This is a list of the past, present, planned or abandoned guided bus systems or bus rapid transit schemes in the United Kingdom, including notable segregated busways. Not included are bus priority schemes or bus lanes or local authority bus company quality contracts that do not involve guidance, significant segregation from the public highway or other bus rapid transit features. The UK does not as yet have any implementations or proposals for rubber tyred trams such as Translohr or Bombardier Guided Light Transit.
[edit] Past systems
- Birmingham. Tracline 65 was an upgraded route with the first guided busway in the UK, as part of an experiment in bus improvement measures by the West Midlands PTE. There was a 600-metre section of guideway on Streetly Road in the Erdington area of the city, at the northern end of the 65 bus route. It opened in 1984 and closed in 1987.[1] A small number of MCW Metrobus Mark IIs were acquired and fitted with guide-wheels. After the trial ended these buses remained in normal service, with the last one withdrawn on 26 April 2008.
- Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fastlink operated by Lothian Buses. Originally called WEBS, the West Edinburgh Bus Scheme, a group of bus priority improvements that include a 1.5-km section of guided busway.
- Stenhouse - Broomhouse, opened in December 2004. From the outset, the guideway was designed to be utilised for Line 2 of the Edinburgh Tram Network.[2] In January 2009 it closed to enable conversion, with the two services using the guideway being re-routed to regular roads.
[edit] Present systems
- Ipswich, Suffolk, Ipswich Rapid Transit operated by First Eastern Counties, branded Superroute 66, incorporating a 200-m section of guided busway
- Kesgrave - Grange Farm, opened 1995[3]
- regauged in 2005 for larger double-deck buses[4]
- a second stretch of busway has been abandoned
- Runcorn, Cheshire, Runcorn Busway, operated by Halton Transport and Arriva North West and Wales, an unguided system built as part of the new town extension of Runcorn[5] The busway is 22 km long, with an elevated section into a shopping area at the intersection[6]
- 1971 - Phase 1 complete[7]
- 1977 - Phase 2 complete
- Redditch, Worcestershire, Matchborough Circular, operated by Red Diamond and First Midlands, an unguided system built as part of the new town extension of Redditch. The system carries over 1.5 million passenger journeys per annum.
- London
- Thames Gateway, Fastrack, unguided system with sections of segregated running, opened in phases in concert with planned local development. Operated by Arriva Southern Counties using standard buses, with an upgrade to Streetcar-type vehicles in future.[8]
- Leeds
- Bradford Manchester Road Quality Bus Initiative Bradford end, including 2.3 km of guided busway[10]
- A641 Manchester Road - opened October 2001
- Crawley, West Sussex, Crawley Fastway, operated by Metrobus, a 24-km two-route BRT system, with segregated lanes and 1.5 km of guided busway.
- Southgate Avenue - opened August 2003.
- Fastway - opened December 2004.
- Tyne and Wear
- York, FTR bendy bus route, an unguided system operated by First York
- Luton, Bedfordshire, FTR bendy bus route, an unguided system operated by First Capital Connect
- Swansea, South Wales, FTR bendy bus route, an unguided system operated by First Cymru branded Swansea Metro.
- Cambridgeshire Guided Busway: a BRT corridor incorporating "just over 16 miles"[14] of guided busway, using the alignments of the former Cambridge and Huntingdon railway and also of the Varsity Line.
[edit] Under construction
- South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit is a 2.8m (4.5km) unguided busway between Gosport and Fareham, Hampshire, currently under construction by Hampshire County Council using the route of the former Gosport to Fareham railway line to reduce congestion on the parallel A32 between the towns.[18] The scheme was proposed following the collapse of the light rail scheme using the same route and funding was approved in July 2009 for the £20m scheme. The route is due to open in April 2012 with services provided by First Hampshire & Dorset using specially branded "Eclipse" buses on all routes utilising the busway.
- Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit, A BRT corridor running from Leigh to Manchester via Salford, The £30m 14 stop scheme makes partial use of a former railway line to form a 7 km dual tracked guided busway together with pedestrian, cycle lane and Bridleway between Leigh, Tyldesley, and Ellenbrook relieving heavy congestion in and around the roads of Leigh, it will then join the East Lancs Road with the construction of an additional bus lane in stretches where none is currently present. A Park and Ride site will be constructed at the point the road reaches the M60 then the bus will continue along the road through Salford and into Manchester along a total of 15 km of segregated Bus lane. The scheme will be 80% segregated from highway along its length and utilise a Trambus hybrid fleet. The route will open in Spring 2013 forming part of the wider Manchester Quality Bus Corridor (Manchester QBC) network.
[edit] Planned systems
- Bath, Somerset, the Department of Transport has approved funding for a BRT system with 1.4 km of busway,[21] confirmation of which is expected soon .[22]
- Bristol Bristol City Council in conjunction with the West of England Partnership is proposing guided busway routes from the city centre to Ashton Vale,[23] the city centre to Hengrove Park, the city centre to the north & east fringes, and Ashton Vale to Hengrove park.
- Glasgow, Clyde Fastlink, a BRT corridor along the north bank of the River Clyde, with segregated running for the majority of its length outside the city centre.[25] It has been approved by Scottish ministers and is expected to be ready for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[26]
- Leeds, following refusal of funding the proposed Leeds Supertram, a BRT replacement system has been proposed by the government and awaits local authority plans,[28] which include a three-line 20-km trolleybus network.[29] 38% would run on guideways or on bus lanes.[30]
- London
- West London Transit, a bus scheme being considered following the abandonment of plans for the West London Tram scheme in August 2007
- Stoke-on-Trent Streetcar, primarily to link the railway station to the city centre, but will also link the rest of the city's six towns, as well as neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove. Major destinations include both universities, the hospital and both major football stadia.
[edit] Abandoned proposals
- London
- Millennium Transit, a segregated busway intended to link the Millennium Dome with Charlton and Greenwich railway stations, part of which was to include a 1.3 km section of electronic guidance.[32] Intended to be operational when the Dome opened, the electronic guidance technology was abandoned following concerns that neither the system nor the driver was in a position to avoid sudden obstacles.[33] The busway remains in use, unguided.
- Route M1, Charlton - Millennium Dome
- Route M2, Greenwich - Millennium Dome
- Greenwich Waterfront Transit, planned for completion by 2011, abandoned in 2008 due to cancellation of Thames Gateway Bridge.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
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Guided busways and BRT systems in the United Kingdom
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