Proposed Stratford Superloop route SL14 begins consultation
Transport for London have launched consultation on another new Superloop route from Stratford station.
This one is SL14 and would run between Stratford and Chingford. Yes, the “loop” part of the Superloop gets ever more tenuous.
Heading north it passes Leyton and Walthamstow with service frequency set at similar levels to other SL routes:
- Running between 5am and 12:30am
- Every 12 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes
- Every 15 minutes all evenings, on Sundays, and on early morning weekdays
And like almost every other prior Superloop route this doesn’t see an existing route entirely cut to make way. The busy 472 between Abbey Wood and North Greenwich via Thamesmead remains the sole route set to be entirely axed and not adjusted when a Superloop commences.
Why some of the biggest growth areas in the capital – and the country – are the only ones to see an entire route removed rather than complimented is something only TfL and Greenwich Council – who support the 472 cut – can answer.
Doing so reduces net buses by up to eight per hour calling at stops beside thousands of new homes ranging from south Thamesmead (Southmere Village), Plumstead (rebuilt college and 294 homes) to Woolwich (towers around Woolwich High Street ad the ferry plus Morris Walk estate rebuild) and then Charlton and Greenwich. There it includes the first homes at Charlton Riverside masterplan area and Greenwich Millennium Village.
Contrasts
In contrast, with the SL14 TfL state “The SL14 would operate alongside other local bus routes, such as routes 158 and 357, increasing the number and frequency of buses.
“This would create more room on board for customers along the busiest parts of route 158 and areas where new development is planned”.
The 158 will however see a frequency reduction from every six minutes to every eight minutes during Monday to Saturday daytime (07:00 – 19:00) but no full route cuts. Something only the likes of Thamesmead is to see.
The proposed SL14 will however see the D8 bus change terminus point from outside Stratford station (where I catch it on occasion to take pics for the website) to Stratford City bus station beside Westfield.
I hadn’t used the 472 since the rerouteing to run via the direct route from Plumstead to Thamesmead.
It is now a limited stop service between these points.with the SL11 using the same stops.
There are numerous buses bewteen Plumstead Station and Woolwich.
At the moment buses along Woolwich Road tend to run together. The Sl11 will provide a faster service along this stretch with the 161, 177 and 180 providing alternatives.
It would have made sense to put the 472 back via Nathan Way to serve 2k homes at Lombard Square and divert at the other end to Lewisham restoring the link from Charlton lost when the 180 switched rather than cut it entirely.
There’s nothing wrong with a new express service and much welcome. The issue is with all-stopping service being cut beside thousands of news homes throughout the route.
There’s a couple of reasons I suspect this has happened: First the BRT was supposed to start in 2026 but now delayed to 2029. Then North Greenwich bus station was supposed to be rebuilt but that too has been pushed back and capacity there is limited. Then perhaps TfL/RBG not being on top of thousands of new homes along the route and increased demand in future. It may be nothing but it wasn’t a good look for TfL to be using maps 10 years out of date in the consultation.
If TfL decided to go ahead with SL11 even with £23m BRT funding not yet available and there wasn’t capacity at N Greenwich bus station, rather than axing the 472 changes could have been made to its route to widen journey options and serve new housing.
I totally agree J Smith. The 472 could have also been extended to Lewisham via the old 180 routing between Charlton and Lewisham via Greenwich Town Centre restoring the Lewisham link for people that used to use the 180 to Lewisham before route 180 was diverted to Nortb Greenwich Station.
The Superloop bus routes need to be addition to existing bus services and not replace them which will be the case with the 472 and SL11.
Do you think that a new Superloop route could be added to areas in East London and Northeast London including Walthamstow, Chingford, Collier Row, Chigwell, Hainault, Barking and Barking Riverside. And to add a new Superloop bus route to serve Thamesmead and to serve some parts of Southwest London including Greenwich, Lewisham and Bromley.
And maybe areas in Southwest London and West London such as Twickenham, Richmond, Brentford, Hounslow, Shepherds Bush and Ealing could see new Superloop routes being added. And to introduce new Superloop bus routes in Northwest London to serve Harrow, Hillingdon, Ruislip, Wembley and Uxbridge.
Not forgetting a new Bakerloop “BL1” bus route is scheduled to be introduced in service this Saturday that would act as an alternative to the proposed Bakerloo Line extension that is still under approval.
Since the Superloop was launched last year or few years ago. It has made lot of difference to get around London and with some areas that don’t have a tube station or railway station and are little further away. The Superloop has made such a difference in getting around from A to B.
Say like travelling from East London to West London via North London by bus and not going via Central London or changing buses at certain bus stops or bus stations.
I have been on some of the Superloop routes and it’s lot more convenient than regular bus that the journey takes ages to get across London.
I totally agree J Smith. The 472 could have also been extended to Lewisham via the old 180 routing between Charlton and Lewisham via Greenwich Town Centre restoring the Lewisham link for people that used to use the 180 to Lewisham before route 180 was diverted to Nortb Greenwich Station.
The Superloop bus routes need to be addition to existing bus services and not replace them which will be the case with the 472 and SL11.