Superloop plans unveiled

The Mayor of London has 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 to 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.

TfL data shows that the most recently introduced limited-stop express route, the X140, shows it delivered a 10-15 per cent increase in weekday demand and that frequencies at the busiest stops served by the 140 was increased. Surveys found that customers had increased satisfaction with their journey times and nearly four in five said they would use the X140 more often.

"the game-changing new network of express buses that will add over four million additional kilometres to our bus network in outer London" - Sadiq Khan

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.”

Quicker Journey Times

The Superloop will be designed to provide quicker journey times while still serving key hubs and interchanges with rail and local bus services. For example, while route X140 only serves 13 stops in each direction, these offer interchange with 42 other bus routes and seven different rail lines.

The Mayor’s Hopper fare would allow people who started their journeys within 60 minutes to transfer onto local bus services free of charge to complete their journeys where required. Data from the X140 shows that over 40 per cent of users of the route have interchanged from another bus - showing the benefits of the Hopper Fare and the desire to travel by limited-stop express services.