| Green Line 724 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | Arriva Herts & Essex |
| Garage | |
| Vehicle | |
| Route | |
| Locale | |
| Termini | |
| Length | 57 miles (92 km) |
| Service | |
| Frequency | Hourly |
| Operates | Daily |
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.
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 [10] From 19 May, the service was withdrawn from Heathrow Terminal 4, with another new timetable introduced.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 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]
for Welwyn Garden City station 
Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper Stort Valley, which has been made navigable through other towns and features a canal section near its watermill.
Rickmansworth is a town in south-west Hertfordshire, England, located approximately 17 miles (27 km) north-west of central London, 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Watford and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne.
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Great Amwell is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is 1+1⁄2 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.
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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.
Green Line Coach Station is a coach station in London, England, situated in Bulleid Way, Victoria.
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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.
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.
