Mayor of London announces network of express bus routes for outer London

Credit: Transport for London

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, 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 £6 million 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. Transport for London (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. Some of the benefits of the proposed Superloop will be realised in late 2023, 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, had delivered a 10-15% increase in weekday demand and that frequencies at the busiest stops served by the 140 had been increased. Surveys found that customers had increased satisfaction with their journey times and nearly four in five said that they would use the X140 more often.

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The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “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.”

Ben Curtis, Campaigns Officer at Campaign for Better Transport, said: “This is another welcome step from Transport for London to expand the availability of public transport in outer London. Millions across the capital use the bus every day, and we are delighted that thousands more will now benefit from a joined-up public transport network thanks to the introduction of Superloop services.”

James Cleeton, Sustrans London Director, said: “This Superloop could be the start of a transformative initiative to connect outer London. This new service will connect many more Londoners to town centres and the high-quality bus, train and tube networks. Lack of access to quality walking, cycling and public transport provision traps people in costly car dependency, which damages our health, our environment and our communities. This is a great step in tackling that dependency.”