London Buses route 18
Encyclopedia
London Buses route 18 is a Transport for London
contracted bus route in London
, United Kingdom
. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest
.
, via Southwark Bridge
, St. Paul's
and Grays Inn Road to King's Cross. From here the 18 and 18B ran daily, the 18A on Mondays to Saturdays and the 18C on Sundays, via Paddington
and the Harrow Road
to Harlesden
, where the 18A continued to Park Royal
. The other three routes ran to Stonebridge Park
; the 18B ran on via the North Circular Road to Brent Cross
. The 18C peeled off here to serve Wembley
(Empire Pool, near Wembley Park tube station
), while the 18 and 18C served Wembley and Sudbury. The 18C then headed south to Greenford
and Hanwell, while the 18 continued north to Harrow and Harrow Weald.
The 18 was withdrawn between Central London
and Harlesden except on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, times at which the 18A no longer ran. The 18A, having run every four minutes, was withdrawn without replacement on 17 October 1939. The 18C Sunday extension into the centre was also withdrawn; the 18 was cut back to Wembley (Empire Pool) on Mondays to Saturdays, but was diverted at Wealdstone to serve Canons Park and Edgware, with a peak hours and Sundays extension to provide a service to Aldenham Works
. The 18C was renumbered to 92 on 14 June 1944, with a 92A variant running to Wembley Trading Estate at certain times of the week.
Trolleybus replacement in the 1960s saw the 18 extended back to Paddington Green to replace route 662. The 18B was withdrawn, and the 18 extended except on Monday to Saturday evenings to London Bridge. The former 18A was reintroduced at peak hours, running between Acton
and Paddington Green via a slightly different route. This was extended to Baker Street
in 1978, but withdrawn in September.
In 1970, the 18 was cut back to run only as far out as Sudbury, with new route 182 covering the section between Wembley and Harrow Weald (and on to Watford), and the 186 the section between Harrow and Edgware, both routes later being extended to new shopping centre at Brent Cross. In 1985 the 18 was curtailed at King's Cross, apart from a peak hours service as far as Farringdon Street. The section between King's Cross and London Bridge was covered by new route 17.
The extension from King's Cross to Farringdon Street was dropped in 1991, and the evening, Saturday and Sunday service east of Baker Street removed in 1992. A journey was operated every six minutes as far as Baker Street, with alternate buses extended during the day on weekdays to King's Cross. In the mid-1990s all workings were changed to terminate at Euston.
In 1992 the route became the first in London to have real-time information systems fitted to stops along its route. The system, called Countdown, proved popular with passengers and has been extended to much of the city's bus network.
Route 18 was converted from double deckers to articulated single deckers in November 2003. A new garage was opened near Willesden Junction station to operate the route.
In 2008 the route was named as the most problematic for crime
in London.
An extension of the route to Northwick Park Hospital
was proposed in 2009, but was rejected by the Mayor of London
, Boris Johnson
.
On 13 November 2010, route 18 was converted back to double deck operation when a new contract started, and the frequency was increased to every 4 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes and to 6-7 Sunday daytimes.
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
contracted bus route in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest
First London
.First London is one of many operators of London Buses and owned by First Group. They did also run the Tramlink network, in a partnership with Tramtrack Croydon before June 2008. Their registered office is at Paddington station in London...
.
History
In 1934 there were four routes, 18, 18A, 18B and 18C. The 18 and 18A, plus 18B on weekdays, ran from London Bridge stationLondon Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
, via Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge is an arch bridge for traffic linking Southwark and the City across the River Thames, in London, England. It was designed by Ernest George and Basil Mott. It was built by Sir William Arrol & Co. and opened in 1921...
, St. Paul's
St. Paul's tube station
St. Paul's tube station is a London Underground station in the City of London on the Central Line, between Bank and Chancery Lane stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 1....
and Grays Inn Road to King's Cross. From here the 18 and 18B ran daily, the 18A on Mondays to Saturdays and the 18C on Sundays, via Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
and the Harrow Road
Harrow Road
The Harrow Road is an ancient route in Greater London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction to Harrow. With minor deviations in the 19th and 20th centuries, the route remains otherwise unaltered...
to Harlesden
Harlesden
Harlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee....
, where the 18A continued to Park Royal
Park Royal
Park Royal is an area in northwest London, UK. It is the largest industrial and business park in London, occupying about , and is promoted commercially by the Park Royal Partnership...
. The other three routes ran to Stonebridge Park
Stonebridge Park
Stonebridge Park could refer to:*Stonebridge Park, Liverpool, a new business centre in Liverpool*Stonebidge Park junction, a major junction in North-West London*Stonebridge Park station, a tube station in Tokyngton, London...
; the 18B ran on via the North Circular Road to Brent Cross
Brent Cross
Brent Cross is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Barnet. It is located near the A41 Brent Cross Flyover over the A406 North Circular Road. Brent Cross is best known for its shopping centre and the proposed Brent Cross Cricklewood development....
. The 18C peeled off here to serve Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
(Empire Pool, near Wembley Park tube station
Wembley Park tube station
Wembley Park tube station is a London Underground station in Wembley Park, north west London. The station is served by the Underground's Metropolitan and Jubilee Lines and is in Travelcard Zone 4...
), while the 18 and 18C served Wembley and Sudbury. The 18C then headed south to Greenford
Greenford
Greenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill, above sea level; the small Parish Church of...
and Hanwell, while the 18 continued north to Harrow and Harrow Weald.
The 18 was withdrawn between Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
and Harlesden except on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, times at which the 18A no longer ran. The 18A, having run every four minutes, was withdrawn without replacement on 17 October 1939. The 18C Sunday extension into the centre was also withdrawn; the 18 was cut back to Wembley (Empire Pool) on Mondays to Saturdays, but was diverted at Wealdstone to serve Canons Park and Edgware, with a peak hours and Sundays extension to provide a service to Aldenham Works
Aldenham Works
The Aldenham Works, or Aldenham Bus Overhaul Works, was the main London Transport Bus overhaul works. It was located on the edge of the Hertfordshire village of Elstree and not Aldenham despite being officially called Aldenham Works. In its heyday, 50 buses a week were overhauled there, and it was...
. The 18C was renumbered to 92 on 14 June 1944, with a 92A variant running to Wembley Trading Estate at certain times of the week.
Trolleybus replacement in the 1960s saw the 18 extended back to Paddington Green to replace route 662. The 18B was withdrawn, and the 18 extended except on Monday to Saturday evenings to London Bridge. The former 18A was reintroduced at peak hours, running between Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
and Paddington Green via a slightly different route. This was extended to Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
in 1978, but withdrawn in September.
In 1970, the 18 was cut back to run only as far out as Sudbury, with new route 182 covering the section between Wembley and Harrow Weald (and on to Watford), and the 186 the section between Harrow and Edgware, both routes later being extended to new shopping centre at Brent Cross. In 1985 the 18 was curtailed at King's Cross, apart from a peak hours service as far as Farringdon Street. The section between King's Cross and London Bridge was covered by new route 17.
The extension from King's Cross to Farringdon Street was dropped in 1991, and the evening, Saturday and Sunday service east of Baker Street removed in 1992. A journey was operated every six minutes as far as Baker Street, with alternate buses extended during the day on weekdays to King's Cross. In the mid-1990s all workings were changed to terminate at Euston.
In 1992 the route became the first in London to have real-time information systems fitted to stops along its route. The system, called Countdown, proved popular with passengers and has been extended to much of the city's bus network.
In 2008 the route was named as the most problematic for crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
in London.
An extension of the route to Northwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital is a large hospital in the northwest corner of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England.-Hospital role:...
was proposed in 2009, but was rejected by the Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
.
On 13 November 2010, route 18 was converted back to double deck operation when a new contract started, and the frequency was increased to every 4 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes and to 6-7 Sunday daytimes.
Current route
- SudburySudbury, LondonSudbury is a suburb in the London Boroughs of Brent and Harrow, located in northwest London, UK.Sudbury is an historical area having once extended from the 'South Manor- Sudbury' to the area that is now known as Wembley Central...
- Wembley Central StationWembley Central stationWembley Central is a Network Rail station served by London Underground Bakerloo Line, London Overground , Southern and a few London Midland services. It is located in the High Road of Wembley, northwest London...
- Stonebridge Park StationStonebridge Park stationStonebridge Park station is a Network Rail station in Tokyngton, in the London Borough of Brent. It is served by London Overground and London Underground services, which use the same platforms....
- HarlesdenHarlesdenHarlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee....
High Street - Kensal Green Station
- Royal Oak StationRoyal Oak tube stationRoyal Oak tube station is a station of the London Underground, on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, between and stations. The station is on Lord Hills Bridge and is in Travelcard Zone 2 for the London Underground. Although not heavily used at other times, the station is extremely busy...
- Edgware Road StationEdgware Road tube stationEdgware Road station is a London Underground station on the corner of Chapel Street and Cabbell Street Road in Travelcard Zone 1 serving the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines. The separate Edgware Road tube station is about 150 metres away on the opposite side of the Marylebone Road...
- Marylebone RoadMarylebone RoadMarylebone Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east-west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 Westway at Paddington...
for Marylebone StationMarylebone stationMarylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each... - Baker Street Station
- Regents Park Station
- Great Portland Street StationGreat Portland Street tube stationGreat Portland Street is a London Underground station near Regent's Park. It is between and on the Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan lines...
- Warren Street StationWarren Street tube stationWarren Street tube station is a London Underground station, located at the intersection of Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road. It is on the branch of the Northern Line, between and , and the Victoria Line between and Euston. It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and is the nearest tube station to...
- Euston Square StationEuston Square tube stationEuston Square is a London Underground station at the corner of Euston Road and Gower Street, just north of University College London and within walking distance of Euston railway station. It is between Great Portland Street and King's Cross St. Pancras on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and...
- Euston StationEuston railway stationEuston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
Bus Station