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London Buses route SL8

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SL8
Metroline MCV EvoSeti bodied Volvo B5LH in Ealing
Overview
OperatorMetroline
GarageGreenford
Peak vehicle requirement19 (April 2019)
Began service22 July 1990
Former operator(s)First London
Night-timeN207
Route
StartUxbridge station
ViaHillingdon Heath
Hayes End
Hayes
Southall
Ealing Hospital
Hanwell
West Ealing
Ealing
Acton
Acton Vale
EndWhite City bus station
Service
LevelDaily
Frequency10-15 minutes
Journey time56-84 minutes
Operates04:25 until 01:25
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London Buses route SL8, formerly London Buses route 607, is a Transport for London contracted Superloop express bus route in London, England. Running between Uxbridge station and White City bus station, it is operated by Metroline.

The route parallels route 207 and partially parallels route 427.

History

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607

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First London Plaxton President bodied Dennis Trident 2 on route 607 in August 2010

Route 607 was established on 21 July 1990 as an express service on the same route as route 207 between Uxbridge station and Shepherd's Bush Green via Uxbridge Road on Mondays to Saturdays.[1]

Its number was previously used by a trolleybus route over the same roads, which operated from 15 November 1936 until 8 November 1960 when it was abolished as part of the London Trolleybus Withdrawal Programme and replaced by bus route 207.[2][3] It was the only regular route in the 6xx series that is otherwise reserved for school routes. (There had been 6xx limited-stop routes in the 1970s.)

Route 607 was originally operated by Leyland Nationals and Leyland Lynxs.[4] In 1995 Northern Counties bodies Volvo Olympians were introduced.[5] The route was included in the sale of CentreWest to First London in March 1997.[6]

In the early 2000s, it was proposed that the route be replaced by the West London Tram, however this project was abandoned in 2007.[7][8] On 29 November 2008, route 607 was extended from Shepherd's Bush Green to White City bus station to coincide with the opening of Westfield London.[9]

On 22 June 2013, route 607 was included in the sale of First London's Uxbridge garage to Metroline.[10] In April 2019, Metroline commenced a new contract.[11]

SL8

[edit]

On 15 July 2023, route 607 was renumbered SL8, becoming part of the Superloop network of orbital express bus routes.[12][13]

On 19 August 2023, the hours of operation were extended.[14]

Current route

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Route SL8 operates via these primary locations:[15]

References

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  1. ^ Low-floor double-deckers flood in Buses issue 536 November 1999 page 14
  2. ^ Webber, Mick (1997). London Trolleybus Chronology 1931-1962. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2528-2.
  3. ^ Blacker, Ken (2004). The London Trolleybus. Volume 2: 1946–1962. Harrow: Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-285-6.
  4. ^ CentreWest puts on the style LT News issue 400 21 November 1991 page 9
  5. ^ The London Bus (5 ed.). Key Publishing. 2018. p. 71.
  6. ^ Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 9781854142337.
  7. ^ Lydall, Ross (8 October 2004). "Rough ride for tram line". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Controversial tram plan derailed". 3 August 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. ^ New White City bus station will cater for 10,000 passengers a day Transport for London 25 November 2008
  10. ^ FirstGroup Announces Sale of Eight London Bus Depots Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine FirstGroup 9 April 2013
  11. ^ Metrobus and Abellio gain TfL contracts Coach & Bus Week issue 1351 17 July 2018 page 7
  12. ^ First TfL Superloop bus route to start this weekend Route One 14 July 2023
  13. ^ New numberng for Superloop services Buses issue 821 August 2023 page 20
  14. ^ Toms, Adam (14 July 2023). "London's first Superloop bus route launched as Sadiq Khan reveals full launch of routes brought forward". MyLondon. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  15. ^ Route SL8 Map Transport for London
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Media related to London Buses route SL8 at Wikimedia Commons

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