TfL has confirmed plans to scrap the 472 bus route between North Greenwich and Abbey Wood and replace it with a limited-stop Superloop service.
The new bus will run fast from Charlton station to Woolwich Elizabeth Line station, serving only one stop in Woolwich town centre.
Stops skipped along the way include Charlton Sainsbury’s, the Greenwich Trust School in Charlton, the Woolwich Ferry and Woolwich Arsenal station. There will not be a stop inside Thamesmead town centre while new housing developments at the Trinity Park in Woolwich, Lombard Square in west Thamesmead and Cygnet Square in south Thamesmead will also be missed.
Despite concerns being raised about so many areas of new housing being skipped, TfL decided to go ahead with the proposal anyway. All other Superloop services have either been rebrandings of existing fast services or additions to the network – the SL11 will be the first route to involve an existing service being withdrawn.
Only the overnight portion of the 472 route – renumbered N472 – will remain.
The mayor’s transport agency revealed the results of its consultation on Thursday afternoon. Some 56 per cent of respondents said they supported the proposal, while 65 per cent said it would make their journeys quicker. A quicker route is likely to mean TfL will save money as fewer buses will be needed to run the service.
“We recognise this change might not work for everyone, especially where it means a longer walk or a change of bus,” TfL said. “We’re sorry for any inconvenience – same-stop changes at Woolwich and our Hopper fare should help make things easier.”
An equalities impact assessment done before the consultation found that only 31 per cent of existing 472 passengers would benefit from the faster bus, with 62 per cent needing to take an alternative service or walk a greater distance to an SL11 stop.
The cutback follows the diversion of route 180 away from Lewisham to North Greenwich in May 2022 and reductions in train services through Greenwich, Charlton and Woolwich in December that year.
It came a day after the housing minister and Greenwich & Woolwich MP Matt Pennycook visited the new Trinity Park estate, a joint project between the developer Lovell and Greenwich Council on the old Morris Walk Estate. Those moving into the new homes will have a less frequent bus service with the loss of the 472.
“We understand demand will likely increase on this corridor as a result of new developments, including those within the Charlton Riverside masterplan area and if demand justifies it, we will consider adding an additional stop on this section,” TfL said.
A total of 788 responses were received to the consultation, though 128 were believed to be part of an organised campaign to promote the use of the New Routemaster – the bus introduced by Boris Johnson when he was mayor – on London’s bus network.
Greenwich Council was among the bodies to support the proposal – with leader Anthony Okereke backing the scheme when it was launched – although Jo van den Broek, the Charlton Village Labour councillor, was a lone town hall voice calling for “at least one pair of bus stops” between Charlton and Woolwich.
Conservative-run Bexley Council suggested extensions to Belvedere or Welling, and said that if the SL11 was introduced, the 472 should remain in place. Bexley’s Labour councillors also said they would prefer the 472 to remain alongside the new bus. TfL said this would result in too much capacity along the route.
A consultation will begin later this year on a new bus transit scheme for Thamesmead, which the SL11 is likely to form part of. The transit network is intended to complement an extension of the DLR to a new development of 15,000 homes at Thamesmead Waterfront, which is currently the subject of its second consultation.
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