London Bus Tender Awards: Routes 148 & 415 to Continue Using New Routemasters and Route U5 to Convert to Double-Deck Electrics

The new tender awards have revealed routes 148 and 415 will continue to use three-door, two-staircase hybrid buses known as New Routemasters (NRMs) for their new contracts with RATP London United and Abellio.

LBSL intends to enter into a new contract for the following route with the operator listed below:

UK Government to End Railway Franchising – Unique Identities For London Overground Services

It’s been a while since I’ve posted something railway related on my website. This recent news regarding railways in Britain is huge because the UK Government have drafted plans to end railway franchising and to simplify ticketing, although the operations will remain privatised.

Excerpt from Department for Transport

• Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail to reform Britain’s railways and launch a new era for passengers
• biggest change in 25 years sees creation of new public body Great British Railways – a single, familiar brand with united, accountable leadership
• simpler, modern fares delivered, starting with new flexible season tickets on sale from 21 June and a new Great British Railways website for all tickets and clearer compensation
• reforms support delivery of a financially sustainable railway as country recovers from coronavirus (COVID-19), with new contracts focused on punctuality and improved efficiency, making it easier and cheaper to plan maintenance, renewal and upgrades

Upcoming London Bus Routes to Convert to Electric Buses Throughout 2021 and Early 2022 – and the Latest London Bus Tender Awards

First of all, the long awaited London Bus tender awards have finally been announced with another route converting to electric buses.

Yes I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted on my website, but now I’ve found something interesting to write up.

LBSL intends to enter into a new contract for the following route with the operator listed below:

TfL Confirm The Last AEC Routemasters For Route 15 Withdrawn

A Freedom of Information request revealed TfL have confirmed the withdrawal of AEC Routemasters by not renewing the route 15H contract.

Route 15H was the very last route to be served with AEC Routemasters after the withdrawal of 9H in 2014.

The Coronavirus pandemic affected the route 15H service hence the reason they haven’t appeared on route 15 last year (2020), which quietly led to the withdrawal of the route.

Huge funding for Zero-Emission Vehicles (Including Buses) for Great Britain and Northern Ireland

This week has seen some big news for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK Government have announced an investment of £54 million for projects to create new zero-emission vehicles.

From Gov.UK

• £54 million for projects including motorsport technology in car motors, hydrogen fuel cells for buses, and lightweight structures for electric heavy goods vehicles

• projects in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will secure nearly 10,000 jobs and save 45 million tonnes of CO₂

• investment will help drive energy-saving technology across a wide range of vehicles and propel forward a green economy recovery

London Bus Tender Awards: Go-Ahead London Retains Routes 507 & 521 with Single Deck Electric Buses

This is a quick news update for London Buses.

The new tender awards have revealed that Go-Ahead London General retained their routes 507 & 521 contract with existing electric single-deck buses.

LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

List of London Bus Routes Currently Served Using Electric Buses (as of March 2021)

TfL has published a Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding London Bus Routes serving with zero-emission electric buses.

Request ID: FOI-2431-2021
Date published: 09 March 2021

1. Can you list the routes currently served using electric buses? If possible, can you specify them by operator, make & model including type (double/single deck) of the EV buses?

TfL and Siemens Mobility Unveil Design of the New London Underground Piccadilly Line Trains

It’s been a while since I’ve posted London Underground related content on my website.

Recently, Siemens Mobility and TfL have unveiled the design of the new Tube Trains for the Piccadilly Line, expecting to enter passenger service from 2025.

From Siemens Mobility Press Release

Transport for London (TfL) and Siemens Mobility have today unveiled the detailed design of the new generation Tube trains for the Piccadilly line, which will soon be in production to replace the existing 1970s fleet.

The trains currently running on the line have become increasingly unreliable and expensive to maintain and will be 50 years old by the time they are replaced. Despite the devastating impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on its finances, TfL is continuing to replace these assets, meaning that from 2025, new spacious ‘Inspiro London’ trains will serve customers on the Piccadilly line, future-proofed to ensure they are suitable for many years to come.

TfL Updates on Double-Deck Hydrogen Rollout for London Bus Route 7

A few days ago, TfL responded to a Freedom of Information request on the rollout of double-deck hydrogen buses for route 7.

Request ID: FOI-2253-2021
Date published: 26 February 2021

1. Can you confirm the date of delivery and conversion of route 7 to double-deck electric buses?

Alexander Dennis Reveals Double-Deck Hydrogen Bus Project, and New Shorter Enviro400EV Variant - Wrightbus Teams up with Voith for Electrical Drive System

This week has been a busy week for bus manufacturing in the UK, so here’s a brief roundup of articles from UK bus manufacturers.

From Alexander Dennis

Larbert, Scotland, UK – 25th February 2021: (TSX: NFI) Alexander Dennis Limited (“ADL”), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, today announced that its next generation double deck hydrogen bus will deliver a zero-emission range of up to 300 miles. It will be powered by a Ballard fuel cell power module through the efficient Voith Electrical Drive System (VEDS).