by the Elizabeth Line and the Docklands Light Railway.
This second Google Map shows the Western end of the Royal Victoria Dock.
Note.
- Custom House station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The Excel is on the East end of the map.
- London City Hall is at the Western end of the Royal Victoria Dock.
- The cable-car to Greenwich connects to the area.
I would suspect that the bus from Walthamstow will terminate close to City Hall and the cable-car.
This Google Map shows the Royal Docks and Bexleyheath.
Note.
- The dotted red line indicates the Royal Docks.
- Bexleyheath station is in the South-East corner of the map.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Mayor organise a bus, through his new pet project; the Silvertown Tunnel.
Electric Or Hydrogen
Ideally, the buses will need to be zero-carbon; which means battery-electric or some form of hydrogen power.
Birmingham has a similar series of express routes, that run across the city, which I wrote about in Riding Birmingham’s New Hydrogen-Powered Buses.
I feel that long routes like some of these are should be run with hydrogen-powered buses, because of there longer range.
A Rare Site – Two 141 Buses
I took this picture, this afternoon of a rare site these days – two 141 buses running in convoy.
Nothing seems to be improving and passengers are regularly waiting 15-20 minutes for a 141 bus, when the timetable says it should be 4-8 minutes.
Is Transport for London’s Management Dysfunctional?
Perhaps six years ago, I e-mailed TfL to ask, if the five-digit number displayed on the bus-stop, to get details of how long you will wait for the next bus, could be repeated under the shelter, so that if you are waiting in bad weather you can find out the next bus time without venturing outside.
I got a reply saying they’d look into it.
About a year ago, they changed the instructions on the bus stops and the new posters have a space for the installers to put in the stop number.But have I seen one of these spaces with the number in it? Of course not!
Sounds like one department made a worthwhile change and then didn’t inform those, who would carry it out.
TfL is a dysfunctional operation, that needs a thorough overhaul of management. Starting at the top!
Wrightbus: Ballymena Company Gets Order For 117 Buses
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
County Antrim firm Wrightbus has secured a £25.3m order to build 117 zero-emission buses for use in England
And this is the first paragraph.
Operated by First Bus, the vehicles will be used in Yorkshire, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Hampshire.
They don’t say, whether the buses are battery or hydrogen powered.
Is The Nightmare On The Buses Going To Get Worse?
This morning after photographing the finish of the Bank Station Upgrade, I walked down the side of the new Cannon Street entrance to catch a 141 bus from King William Street to my home.
Note.
- There are two bus stops for the 21, 43 and 141 buses on King William Street; one Northbound and one Southbound.
- The bus stops are a two minute level walk from the gate-line at the Cannon Street entrance.
- To go between the gate-line and the Northbound stop requires no crossing of any road, but the route to the Southbound stop requires the use of a light-controlled crossing.
- The Cannon Street entrance is step-free and only a short walk, between the street and the platforms of the Docklands Light Railway and the Northern Line.
- The access to the Central Line is also easy, but a longer walk.
This afternoon, I walked the other way from the Southbound bus stop on King William Street to the new Cannon Street entrance of Bank station.
Note.
- It is a totally level walk.
- There are lights to help the crossing of King William Street.
- The concrete building on the other side of King William Street is the other end of the new station entrance.
- It looked to me, that there was a retail unit in the corner of that building. This was confirmed by station staff and it would surely be an ideal place for an upmarket takeaway.
- The building on the corner of Cannon Street and King William Street is a set of shared offices. Again it is in a prime position.
- You can also walk from the bus stop to the main Monument station entrance.
I timed myself from the Southbound stop on King William Street to the various platforms.
- Central Line – Under five minutes
- Dockland Light Railway – Under four minutes
- Northern Line – Under three minutes
Will these times encourage passengers to use the new entrance and its buses to North London?
If I was looking for offices for a foreign company, that wanted to be in the City, as I do occasionally for an American attorney, I would start in this area.
Step-Free Access On The Northern Line Is Rather Variable
If you look at the step-free access on this section of the Northern Line, you find the following.
- Euston – Escalators – No Lifts until High Speed Two
- King’s Cross – Escalators – One Lift to platform
- Angel – Escalators – No Lifts – Medium walk to the buses
- Old Street – Escalators – No Lifts – Medium walk to the buses
- Moorgate – Escalators – Long Lift route – Medium walk to the buses
- Bank (North) – Escalators – Lots of Steps – Medium walk to the buses
- Bank (Cannon Street) – Escalators – Two Lifts to platforms – Short walk to buses
- London Bridge – Escalators – One Lift to platform – Steps to buses
Note.
- If I was going between My House and the Northern Line South of Bank station, I’d change between the 141 bus and the Northern Line at the Cannon Street entrance to Bank station.
- Alternatively, I can take a 38 bus to the Angel and join the route there. But that route can be very slow coming North, as there is a lot of walking. Going South, it’s also likely to be blocked by a Tesco truck at the Angel.
- Between My House and the Docklands Light Railway, I’d change from the 141 bus at the Cannon Street entrance to Bank station.
- I might even take that route, if I wanted the Central Line out of Bank.
It does appear that as the new Cannon Street entrance to Bank station has been well-designed with full step-free access and short walks to the bus stops, that it will be the interchange of choice for many travellers to and from the area, who are using the buses.
Conclusion
I feel that a lot of passengers from North London will use the 21, 43 and 141 buses to access the Central and Northern Lines, and the Docklands Light Railway using the new Cannon Street entrance to the Bank station complex.
I very much feel that all three bus routes will have a lot more passengers, so the Nightmare On The Buses, is likely to get worse.
The Mayor Rubs It In!
I took these pictures whilst waiting to get home this morning from Moorgate, whilst waiting for a 141 bus.
It’s one thing to reroute the buses, but quite another to send them up and down the old route, with plenty of space for passengers. Although, I don’t think this will help his reelection chances next year.
When the 141 bus did arrive, it was about ninety percent full.
I predicted in a letter to my MP. that this overcrowding would happen because the opening of the Elizabeth Line and the Bank Station Upgrade.
I also said similar things in Does London Need High Capacity Bus Routes To Extend Crossrail?, which I wrote in February 2022, before the Elizabeth Line opened in May.
But I didn’t get it all right, as it appeared the biggest increase in passenger numbers happened after the new escalators between the Docklands Light Railway and the Northern Line opened at Bank station. That puzzled me and I can only assume that there is a lot of traffic between the catchment area of the DLR and North East London.
Predicting the number of passengers, who will use a new railway, road or bus service is a difficult science, which very often results in a wrong answer.
In the Mysterious Case Of Rerouting The 21 Bus, it would have been better to have completed all the works at Bank, Moorgate and Old Street stations, before trying to solve the best way to deploy the buses.
- Bank and Moorgate stations are almost completed.
- The completion of Old Street station and the associated road works are still several months away, as I wrote in Is Old Street Roundabout A ‘Too Many Cooks’ Project?
In Does London Need High Capacity Bus Routes To Extend Crossrail?, I said this about the buses needed.
I suspect any route seen as an extension of Crossrail needs to have the following characteristics.
-
- High frequency of perhaps a bus every ten minutes.
- Interior finish on a par with the Class 345 trains.
- Wi-fi and phone charging.
I would also hope the buses were carbon-free. Given that some of these routes could be quite long, I would suspect hydrogen with its longer range could be better.
Get the design of these buses correct and they could attract a large number of passengers from their cars to public transport.
- Ten year old buses, as on the 141 bus are unacceptable.
- Before the 21 bus was withdrawn, you noticed that some passengers wait an extra minute to get a 21 bus with its greater space and comfort.
- Because of the better design of the stairs on modern buses and New Routemasters, I will go upstairs on these buses. But I don’t chance it on an older bus.
- Wi-fi and phone charging would make up for the fact that the Class 345 trains don’t have it.
From experience of the 141 bus in recent days, a frequency of a bus every five minutes is probably needed now.
Nightmare On The Buses
The title of this post, is not the title of a horror remake of the popular 1970s-sitcom’ On The Buses, but a description of my journeys on a 141 bus today.
Until, last Friday, I had two buses; the 21 and 141 to take between my house and Moorgate, which is an important destination for me.
- There is a large Marks and Spencer food store there, where I regularly buy the gluten-free food, I must have as a coeliac.
- There is a LEON there, where I regularly have my gluten-free breakfast.
- Moorgate station is a good transport interchange from which I regularly start journeys over London.
But now there is only one bus; the 141.
In November 2021, I wrote The Great Bus Robbery, where I said this.
What is TfL’s latest crime?
The 21 and 271 buses are going to be combined into a new route between Lewisham and Highgate, which will go nowhere near the Balls Pond Road.
So we’ll just have the one bus route to the City of London.
On past form, if TfL say they will increase the frequency, I wouldn’t believe them.
This was my conclusion.
We will need the 21 bus to provide us with a route to Crossrail, as the 141 buses will be full.
The 21 bus is needed where it is and mustn’t be stolen.
Note that Crossrail is now called the Elizabeth Line.
Today, I made three journeys between my house and Moorgate station and this is what happened.
Journey 1 – Southbound
I arrived at the bus stop and after five minutes a 141 bus arrived.
But it was full and didn’t open the door to let any of the waiting six passengers board.
After another three minutes, another 141 bus arrived and we squeezed on.
But there wasn’t any seats left and I stood all the way to Moorgate.
Journey 2 – Northbound
I only had my breakfast and as I had things to do at home, I returned fairly quickly after finishing my breakfast.
Partly, this was also because a 141 bus turned up with some seats available.
But it was a lot closer to capacity, than Northbound buses at about the same time last week.
Journey 3 – Northbound
My third journey started at about four in the afternoon, after I’d been out to take some pictures and buy a few food items in Marks and Spencer.
I had to wait seven minutes for a 141 bus and as there was a 76 bus a couple of minutes in front of it, I took that, with the intention of changing halfway.
I was able to get a seat.
In the end, the 76 bus got stuck in traffic and I walked to my intended change stop and waited there for the 141 bus, which was without a seat, so I stood for three stops to home.
It was one of the slowest journeys, I’d had between my house and Moorgate station.
Day 2 – February 7th – 2023
I arrived at the bus stop and found a lady, who had been waiting for an hour-and-a-quarter.
I had no problem coming home, as I went to Liverpool during the day and got a taxi back from Euston.
Day 3 – February 8th – 2023
Perhaps, they’d heard our pleas, but a bus turned up after a couple of minutes with plenty of spare space.
I even got a seat.
Going home, at about 10, there wasn’t a spare seat.
Revenue per bus, is certainly rising.
Conclusion
On the evidence of the first three day, it appears that there is not enough capacity without the 21 bus.
The Anonymous Widower 