Metroline

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Not to be confused with Metro line, Metroliner, or Metrobus.

Metroline
Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5LH on route 328 at High Street Kensington station in April 2024
ParentComfortDelGro
Founded1 April 1989; 35 years ago (1989-04-01)
HeadquartersCricklewood, London, England
Service area
Service typeBus services
Depots13
Fleet1,429 (March 2023)
Fuel typeDiesel, Hybrid, Electric and Hydrogen
Managing DirectorStephen Harris
Websitewww.metroline.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

Metroline is a bus company operating services in Greater London, south Hertfordshire and small parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro of Singapore. It also operates bus services under contract to Transport for London.

Company history[edit]

MCW Metrobus on Oxford Circus in April 1995

On 1 April 1989, London Buses was divided into 11 separate business units, one of which was Metroline. As part of the privatisation of London bus services, Metroline was sold in October 1994 to a management buyout worth £20 million (equivalent to £42,320,000 in 2021).[1]

In 1994, Metroline became the first ex-London Buses company to expand when it bought Atlas Bus & Coach, regaining route 52 as part of the purchase, which it had earlier lost under tendering to Atlas.[citation needed] Metroline would later purchase MTL London in July 1998,[2] and in February 2000, would eventually be sold to ComfortDelGro for £73.8 million (equivalent to £132,149,000 in 2021).[3]

In August 2004 ComfortDelGro purchased Thorpes and in November 2004 Armchair Passenger Transport with seven routes and 86 buses. The coach business of Armchair was absorbed into ComfortDelGro-owned Westbus UK in 2006. Thorpes and Armchair initially retained their existing names before being rebranded to Metroline in January 2007.[4]

On 22 June 2013, Metroline purchased First London's Alperton, Greenford, Hayes, Uxbridge and Willesden Junction depots with 494 buses.[5]

In March 2024, Metroline was awarded the final tranche operations of the Bee Network in Greater Manchester by Transport for Greater Manchester, alongside Stagecoach Manchester, Diamond North West and Go North West.[6][7]

Livery[edit]

Plaxton President-bodied Dennis Trident 2 on route 83 in St Albans in June 2014

When privatised, Metroline adopted a livery of red with a dark blue skirt. This was briefly changed to light blue in the mid-2000s before the dark blue was reinstated. In June 2009, Metroline adopted an all-red scheme to comply with Transport for London requirements. In 2014, a blue, white and red livery was introduced on buses dedicated to non-Transport for London services.[8]

Garages[edit]

Metroline Travel[edit]

Athlon Road (ON)[edit]

As of 2024, Athlon Road garage operates route 83.

At the same time it was announced that Alperton bus garage had been sold for redevelopment, Metroline announced that land on Athlon Road in Wembley had been purchased.[9] In January 2021, Metroline submitted a planning application to build a replacement for Alperton garage on this land, capable of accommodating 85 buses, a bus wash as well as space for an electrical substation to charge battery electric buses, although no maintenance facilities at the new garage were included.[10] The garage eventually opened as an outstation later in 2021.

Brentford (AH)[edit]

Brentford garage operates London bus routes 9, 190, 237, E2 and E8, and school route H91.

Brentford garage was opened in 1990 by Armchair Passenger Transport, initially as a base for the company's coach operations before housing buses for the company's recently won route 260 contract. The garage expanded in 1993 with the acquisition of a storage yard on Commerce Way from BRS Truck Rental. In November 2004, Armchair was bought out by ComfortDelgro, although the company continued to operate TfL buses separately under the Armchair name until being integrated into Metroline in 2007.[11]

A planning application was submitted by Metroline in 2022 for the building of a new Brentford garage on the site of the current garage, capable of housing over 100 buses. Construction commenced shortly afterwards, with the new depot planned to open in 2024. Buses allocated to the garage are temporarily housed in a yard next to the construction site.[12]

Cricklewood (W)[edit]

Cricklewood garage forecourt, July 2010

Cricklewood garage operates London bus routes 16, 32, 112, 143, 210, 232, 316, 326, 332, C11, school routes 632 and 643, 24-hour routes 139 and 189, and night route N16.[needs update]

Cricklewood garage opened for service in May 1905 and was originally called Dollis Hill. It was the first motorised depot used by the London General Omnibus Company and is one of London's oldest bus garages. London's first night bus service, route 94 between The Crown pub in Cricklewood and Liverpool Street Station, was first operated from the garage on 15 July 1913, running at a frequency of every 20 minutes from 12:40 am until 9:00 am.[13]

Cricklewood garage was rationalised in 1990, with Metroline's services and engineering based at the garage being moved to Edgeware garage.[14] Expansion work at Cricklewood, however, saw the garage turned back into a full-scale operation able to host bus services with upgraded facilities in 1992, at the expense of Edgeware garage being earmarked for closure amid a rationalisation of operations by Metroline.[15]

In 2007, bus parking was temporarily relocated to a site on the opposite side of Edgware Road to allow work to start on the replacement of the original buildings with a modern structure. In January 2009, bus parking was transferred back to the main site following the completion of the works,[citation needed] with the site being designated as both Metroline's head office as well as the European headquarters of ComfortDelGro.[16]

Edgware (EW)[edit]

Edgware garage operates routes 107, 113, 186, 204 and 240, school route 606, and night routes N5, N98 and N113.[needs update]

When Edgware garage was first opened by the London General Omnibus Company in 1925 it had space for 24 buses, but there was plenty of room adjacent to the then recently built underground station. In 1939 a new building was erected next to the original one, which was to become the new bus station, while the remaining open parking area was used to store vehicles for the trolleybus replacement programme.

In 1984 a new 100-bus garage was built on old railway land at a cost of £4.5 million (equivalent to £15,387,000 in 2021). However in November 1992, Edgware garage was earmarked for closure, with buses due to be moved to Cricklewood as it was to become a fully functioning garage with new facilities. The outdoor parking area and the bus station then became a midibus outstation in 1993, with a new bus wash and light maintenance facilities provided in the yard.[15]

In 1999, London Sovereign, which had won some recent tenders in the North East London area, took on a 10-year lease on half of Edgware garage and invested in new maintenance facilities to replace its former base at Borehamwood. In late 2000, Metroline moved back into the other half of the garage, making it one of the few garages to be shared by two operators.[citation needed]

Harrow Weald (HD)[edit]

Harrow Weald bus garage from the High Road, September 2017

Harrow Weald garage operates routes 182 and 292, 24-hour route 140 and Night routes N988 and N140.

Harrow Weald garage was opened in 1930 by the London General Omnibus Company to replace the much smaller South Harrow garage. The new garage had to be extended over the forecourt just two years later to provide additional space. In its earlier years the garage was used by experimental vehicles including the Daimler CH6s and the first diesel bus (ST).

In 1987, Harrow Weald was the base for the new Harrow Buses operation set up by London Regional Transport, which had won tenders for a new local network as a prelude to the privatisation of London bus services. 30 new MCW Metrobuses, the only new buses for the operator among a handful of second-hand purchases, were leased to the company upon its launch. Harrow Buses, however, quickly proved to be a highly unsuccessful operation, halving operations three years later after retaining only five of twelve tendered bus routes and being nicknamed "Harrowing Buses" by members of the public.[17][18][19] Harrow Weald garage would survive the eventual collapse of Harrow Buses and passed to Metroline, and by 1994, just short of 60 buses were based there. The garage also carries out engineering work on buses based at Edgware garage.

Holloway (HT)[edit]

Entrance to Holloway bus garage, July 2016

Holloway garage operates London bus routes 4, 17, 30, 46, 234 274, 393, W7, 24-hour routes 24, 43, and 390, school route 603 and night routes N20 and N271.

Originally opened as Holloway Tram Depot in 1907, it was the largest of the London County Council's sheds, with space for 336 trams. It was renamed Highgate in 1950, by which time it was a trolleybus depot, in order to avoid confusion with Holloway (J) Bus Garage, and then back to Holloway in 1971 following the closure of the original Holloway garage. The garage then had an allocation of 210 buses, although that drifted downwards until 1993, when the closure of Chalk Farm and the transfer of five routes into the garage meant Holloway was once again full. Today the garage is almost at capacity levels, with around 200 buses allocated in addition to the outstation at Kings Cross.[citation needed]

King's Cross (KC)[edit]

On 10 July 2010, the King's Cross garage in Freight Lane opened to replace King's Cross (KX) garage in York Lane. The garage operated routes 46, 274 and 24-hour route 214, however it is currently inactive.[citation needed]

Lampton (SG)[edit]

Perivale West (PA)[edit]

Perivale West garage operates London bus routes 7, 79, 90, 395 and E6, 24-hour routes 105 and 297, school route 611 and night route N7.[needs update] The garage is also home to Metroline's Central Engineering & Logistics Facility (CELF) and driver training facilities.[16]

Perivale East (PV)[edit]

Perivale East garage originally closed on 23 June 2012, with the garage's route 70 passing to First London following the closure. However, the garage reopened four years later on 6 August 2016.

Perivale East is home to Metroline's fleet of Wright StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEV fuel cell double-decker buses, the first of the type to operate in England. These are operated on route 7 and were launched at the garage following a delay due to manufacturing shutdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2021, with hydrogen refuelling stations installed by Danish engineering firm Nel Hydrogen and fuel supplied Air Liquide.[20]

Potters Bar (PB)[edit]

Potters Bar garage and forecourt, July 2015

Potters Bar garage operates London bus routes 82, 217, 234, 263, 383, 384, W8 and W9, school route 634, and night routes N20 and N91, along with Hertfordshire County Council routes 242 and PB1, the latter of which is operated using Optare MetroCity EVs.[21]

Opened in 1930 at a cost of over £48,000 by the London General Omnibus Company subsidiary 'Overground', Potters Bar garage was nearly closed in the 1960s as it was too far north to be useful to the London Transport "red bus" network. It survived this attempt, however it soon faced closure again in the 1980s in the aftermath of deregulation. This time it was saved after workers accepted a revised pay agreement and the depot tendered for and won Hertfordshire County Council routes.[22]

Upon the break-up of London Regional Transport in April 1989, Potters Bar garage passed to the London Northern subsidiary, which was purchased by MTL in October 1994. With operations having rebranded to MTL London, the garage passed to Metroline with the purchase of MTL's London operations in August 1998.[22]

A major fire broke out at Potters Bar garage on 22 May 2022, destroying six buses but resulting in no injuries. Drivers were able to move the majority of the garage's buses away from the fire.[23][24] Two of the buses destroyed were Optare MetroDecker EVs, also in service with Go-Ahead London and London Transit, causing a nationwide recall of the type.[25]

Willesden (AC)[edit]

Willesden bus garage as seen from Pound Lane, April 2015
London's first battery electric double-decker buses, five BYD K8SRs, were trialled on Willesden's route 98

Willesden garage operates routes 98, 260, 302, 460, 24-hour routes 6 and 52, and night route N98.

Opened by the London General Omnibus Company in October 1912, Willesden garage was used for major motorbus chassis overhauls until Chiswick Works opened in 1921. This role was revived in World War II when Willesden was also used to provide major body overhauls for London Transport. The garage was largely rebuilt in 1975, expanding its capacity from 90 to 120 buses, and the garage would eventually pass to Metroline in April 1989 as a result of the break-up of London Regional Transport.[26]

Willesden garage was home to a handful of notable experimental vehicles in the Metroline fleet. Prototype AEC Routemaster RML3 was allocated to the garage in 1958, with the garage later home, albeit briefly, to the first production Routemasters on route 8 in 1959; Routemasters would be retained at Willesden until 2004 on routes routes 6 and route 98. Following Metroline's purchase by ComfortDelGro, Willesden operated a former SBS Transit Alexander bodied Volvo Olympian that had been imported from Singapore on route 260, being modified to UK standards as part of an evaluation into whether more could be imported to help Metroline replace MCW Metrobuses.[26]

Willesden was London's first bus garage to operate battery electric double-decker buses, taking delivery of five BYD K8SRs in March 2016 for trial use on route 98.[27]

After having trialled a system involving audio-visual alarms and reflective tape on the route in early 2018 as part of Transport for London's Bus Safety Innovation Challenge,[26] 24 buses on Willesden's route 98 received "Vehicle Avoidance Lateral Lights" (VALLs) during 2018 as part of Transport for London's Bus Safety Challenge, with audio-visual alarm systems and reflective tape installed in an attempt to reduce pedestrian injuries on Oxford Street.[28][29]

Metroline West[edit]

Metroline Manchester[edit]

Upon commencement of tranche three of Transport for Greater Manchester-franchised Bee Network services on 5 January 2025, Metroline will operate buses from depots in Ashton-under-Lyne, Hyde Road in the City of Manchester, Sharston, and Wythenshawe.[6][7]

Former garages[edit]

Alperton (ON)[edit]

Alperton bus garage in April 2016

Before its closure, Alperton garage operated routes 204, 483 and 487 and 24-hour route 83.

The garage, located adjacent to the Piccadilly line tube station of the same name, was one of three garages built by the London Passenger Transport Board as part of the board's New Works Programme. When Alperton garage opened in June 1939, it had an allocation of 59 STL double-deckers that had been reallocated from the Cricklewood, Hanwell, Harrow Weald and Willesden garages. Alperton's headroom made the garage one of the few able to take utility Guy Arabs, and at one stage,[when?] these made up its complete allocation. Alperton garage was enlarged between 1976 and 1978, the extension of which encompassed an adjacent former Underground substation, as well as the site of London Transport's Lifts and Escalators department.[30]

Alperton passed to the CentreWest subsidiary with the break-up of London Regional Transport in April 1989. After CentreWest had become the first London Buses subsidiary to be privatised in a management buyout in September 1994, buses based at Alperton were branded Challenger as opposed to using the CentreWest Buses brand. By 1995, Alperton was also performing most of the maintenance for the Centrewest operation and had also become the home of the training fleet.[30] It would later be one of six First London garages that were sold to Metroline in June 2013.[5]

On 10 September 2021, Alperton garage closed to make way for redevelopment,[9] with a Farewell Open Day being held the following day.[31] Athlon Road garage would later open as a downsized replacement of Alperton, reusing the same depot code.[10]

Fleet[edit]

As of March 2023, the Metroline fleet consisted of 1,429 buses.[32]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Metroline sold to MEBO for £20m". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 277. Spalding. 14 October 1994. p. 5. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Metroline takes rival aboard". Evening Standard. London. 2 July 1998. p. 105. Retrieved 23 April 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Metroline sells to foreign buyer". Buses. No. 541. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. April 2000. p. 6. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  4. ^ "History". Metroline. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  5. ^ a b "First confirms London sell-off". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b Tan, Elysia (29 March 2024). "ComfortDelGro wins contracts to run buses in Manchester". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b Deakin, Tim (28 March 2024). "Metroline dominates Greater Manchester franchising third tranche". routeone. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Metroline brings back blue beyond TfL-land". Buses. No. 713. Stamford: Key Publishing. August 2014. p. 21.
  9. ^ a b "ComfortDelGro unit Metroline sells London bus garage for $42.5m, buys property for $11.9m". The Straits Times. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  10. ^ a b Lyons, Mark (August 2014). "New Alperton garage progresses". Buses. No. 791. Stamford: Key Publishing. p. 21. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  11. ^ Lyons, Mark. "London bus garages: Brentford". The London Bus. Vol. 8. Stamford: Key Publishing. pp. 32–39.
  12. ^ Lyons, David (23 November 2023). "A New Bus Garage for Brentford" (Press release). Metroline. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  13. ^ Noble, Will (19 July 2023). "London's First Ever Night Bus Ran 110 Years Ago". Londonist. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Subsidiaries restructured". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 18 October 1990. p. 18. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b Morgan, Mike (28 November 1992). "Metroline moves on". Coach & Bus Week. No. 41. Peterborough: Emap. p. 14. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b Day, James (31 July 2013). "Inspiring new bus engineers". Coach & Bus Week. No. 1098. Peterborough. pp. 28–32. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Harrow Buses hit". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 13 September 1990. p. 20. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  18. ^ "In brief". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 7 January 1988. p. 17. Retrieved 23 April 2024. The bus service in Harrow, north-west London, has become such a shambles since it was rescheduled last month that London Transport chiefs have been forced to step in and demand rapid improvements. Furious passengers say they have faced chaos, with queues, delays and cancelled services since Harrow Buses introduced its new network on 14 November.
  19. ^ Wharmby, Matthew (2009). The London Metrobus. Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 56–57. ISBN 978-0-7110-3377-1. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  20. ^ "England's first hydrogen bus fleet hits the road". Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Metroline launches its first battery-electric bus in Hertfordshire". routeone. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  22. ^ a b Jones, Stuart (16 July 2015). "Welcome to Potters Bar garage". Bus & Coach Buyer. Peterborough. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Potters Bar: Buses catch fire at town centre transport depot". BBC News. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Potters Bar fire: Police investigating bus depot blaze". BBC News. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  25. ^ Peat, Chris (23 May 2022). "Electric Metrodeckers grounded following fire". Bus & Coach Buyer. Peterborough. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  26. ^ a b c Lyons, Mark. "London bus garages: Willesden". The London Bus. Vol. 9. Stamford: Key Publishing. pp. 116–121.
  27. ^ "BYD delivers electric double-deckers to Metroline". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  28. ^ Wilson, Saffron (22 January 2020). "Metroline to pilot new light safety system on buses". routeone. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Metroline pilots new lighting system to make London's roads safer". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  30. ^ a b Lyons, Mark. "London bus garages: Alperton". The London Bus. Vol. 6. Stamford: Key Publishing. pp. 104–108.
  31. ^ Larkin, Nick (21 September 2021). "Farewell to Alperton". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  32. ^ Bus Fleet Audit Transport for London

External links[edit]

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