Green Line bus route 724

Last updated

724
Arriva 3797 (FL63DXF) Heathrow Airport 09 06 2023 (52962123037).jpg
Overview
System Green Line
Operator Arriva Herts & Essex
Garage Harlow
Ware
Vehicle Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC
VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2
Peak vehicle requirement7
Route
Start Harlow
Via Ware
Hertford
Welwyn Garden City
Hatfield
St Albans
Watford
Rickmansworth
Uxbridge
End Heathrow Central bus station
Length57 miles (92 km)
Service
LevelDaily
Frequency60-120 minutes
Journey time2 hours 12 minutes-3 hours 36 minutes
Operates03:35 until 00:39
See also Green Line Coaches and timetable

Green Line route 724 is a bus service currently operated by Arriva Herts & Essex as part of the Green Line Coaches network. It runs on an orbital route round the north and western outskirts of London between Harlow and Heathrow Central bus station, and is partly funded by airport operator Heathrow Airport Holdings.

Contents

History

Route 724 was started by Green Line Coaches (then part of London Transport) on 10 July 1966, on a route from High Wycombe to Romford via North London using AEC Regal coaches. [1] [2] By June 1972 it had been rerouted to start from Staines and serve Heathrow Airport. [3] The sections of route between Staines and Heathrow, and between Harlow and Romford were later dropped.

Route 724 was included in the sale of London Country North West to a management buyout when privatised in January 1988, in turn passing to Luton & District Transport in 1990, British Bus in 1994 and finally the Cowie Group in August 1996. [4] [5] [6] [7] Today it is operated by Arriva Herts & Essex.

In December 1997, a fleet of nine Plaxton Prestige bodied DAF SB220s were purchased, with extra luggage space built in.[ citation needed ] These were some of the first low-floor buses to operate in the United Kingdom.

These were replaced in August 2006 by nine Mercedes-Benz Citaros. These were the result of a Quality Bus Partnership between Arriva Shires & Essex, BAA and Hertfordshire County Council. These buses seat 39 and also have extra luggage racking. [8] Journey times were also improved. [9]

In March 2008, the route was diverted to serve the new Heathrow Terminal 5. [10] From 19 May, the service was withdrawn from Heathrow Terminal 4, with another new timetable introduced. Short workings on other parts of the route became routes 725 and 726. [11]

In February 2021, the Citaros were replaced by a fleet of 8 Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMCs, which were transferred from Arriva Kent Thameside. [12]

In July 2022, part of the batch of ADL Enviro200 MMCs were replaced by Wright Pulsar 2 bodied VDL SB200s transferred from Leicester in return for the Enviro200s.

From 24 July 2022, additional early morning, late evening and weekend journeys were introduced in conjunction with the Heathrow Airport Partnership. [13]

Current route

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welwyn Garden City</span> Town in Hertfordshire, England

Welwyn Garden City is a town in Hertfordshire, England, 20 miles (32 km) north of London. It was the second garden city in England and one of the first new towns. It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and exemplifies the physical, social and cultural planning ideals of the periods in which it was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watford</span> Town and borough in Hertfordshire, England

Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 mi (24 km) north-west of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickmansworth</span> Town in Hertfordshire, England

Rickmansworth, is a town in south-west Hertfordshire, England; it is located about 17 miles (27 km) north-west of central London, 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Watford and is inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watford Junction railway station</span> Principal railway station in Hertfordshire, England

Watford Junction is a railway station that serves Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), 17 miles 34 chains from London Euston and the Abbey Line, a branch line to St Albans. Journeys to London take between 16 and 52 minutes, depending on the service. Trains also run to Clapham Junction and East Croydon, via the West London Line. The station is a major hub for local bus services and the connecting station for buses to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The station is located north of a viaduct over the Colne valley and immediately south of Watford Tunnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva London</span> Bus company operating services in Greater London

Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva subsidiaries Grey-Green, Leaside Buses, Kentish Bus, London & Country and South London Transport. Operations are split between two registered companies, Arriva London North Limited and Arriva London South Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Herts & Essex</span> Subsidiary bus operator of Arriva UK Bus

Arriva Herts & Essex is a bus operator providing services in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, with services extending to Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Greater London. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Southern Counties</span> Bus operator in East Sussex, Kent and Essex

Arriva Southern Counties Limited, trading as Arriva Southern Counties, is a bus operator in Kent, Essex, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford in England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.

Tellings-Golden Miller is a charter coach operator in England. It was a subsidiary of Arriva twice previously, but once again has returned to family ownership. The company is now a subsidiary of Falcon Buses based in Byfleet, Surrey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uno (bus company)</span> Bus company owned by the University of Hertfordshire

Universitybus Limited, trading as Uno, is a bus operator owned and operated by the University of Hertfordshire, serving members of the general public, and also its own students and staff. The service was set up in 1992, growing out of a shuttle service previously operated for students at Wall Hall College located near Watford connecting them to the other campuses of the university and the Polytechnic (Hatfield) before that.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line Coaches</span> Commuter coach brand in England owned by Arriva

Green Line is a commuter coach brand in the Home counties of England. The trademark is owned by Arriva, with services operated by Arriva Herts & Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Guildford & West Surrey</span>

Arriva Guildford & West Surrey Limited, which traded as Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, was a bus operator based in Guildford, England. It was a subsidiary of Arriva. The company operated services in West Sussex and Surrey, as part of the Arriva Southern Counties division. Services that were run were primarily centred on hubs at Guildford, Woking and Cranleigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Luton</span> Transport in Luton, a large town in Bedfordshire, England

Luton is a town in the United Kingdom less than 30 miles (50 km) north of the centre of London, and has good transport links via the motorway network and the National Rail system. Luton is also home to Luton Airport, one of the major feeder airports for London and the southeast. The town is also served by buses run by Arriva Herts & Essex and other operators and has a guided busway. As a Unitary Authority, Luton Borough Council is responsible for local highways and public transport in the borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Amwell</span> Human settlement in England

Great Amwell is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is 1+12 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Ware and about 20 miles (32 km) north of London. In 2011 the parish had a population of 2353.

Sele Farm is an area on the north-western edge of Hertford, Hertfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Berkshire & The Thames Valley</span> Bus operator in the United Kingdom

First Beeline Buses Limited, trading as First Beeline, is a bus operator providing services in and around Slough. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carousel Buses</span> Buckinghamshire bus operator

Carousel Buses Limited, trading as Carousel Buses, is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Originally an independent company, it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. It is grouped together with Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, both of Oxfordshire, and with Pulham's Coaches of Gloucestershire, with the fleets of each operator regularly interchanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heathrow Central bus station</span> Bus station in London, England

Heathrow Central bus station is a large bus station that serves terminals 2 and 3 of Heathrow Airport, in London, England. It provides urban bus and long-distance coach services to destinations in London and to regional destinations across Britain. It is the UK's busiest bus and coach station with over 1,600 services each day to over 1,000 destinations. An estimated 13% of air passengers using Heathrow Airport use bus and coach services from Heathrow Central bus station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line Coach Station</span>

Green Line Coach Station is a coach station in London, England, situated in Bulleid Way, Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Country North East</span> Former bus operator in South East England and London

London Country North East was a bus operator in South East England and London. It was formed from the split of London Country Bus Services in 1986 and operated a fleet of around 350 buses from six garages, with its headquarters located in Hatfield.

National Cycle Route 61 is part of the National Cycle Network managed by the charity Sustrans. It runs for 34 miles from Maidenhead (Berkshire) to Rye House (Hertfordshire) via Uxbridge, Watford, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. One-Man Operation for First Time on London Transport Coaches Archived 23 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Commercial Motor 1 July 1966 page 45
  2. Wagstaff, J. S. (1976). The London single-deck bus of the fifties. Oakwood Press. p. 10. ISBN   978-0853611981. All the Country Area and Green Line routes were meanwhile being converted to one-man operation, passengers paying the driver as they boarded, the first Green Line one-man service being the 724. This was a new route introduced in July 1966, using one-man RF coaches from the outset. Running between Romford and High Wycombe as a limited-stop cross-country facility, it proved very successful in contrast to the earlier 727 experiment.
  3. 724 & 727 timetable Archived 23 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine London Country Bus Services 3 June 1972
  4. London Country - three to go Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Commercial Motor 12 November 1987 page 32
  5. Hansard Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine House of Commons 18 April 1988
  6. Morris, Stephen (September 1996). "NBC since NBC: a history of the former NBC subsidiaries". Buses Focus: 46.
  7. Overview Archived 28 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Arriva
  8. Heathrow service relaunched Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Transport Xtra 18 August 2006
  9. Revamped buses set for take-off Archived 23 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Watford Observer 4 September 2006
  10. Arriva - "Green Line 724 to serve Heathrow Terminal 5." Archived 26 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Route 724 timetable Arriva 2 June 2008
  12. "HarlowRide Enthusiast Pages". harlowride.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  13. "Arriva Bus".