TFL Rail is ready to take over Abellio Greater Anglia Shenfield Branch service

This is good news for those of you who use the Shenfield Branch which is operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. The media claims that Abellio Greater Anglia is the ‘most hated’ operator, however, users will pleased to hear that TFL is taking over the Shenfield Branch and also the Romford to Upminster service.

This is a follow up to my previous article published on 15^th February 2015 in which I first made the readers aware of the planned takeover by TFL of  Abellio Greater Anglia.

Proposal for more London Bus night services for ‘Night Tube’ service

TFL is 'consulting' to the public because they want to introduce more night bus services to make more connections in line with their ‘Night Tube’ service.

From TFL's Consultation

Night Bus services in London have increased beyond recognition in the last 30 years. This reflects and supports changes to London’s vibrant night time economy. The current comprehensive Night Bus network means that most of zones 1 and 2 are within walking distance of a Night Bus route, and London’s suburban Night Bus service is also amongst the most comprehensive in the world.

Proposed changes and cuts for bus services in Surrey

Surrey County Council is proposing cuts and alterations for bus services in order for the council to save £2 million in bus subsidies.

“Surrey County Council ran a public consultation from 8 October 2014 to 2 February this year, as part of its review of local transport services. Over 6,800 Surrey residents and stakeholders told us

London Buses Route 173 to be served by double deck buses

News has come in that London Buses Route 173 has been re-awarded to Arriva London with New Double Deck buses.

The Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) will increase from 12 buses to 15 buses. Currently, the route uses the Enviro200 Single Deck Buses and they will be upgraded to Double Deck buses by October 2015. The exact start date is 17^th October 2015, which is the start date of the new contract for Arriva London.

Update on London Buses routes 73, 149 & 168

TFL have recently published their press release regarding Route 73's conversion to New Routemaster vehicles on 15^th May 2015.

Route 73 to be served by New Routemaster buses:

TfL has announced that the next bus route to be served entirely by New Routemaster buses will be route 73.

A phased conversion of the route, which is operated by Arriva and runs between Victoria and Stoke Newington, via Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, King's Cross St Pancras, Angel and Essex Road is now underway. The route, and the N73 route, will be running entirely with New Routemaster buses from July.

New Completion date for 600 New Routemasters revealed

The original plan for the ‘New Bus for London’ (yes their original name) rollout was to have 600 vehicles deployed by April 2016, but the the Surface Transport Panelhas revealed on their ‘2015/16 Surface Plan and Update on Performance Targets’ paper that their target for 600 New Routemasters has been moved forward to 31^stOctober 2015.

What is also interesting is that their 2015/2016 budget is £110 million for the New Routemaster vehicle purchase which includes the extra 200 vehicles.

Tower Transit wins Singapore LTA’s bus contract

London Bus operator Tower Transit, a subsidiary company of Transit Systems from Australia won a contract to operate bus services in Singapore.

They will be operating 28 bus routes in Singapore from a fleet of 380 buses under contract to Land Transport Authority, a governing body from Singapore.

Their operations will commence in the second quarter of 2016.

2015 bus fares for publicly owned/regulated bus services

I have decided to take my time and draw a table to compare the fares with the publicly owned and regulated bus services. The services are regulated and the operations contracted out to private bus operating companies. For example, London Buses contract their routes to bus operating companies and their transport authority, and Transport for London organise the fares.

Another example is that of ‘Liberty Bus’ services, which are provided by the Jersey government but the operations are contracted to a company called CT Plus.

Shepherd’s Bush London Overground station is upgraded

The £1.35 million upgrade for Shepherd’s Bush Overground station contains a new entrance and a new pedestrian footbridge which makes it quicker for commuters to enter to another platform and new ticket machines.

From TFL’s press release:

London Overground customers using Shepherd's Bush station now have a new second entrance and a new footbridge, which will make their journeys easier and more convenient.