Consultation opens on Bakerloo line replacement bus service — the Bakerloop
Because it will be years before the Bakerloo line extension opens, if at all, a long-term rail replacement bus service to run along the route is being proposed.
The proposed bus route BL1 — already nicknamed the Bakerloop — would provide an express link between Waterloo, Elephant & Castle and Lewisham town centre.
In line with what is proposed for a future Bakerloo line extension, the BL1 Bakerloop would start and stop at Waterloo, via the following key transport interchanges and town centres: Waterloo, Elephant & Castle, Burgess Park (Dunton Road), Old Kent Road (Ilderton Road), New Cross Gate, Lewisham station and town centre.
Nearly half of the people along the Bakerloo line extension live in the top 30% of most deprived neighbourhoods in England, so even without the implied association with the London Underground extension, an improved bus service will still be of considerable benefit to local commuters.
The bus route would also be a quicker and cheaper alternative to the proposed tram network, which has been occasionally mentioned as a possible interim stage while the tube line is being developed.
Unlike the existing Superloop service, which has white and red branding, this Bakerloop bus would be differentiated by a brown Bakerloo line colour scheme, which would serve as a visible reminder that it is an alternative to the Bakerloo line extension. Differentiating the branding would also, in theory, make it easier to close the Bakerloop when the Bakerloo extension is eventually built.
A consultation on the Bakerloop bus service has opened here.
BL1 – just get on with it. I presume that it not starting at Elephant & Castle and missing out Lambeth North is “on purpose”?
Much more interested in the SL11 North Greenwich to Abbey Wood….
I absolutely like the BL1 but it’s not necessary to terminate at Waterloo station as the Bakerloo line stops at Waterloo station
It makes it much more useful though.
If you’re on the Jubilee Line, the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line, the Waterloo and City Line, or a mainline train to Waterloo/Waterloo East, getting straight on the BL1 to OKR/New Cross/Lewisham is going to be much more attractive than changing to the Bakerloo and then again to the bus at E&C.
Also, the road layout means that the route from E&C to Waterloo is pretty short and the roundabout at Waterloo provides a shorter turning point for the buses, so it won’t be many additional bus miles.
The downside is when poor usage undermines the plans to extend the Bakerloo Underground Line.
A bus can never do what a train does, especially this bus, routed down a very congested route where the ‘express’ won’t work, as overtaking is very tough.
But good luck, anyway!
Is it not mainly using bus lanes?
Bit of a catch-22 this isn’t it –
– The route is a success, everyone takes the bus = bus is working well, why do you need a tube line?
– The route is a fail, no-one wants to use the bus = no demand, why do you need a tube line?
BUT I guess if the bus is really busy and often caught in traffic, the case for the tube line will be clearer