London Buses route X26
Encyclopedia
London Buses route X26 is a Transport for London
(TfL) contracted bus route from Heathrow Airport to West Croydon
. The service is currently contracted to Metrobus
.
The route is the longest London Buses
route in London
.
route 725, which started in the 1950s and ran from Gravesend
and Dartford
through Bromley
, Croydon
, Sutton
and Kingston
to Staines
and Windsor
. In the late 1970s the 726 was introduced as a variant, running from Gravesend to Windsor via Heathrow Airport
and Slough
instead of Staines.
By the 1980s, the sections of route between Heathrow and Windsor and between Gravesend and Dartford had been withdrawn. At that time the Green Line network was operated by London Country Bus Services
, but when that company was broken up in 1986, Green Line route 726, which ran almost entirely within Greater London, came under the control of London Transport
. London Coaches, a subsidiary of London Buses privatised in 1992, operated the route using dual purpose DAF SB220
vehicles.
The contract changed from London Coaches to Capital Logistics
in the late 1990s, but passenger numbers continued to decline. In 1997 LT attempted to withdraw the service, but at the end of year it was given an 18-month reprieve after over 1,600 letters had been received in its support.
Early in 1999 the service was cut back to run between Bromley and Heathrow only; the service returned to regular hourly, with no early morning or late evening service. Capital Logistics was bought by Tellings-Golden Miller
(TGM) on 1 June 1999, shortly after a new contract for the 726 had been awarded to TGM in their own right. New low-floor buses were specified, and seven Alexander ALX300
-bodied Volvo B10BLE
buses were purchased.
In April 2005 the 726 was remodelled. The section between Bromley and East Croydon was withdrawn. Many stops were removed to reduce run times and improve reliability, including one at Hampton Court. The service was renumbered X26 and awarded to Metrobus who introduced new Scania OmniCities
. London Buses hoped that the re-modelled route would attract more passengers and therefore specified large single deck buses. It was initially intended to remove stops at Carshalton
, Cheam
, North Cheam and Worcester Park
, but these were restored to the route, and a new stop at Teddington
added. The route's peak vehicle requirement (PVR) fell from six buses to four.
Despite the series of cut in its length, the X26 remains the longest Transport for London
contracted route, at a distance of 23.75 miles.
On 22 November 2008, route X26 was doubled in frequency to every 30 minutes for most of the day, including Sundays, although the evening service remained hourly. To cover for the increase in PVR while new vehicles were prepared, Metrobus hired some Mercedes-Benz Citaro
s from Wealden PSV, but delivered directly from original owner Quality Line
. The Citaros have since been returned to Wealden PSV and replaced with Scania OmniCitys from the Crawley Fastway
network, which have been refurbished and painted red; these are two years older thean the OmniCitys that previously worked on the route.
In June 2010, a proposal to reintroduce the former 726 stop at Beddington
to the X26 was rejected by TfL, despite support from many residents and local MP Tom Brake
.
Quality Line has sucssesfully gained contract for route X26 and will be operating it from 14 April 2012. 10 new single-deck 12m Mercedes-Benz Citaro
s will be used on the route.
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
(TfL) contracted bus route from Heathrow Airport to West Croydon
West Croydon station
West Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
. The service is currently contracted to Metrobus
Metrobus (Go-Ahead Group)
Metrobus is a bus operator with routes in south and south-east London, and parts of Surrey, Kent, West and East Sussex. The company operates many routes on tender from Transport for London. Formed through a management buyout of Tillingbourne Ltd...
.
The route is the longest London Buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
route in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
History
The X26 has its origins in Green Line CoachGreen Line Coaches
Green Line is a commuter coach brand in the Home Counties of England. It is owned by the Arriva group.Green Line has its origin in the network of coach services established by the London General Omnibus Company in the 1920s and 1930s...
route 725, which started in the 1950s and ran from Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
and Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
through Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
and Kingston
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
to Staines
Staines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
and Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
. In the late 1970s the 726 was introduced as a variant, running from Gravesend to Windsor via Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
and Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
instead of Staines.
By the 1980s, the sections of route between Heathrow and Windsor and between Gravesend and Dartford had been withdrawn. At that time the Green Line network was operated by London Country Bus Services
London Country Bus Services
London Country Bus Services was a bus company that operated in South East England from 1969 until split up and sold in 1986 under Margaret Thatcher's government's bus deregulation scheme.-Creation:...
, but when that company was broken up in 1986, Green Line route 726, which ran almost entirely within Greater London, came under the control of London Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
. London Coaches, a subsidiary of London Buses privatised in 1992, operated the route using dual purpose DAF SB220
DAF SB220
The DAF SB220 is a city bus chassis produced by DAF Bus International in the 1980s and 1990s.It has been superseded by the DAF/VDL SB200 and SB250.-United Kingdom :*Optare Delta*Ikarus Citibus...
vehicles.
The contract changed from London Coaches to Capital Logistics
Capital Logistics
Capital Logistics is a former bus and coach operator in England. It was formed in August 1997 following the merger of Whyte's Airport Services and Capital Coaches the previous April. The company was sold to Tellings-Golden Miller in 1999...
in the late 1990s, but passenger numbers continued to decline. In 1997 LT attempted to withdraw the service, but at the end of year it was given an 18-month reprieve after over 1,600 letters had been received in its support.
Early in 1999 the service was cut back to run between Bromley and Heathrow only; the service returned to regular hourly, with no early morning or late evening service. Capital Logistics was bought by Tellings-Golden Miller
Tellings-Golden Miller
Tellings-Golden Miller , a subsidiary of Arriva, is a bus service and coach operator in the United Kingdom.-Golden Miller:Reputedly, Fred Varney began the Golden Miller company with the winnings from a bet made on the horse Golden Miller, which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in...
(TGM) on 1 June 1999, shortly after a new contract for the 726 had been awarded to TGM in their own right. New low-floor buses were specified, and seven Alexander ALX300
Alexander ALX300
The Alexander ALX300 is a full size single-decker bus body built by Alexander at Falkirk, Scotland, United Kingdom, which was first built in 1997...
-bodied Volvo B10BLE
Volvo B10BLE
The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck...
buses were purchased.
In April 2005 the 726 was remodelled. The section between Bromley and East Croydon was withdrawn. Many stops were removed to reduce run times and improve reliability, including one at Hampton Court. The service was renumbered X26 and awarded to Metrobus who introduced new Scania OmniCities
Scania OmniCity
The Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined low floor citybus available on the European market. The OmniCity is a complete product built in Poland by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
. London Buses hoped that the re-modelled route would attract more passengers and therefore specified large single deck buses. It was initially intended to remove stops at Carshalton
Carshalton
Carshalton is a suburban area of the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is located 10 miles south-southwest of Charing Cross, situated in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalton Ponds in the centre of the village. The combined population of the five wards...
, Cheam
Cheam
Cheam is a large suburban village close to Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton, England, and is located close to the southern boundary between Greater London and Surrey. It is divided into two main areas: North Cheam and Cheam Village. North Cheam includes more retail shops and supermarkets,...
, North Cheam and Worcester Park
Worcester Park
Worcester Park is a suburb of London, England covering both the extreme north west of the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London , part of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is south west of Charing Cross...
, but these were restored to the route, and a new stop at Teddington
Teddington
Teddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
added. The route's peak vehicle requirement (PVR) fell from six buses to four.
Despite the series of cut in its length, the X26 remains the longest Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
contracted route, at a distance of 23.75 miles.
On 22 November 2008, route X26 was doubled in frequency to every 30 minutes for most of the day, including Sundays, although the evening service remained hourly. To cover for the increase in PVR while new vehicles were prepared, Metrobus hired some Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
s from Wealden PSV, but delivered directly from original owner Quality Line
Quality Line
Quality Line is the trading name of the bus division of Epsom Coaches, and operates over sixty buses throughout the south London and Surrey area, with many under contract to London Buses or Surrey County Council.-History:...
. The Citaros have since been returned to Wealden PSV and replaced with Scania OmniCitys from the Crawley Fastway
Crawley Fastway
Fastway is a bus rapid transit network linking Crawley with Gatwick Airport and Horley, the first to be constructed outside a major city. It uses specially adapted buses that can either be steered by the driver or operate as "self steering" guided buses along a specially constructed track...
network, which have been refurbished and painted red; these are two years older thean the OmniCitys that previously worked on the route.
In June 2010, a proposal to reintroduce the former 726 stop at Beddington
Beddington
Beddington is a settlement between the London Boroughs of Sutton and Croydon. The BedZED low energy housing scheme is located here. In Beddington was a static inverter plant of HVDC Kingsnorth....
to the X26 was rejected by TfL, despite support from many residents and local MP Tom Brake
Tom Brake
Thomas Anthony Brake, known as Tom Brake, British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington.-Early life:Tom Brake was born in Melton Mowbray, moving to France when he was eight...
.
Quality Line has sucssesfully gained contract for route X26 and will be operating it from 14 April 2012. 10 new single-deck 12m Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
s will be used on the route.
Current route
- Heathrow Airport Central Station Bus Station
- Hatton Cross StationHatton Cross tube stationHatton Cross tube station is on the Heathrow branch of the London Underground Piccadilly line. It is in Travelcard Zones 5 and 6 and stands between the Great South West Road and the Heathrow Airport Southern Perimeter Road....
- TeddingtonTeddingtonTeddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
- KingstonKingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
Cromwell Road Bus Station - New MaldenNew MaldenNew Malden is a town and shopping centre in the south-western London suburbs, mostly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated from Charing Cross...
- Worcester ParkWorcester ParkWorcester Park is a suburb of London, England covering both the extreme north west of the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London , part of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is south west of Charing Cross...
- North Cheam
- CheamCheamCheam is a large suburban village close to Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton, England, and is located close to the southern boundary between Greater London and Surrey. It is divided into two main areas: North Cheam and Cheam Village. North Cheam includes more retail shops and supermarkets,...
High Street - SuttonSutton, LondonSutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
- CarshaltonCarshaltonCarshalton is a suburban area of the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is located 10 miles south-southwest of Charing Cross, situated in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalton Ponds in the centre of the village. The combined population of the five wards...
High Street - East Croydon StationEast Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
- West CroydonWest Croydon stationWest Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
Bus Station
See also
- List of bus routes in London
- MetrobusMetrobus (Go-Ahead Group)Metrobus is a bus operator with routes in south and south-east London, and parts of Surrey, Kent, West and East Sussex. The company operates many routes on tender from Transport for London. Formed through a management buyout of Tillingbourne Ltd...
- London Buses route 285London Buses route 285London Buses route 285 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...