TfL Superloop: Two new express bus routes - Walthamstow to Woolwich and Thamesmead to Bromley

Two new express bus routes will be added to the new Superloop network following a public consultation, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.

The SL2, which will connect Walthamstow Central and North Woolwich, and the SL3, which will connect Thamesmead and Bromley, will be launched by next spring.

The SL2, will run between Walthamstow Central and North Woolwich via Ilford and Barking. Additional stops will be reintroduced at the A1020 junction with Armada Way near Gallions Reach Shopping Centre in Beckton at existing bus lay bys immediately south of the existing pedestrian/cycle crossing.

The SL2 will run every 12 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 15 minutes on evenings and Sundays, running alongside part of 123 bus route between Walthamstow and Ilford.

The SL3 will run between Thamesmead and Bromley via Sidcup and will run alongside the 301 bus route between Thamesmead and Bexleyheath, and the 269 bus route between Bexleyheath and Bromley.

The SL3 will run every 12 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 15 minutes on evenings and Sundays.

TfL has confirmed that subject to consultation, the complete loop of the Superloop network will be in service by spring 2024, with the exception of route SL4, which would be launched when the Silvertown Tunnel opens in 2025.

The proposed Superloop network consists of existing bus routes, which are being given new route numbers and branding, and newly proposed bus routes, which TfL is consulting on.

The network is part of a £6m investment by the mayor to compensate for the impact of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion, which started on August 29.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "The Superloop will be a gamechanger for travel around outer London, delivering quicker links to transport hubs, town centres, schools and hospitals.

“I am delighted that following public consultation, TfL has today confirmed it will introduce two Superloop routes by spring 2024 - the SL2, which will connect Walthamstow Central and North Woolwich, and the SL3, which will connect Thamesmead and Bromley.”

Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s director of public transport service planning, said: “The two new Superloop services will provide significantly quicker journeys between busy transport hubs, town centres, hospitals and schools across outer London, as well as offering more travel options connecting to numerous other bus routes. The SL2 and SL3 will join the current Superloop services with a new look and feel to the buses, as well as providing cleaner, cost-effective and sustainable options for customers.

“The SL1 and SL10 express bus services will also be launching later this year, and we are busy working with operators and other partners behind the scenes to introduce these new routes as quickly as possible, so that our customers can make the most of our ever-improving bus network.”

Tory critics have dubbed the Superloop initiative the “Superflop”.

Nick Rogers, the City Hall Conservatives transport spokesman, previously said: “Sadiq Khan’s Superloop announcement is a Superflop, amounting to nothing more than a repackaging of existing routes and vague promises that will not be delivered before his Ulez expansion hits Londoners.

“This is a microscopic level of investment. The mayor’s rushed plans have been thrown together in a panic, and do nothing to address the devastating impact of his ULEZ tax.”