London Buses route 108

Last updated

108
Go-Ahead London SEe22 (LJ66CGE) Stratford 10.01.2024.jpg
Overview
Operator Go-Ahead London
Garage Camberwell (108D)
Morden Wharf
New Cross
Vehicle Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV (108D)
Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
Peak vehicle requirementDay: 19
Night: 6
Night-time24-hour service
Route
Start Lewisham Shopping Centre
Via Blackheath
Westcombe Park
Greenwich Peninsula
Poplar
Bow
End Stratford International station
North Greenwich bus station (108D)
Length11 miles (18 km)
Service
Level24-hour service
FrequencyAbout every 10-15 minutes
Journey time40-55 minutes
Operates24-hour service

London Buses route 108 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Lewisham Shopping Centre and Stratford International station, it is operated by Go-Ahead London.

Contents

An unusual feature of the route is its use of the Blackwall Tunnel, a source of severe delays which leads to the route often being cited as amongst the least reliable in London. [1] [2]

History

Go-Ahead London MCV Evolution bodied Alexander Dennis Dart SLF at North Greenwich bus station in 2014 London bus route 108.jpg
Go-Ahead London MCV Evolution bodied Alexander Dennis Dart SLF at North Greenwich bus station in 2014

Two batches of double deck buses were specifically built for use in the Blackwall and Rotherhithe Tunnels, with specially shaped roofs to improve clearance on the corners. On 14 April 1937, the last solid-tyred AEC NS-Type bus in London operated on route 108. [3] In 1937, forty STL-type buses with convex-shaped roofs made with Blackwall Tunnel in mind were used on routes 108 and 82 and allocated to Athol Street (C) garage in Poplar. [4]

Harris Bus ran into financial difficulties in December 1999, and as a result operations of its contracted routes were taken over by a new subsidiary of London Buses itself, trading as East Thames Buses. East Thames Buses initially ran its routes north of the Thames from the former London Forest garage in Ash Grove, along with the Harris base at Belvedere. [5]

On Friday, 6 Sept 1968, RTL 1561 was the last RTL southbound through the 1897 Blackwall Tunnel bore from Bromley By Bow to Lower Sydenham and back via the 1968 bore of Blackwall Tunnel. RTL1561 was also the last RTL on Route 108 before conversion to RT' from 7 Sept 1968.

Route 108 became the first bus route to serve the Millennium Dome at the Greenwich Peninsula during construction. The stop was initially inside the security area, and was used by staff only. [6]

On 3 October 2009, East Thames Buses was sold to Go-Ahead London, which included a five-year contract to operate route 108. [7] [8] [9] [10] Increased capacity was introduced on route 108 in 2014. [11]

In February 2016, Transport for London released a consultation regarding various changes on local bus services in Poplar and the Isle of Dogs. One of these changes saw route 108 swap routes between All Saints and Bow with route D8 and extended to terminate at Stratford International station in lieu of Stratford bus station from 1 October 2016 with it no longer serving Bromley-by-Bow and Poplar. [12] [13] Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaros and two electric Irizar i2es cascaded from routes 507 and 521 were introduced at the same time. [14] [15] [16]

Current route

Route 108 operates via these primary locations: [17]

Related Research Articles

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The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of London. First opened on 31 August 1987, the DLR has been extended multiple times, giving a total route length of 38 km. Lines now reach north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, and east to Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal. An extension to Thamesmead is currently being proposed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poplar, London</span> Area of East London, England

Poplar is a district in East London, England, now part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is five miles (8 km) east of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewisham</span> Area of London

Lewisham is an area of southeast London, England, six miles south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London, with a large shopping centre and street market. Lewisham had a population of 60,573 in 2011.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackwall Tunnel</span> Pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in London

The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, England, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south of the East India Dock Road (A13) in Blackwall; the southern entrances are just south of The O2 on the Greenwich Peninsula. The road is managed by Transport for London (TfL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bromley-by-Bow</span> Human settlement in England

Bromley, commonly known as Bromley-by-Bow, is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, located on the western banks of the River Lea, in the Lower Lea Valley in East London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Greenwich, Isle of Dogs</span> Human settlement in England

North Greenwich is a formal 19th century name for an area now in Millwall situated at the very southern tip of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the south of the commercial estates of West India Docks including Canary Wharf and has a short shoreline along London's Tideway part of the River Thames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubitt Town</span> Area on the Isle of Dogs in London, England

Cubitt Town is a district on the eastern side of the Isle of Dogs in London, England. This part of the former Metropolitan Borough of Poplar was redeveloped as part of the Port of London in the 1840s and 1850s by William Cubitt, Lord Mayor of London (1860–1862), after whom it is named. It is on the east of the Isle, facing the Royal Borough of Greenwich across the River Thames. To the west is Millwall, to the east and south is Greenwich, to the northwest Canary Wharf, and to the north — across the Blue Bridge — is Blackwall. The district is situated within the Blackwall & Cubitt Town Ward of Tower Hamlets London Borough Council.

Originally called the Commercial Railway, the London and Blackwall Railway (L&BR) in east London, England, ran from Minories to Blackwall via Stepney, with a branch line to the Isle of Dogs, connecting central London to many of London's docks. It was operational from 1840 until 1926 and 1968, closing after the decline of inner London's docks. Much of its infrastructure was reused as part of the Docklands Light Railway. The L&BR was leased by the Great Eastern Railway in 1866, but remained independent until absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the 1923 Grouping. Another branch was opened in 1871, the Millwall Extension Railway.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devons Road DLR station</span> Docklands Light Railway station

Devons Road is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station located in Bromley-by-Bow. The station takes its name from the B140 Devons Road and is between Langdon Park and Bow Church stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2. It is on the Stratford to Poplar branch of the DLR with services continuing on to Canary Wharf and Lewisham.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow railway station</span> Disused railway station in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Buses route 15</span> London bus route

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Poplar (East India Road) was a railway station located on the East India Dock Road in Poplar, London. It was opened in 1866 by the North London Railway. It was the southern passenger terminus of the NLR, although goods trains ran on to connect to the London and Blackwall Railway (LBR) for the East India Docks or to the LBR's Millwall Extension Railway for the West India Docks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Buses route 53</span> London bus route

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Buses route 185</span> London bus route

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References

  1. Aldridge, John (July 2007). "Tunnel troubles provoke interesting reaction". Buses (628). Ian Allan Publishing: 21.
  2. Marius, Callum (22 December 2022). "'I went on London bus Sadiq Khan says nobody uses and it was busy'". MyLondon. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  3. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 44. ISBN   0853290830.
  4. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 73. ISBN   0853290830.
  5. Aldridge, John (May 2000). "Harris Bus: Why LT took over". Buses (542). Ian Allan Publishing: 14.
  6. Rodger, Jennifer (8 October 1999). "It's not all Dome and gloom". Glasgow Herald . p. 8. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  7. Go-Ahead Acquires East Thames Buses Archived 22 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead Group 30 July 2009
  8. Go-Ahead buys East Thames Buses Archived 24 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 3 August 2009
  9. East Thames Buses Archived 24 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead London
  10. Bus tender results Route 108/N108 Transport for London 1 July 2009
  11. Read, Carly (24 July 2014). "Chaos on 108 bus to Greenwich forces TfL to add additional service this autumn". This is Local London. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  12. Proposed changes to bus services in the Isle of Dogs area Transport for London 13 July 2016
  13. Bus Services Changes 19 August to 8 October inclusive Transport for London
  14. "First Go-Ahead London electric buses in service" Coach & Bus Week issue 1256 6 September 2016 page 6
  15. "Debut for electrics and StreetDecks" Buses Magazine issue 739 October 2016 page 22
  16. TfL Improving buses, Zero Emission and Ultra Low Emission buses
  17. Route 108 Map Transport for London