Relooping the London Superloop
25 October 2025
ABOVE: Stagecoach London 80406, an ADL Enviro400EV, turns from Blendon Road into Penhill Road, between Bexleyheath and Sidcup, on the Transport for London 'Superloop' route SL3 towards Bromley. All photos in this article were taken on Saturday 11 October 2025, except where stated.
I wonder how many people have "looped the London Superloop" in a day, since it was completed in 2024? I wonder how long it has taken them, and what 'rules' they have applied?
I am pondering these points as I arrive at East Croydon to do a second one-day circuit of the Superloop myself.
You may know that the Superloop is a Transport for London (TfL) innovation; a series of seven express bus routes that form a circle around the outer suburbs of Greater London (see map below). I wrote about this in detail after my first circuit in April 2024. (Other Superloop routes are available, and more are coming, but these seven will always be the core ones.)
Now, 18 months on, I have come back to see how the services are getting on. The first trip was a solo trip on a Sunday, but for this one, it's a Saturday, and I have two delightful friends with me. They may be as mad as I am (nearly)! As both of my friends live in South-East London, we're starting this loop in Croydon.
One of my "rules" for the circuit (these are reproduced at the end of the article) is that we don't need to do the two Croydon 'stubs' - route SL5 to Croydon, Park Street and route SL7 to West Croydon - as these are not part of the actual loop and the routes meet at East Croydon Station. So it's East Croydon where we will start our journey.
We're doing the loop anti-clockwise, so are starting on route SL5 towards Bromley. At 0907, we board the bus and I START THE CLOCK (although it's a couple of minutes before I think to capture the moment on camera)!
Immediately, we are at the heart of what is probably the most visible change from that earlier trip - the SL5 to Bromley North has been promoted to double-decker, using BYD BD11 electrics:
ABOVE: Arriva London ED75, a BYD BD11, passes East Croydon station and tram stop, on its way to Bromley on route SL5.
This is the route that was initially restricted to single-deckers, due to tree clearance issues along the route (presumably now solved). The contrast from the 12-year-old-plus diesel ADL Enviro200s that were previously on the route could not be more striking.
ABOVE: Another SL5 heads out of Tweedy Road and into Kentish Way in Bromley, with the Bromley Baptist Church forming the background (right). The building to the left of the Church, with the Clock Tower, may have been a Library and Art School.
This is the shortest Superloop route (in the core network), operated by Arriva London and taking us through to Bromley North in just 36 minutes - and that includes the three minutes it takes to get out of East Croydon Bus Station! It's also a fairly quiet run, but it is early and previous evidence suggests that that extra deck will be be valuable at busy times.
There is barely any waiting at Bromley North, as the SL3 towards Thamesmead turns up soon after we reach the stop. Again, there has been a significant upgrade here, as the New Routemasters that were working the route have been replaced by another new fleet of electric vehicles. Stagecoach London has opted for BYD's new rival, Alexander Dennis, to supply ADL Enviro400EVs for this route, and very smart they look too. (In case you weren't aware, BYD and Alexander Dennis produced electric buses jointly for about five years before deciding to go their separate ways with their own products.)
ABOVE: Station Road, Sidcup is the setting in which we find Stagecoach London 80407 (SK25 AOG), an ADL Enviro400EV, on a run on route SL3 towards Bromley.
It's not just these two Superloop services that have seen electric upgrades - my impression is that the whole of this part of London has a huge number of additional electric buses compared to when I last visited this area a year or so back. And, when we get to Bexleyheath Library, we stumble across one of the quite rare (so far) little ADL Enviro100 EVs - a really attractive small bus:
ABOVE: Stagecoach London 46052 (YX25 OCL), an ADL Enviro100 EV, at Bexleyheath Library between trips on route B14 from Orpington.
It's a bit of a convoluted exit from the Bexleyheath Library stop in this direction. Having done three sides of a square, there is a left-turn only into Albion Road, compelling us to cover the fourth side as well, before doing a 360-degree turn on the roundabout and retracing our steps.
Once we've all got over our dizziness, and our feelings of déjà vu, we are rewarded with a fine view of Bexleyheath's 1868 Trinity Baptist Church:
The SL3 is a more typical length of Superloop route and the journey takes 62 minutes. And talking of length, the shorter length of the Enviro400 EV compared to the overgrown New Routemaster means that our bus makes much easier work of the awkward turn from New Road into Abbey Road, near Abbey Wood.
The SL3 is my favourite run of the seven Superloop routes, partly because it's the area of London that I know least, partly because it's quite a brisk ride, and partly because it passes through some lovely areas, including a section of Lesnes Abbey Woods, which comprises of 88 hectares of ancient woodland.
Lesnes Abbey itself, now in ruins, was founded by Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar of England in 1178, as a penance for his role in the murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Its closure by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 was one of the earliest, predating the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. The remains of the Abbey have been classified as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are Grade-II listed.
Unusually, our bus is in 'plain clothes' - a non-Superloop-branded vehicle presumably seconded from another service. I don't know whether the driver has become accustomed to spotting people "doing the loop", but I suspect that the fact that we have covered the whole route (not many do), and have alighted taking loads of photographs might have been a giveaway! He gives us a wave as he sets off on his next trip.
ABOVE: Stagecoach London 80422 (SK25 BCU, right), an ADL Enviro400EV, is starting off from the terminus of route SL3 at Thamesmead. To the left is another new electric bus, Go-Ahead London DEL 111 (LV25 CUJ), on route 401 from Thamesmead. Behind it, Stagecoach London 12265 (SN14 TWA), an ADL Enviro400H, looks ancient in comparison as it awaits its next trip to Peckham.
Under my 'rules' the clock stops here. It's 1049 and we have covered roughly 25% of the journey in one hour and 42 minutes - four minutes faster than on my previous circuit (although I waited 11 minutes for the SL3 on that occasion, so actual travel time has been marginally greater).
The only break in the Superloop is because of the River Thames, which we must cross in order to get to the next bus. We have to head into Woolwich on a conventional bus, and then cross the river in order to resume our loop. There is a plan to introduce a new Superloop service that will link Thamesmead with Woolwich and might therefore change the 'rules' and become part of the core circuit. Let's see how things pan out when that new route starts next year (it's not really a new route - just a speeding up of an existing one)!
A ferry has crossed the Thames at Woolwich since the 14th Century, but the latest vessels have only been around since 2019. Today, we're sailing on the Ben Woollacott, a vessel named after a teenage deckhand who drowned in an accident while untying mooring ropes of the ferry Ernest Bevin in 2011. Ben came from a family of River Thames watermen that had worked on the river for six generations.
ABOVE: The Ben Woollacott vessel is seen making the Woolwich Ferry crossing, from Woolwich on the right, on Saturday 11 May 2024
The day is turning into a late gasp of summer, and the river looks amazing:
ABOVE: Halfway across the Thames on the Woolwich Ferry, looking east.
We have stopped for brunch in Woolwich so, with the journey into Woolwich and the crossing, we have been 'off-loop' for over two hours. We restart the clock in North Woolwich at 1255, with the SL2 towards Walthamstow. We're back with Arriva London, but the buses are older now - ADL Enviro400H City hybrids (new electrics are promised for 2026).
As before, the difference between what we left behind on the south side of the river and what we find here is palpable. Those peaceful wide roads in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead have been replaced by the narrow crowded streets of Barking and Ilford.
ABOVE: Arriva London HA49 (LK66 HBZ), an ADL Enviro400H City, passes Barking Station, with an assortment of other buses in view behind. The windscreen I have photographed through is badly scratched.
The journey along Ilford Lane is even more of a slog than usual. We gain a little momentum as we head out of Gants Hill, but come to a queue again at Charlie Brown's Roundabout:
ABOVE: Traffic queues on the approach to Charlie Brown's Roundabout in South Woodford
We're nine minutes down on the timetable as we reach the Wood Street stop at the junction of Fulbourne Road, and our progress is impeded here as the bus suffers a little prang. Nothing serious, although the driver of the other vehicle is shouting so loudly at our bus driver that she obviously doesn't agree! I've been on the wrong side of the bus to see what happened, so the respective insurance companies will have to work out the details...
The bus is taken out of service whilst the driver deals with the formalities. Although we should probably wait for the next SL2 in order to keep within the spirit of my rules, we're only a short distance from our next service, the SL1, so we decide to walk.
On this short walk we get the opportunity to have a look at the Grade-II listed Waltham Forest Town Hall. Built as Waltamstow Town Hall, this building made of Portland Stone was opened in 1942. The central section supports a frieze containing the words "Walthamstow Town Hall", with a copper-clad clock tower at roof level. It is the most spectacular Town Hall I am aware of in London!
ABOVE: Waltham Forest Town Hall
Route SL2 continues to Walthamstow Central, and parallels the SL1 for the last mile. That makes the section into Walthamstow something that I say one either stops the clock for, or skips altogether. As we have been dropped prematurely by our SL2, we skip the Walthamstow double-run and keep the clock running.
We reach the Hoe Street junction where the two routes meet just as the next two SL2s arrive together from North Woolwich. I therefore feel that keeping the clock running and counting the walk as part of the circuit has been justified!
It's nearly a quarter-of-an-hour before our SL1 arrives. During the wait, our stricken SL2 bus heads, out of service, straight across the junction towards Blackhorse Road. Looking at a map of the area, this is probably the easiest way to find a way to turn south and head back towards the depot in Dagenham.
The SL1, when it comes, is very busy, and the three of us are initially separated across various parts of the top deck. This is another ADL Enviro400H City hybrid service from Arriva London, although electric buses are, again, coming at some point. Things start to quieten down after Edmonton, but the service has clearly developed a lot of new trade since my last visit.
Sadly, the curse of Saturday traffic hits again as we head, very slowly, under the Great Cambridge Junction (A10) roundabout.
ABOVE: More traffic as the bus passes under the A10 west of Edmonton
The journey is supposed to take 44 minutes at this time on a Saturday; ours has taken 64 by the time we reach North Finchley. It's a sobering thought, as we stop the clock at 1558 for a refreshment break, that we're only half way round the loop!
That early burst of speed that got us to Thamesmead faster than on my first circuit is well-and-truly lost now. This section has taken three hours and three minutes, compared to one hour and 49 minutes the first time round!
We take our break in the Tally Ho pub itself. Built in 1927, It was named after nearby Tally Ho Corner, where in the 1820s and 1830s the Tally Ho Coach Company kept horses that were used for the first change of horses for the Birmingham mail coach. Our attention, though, is drawn to something quite different - a London Underground map on the wall that dates from the 1940s.
It's 1644 when we reach the darkness of North Finchley Bus Station. It's not dark outside yet, but this dismal spot is permanently dark, as it sits at the bottom of an entertainment complex with a built-in car park, and requires the "Night" setting on my camera even in the middle of the day.
Not put off by that, though, I prepare to get a photo of our next bus, the SL10, as it pulls in. Unfortunately, it comes in right behind another bus so all I end up with the below:
ABOVE: At least we can establish that this is BCE 47112 (LG22 ATY), a BYD D8UR-DD ADL Enviro400EV formerly of RATP London and now with First Bus London. This is North Finchley Bus Station.
There's been a change to the SL10 since my last visit as well, although less obvious to the general public. RATP London, which used to run the route, sold its operations to First Bus which took over early in 2025, bringing First Bus London back to life after 12 years.
Having sampled the separate BYD and Alexander Dennis electrics earlier in the journey, we now get the combo job with BYD D8UR-DD ADL Enviro400EVs (and they also furnish the SL9 that follows).
Just past Hendon Central, I find an electric single-decker and a diesel single-decker pulling out of a stop together, showing perfectly the different dimensions of the roof areas, with the electric bus obviously needing to put the batteries somewhere:
ABOVE: First Bus London DLE 30254 (SN18 KWD), an ADL Enviro200 MMC, shows the lower height compared to the Metroline Travel Wright GB Kite Electroliner on route 143 in front of it. The location is Gravel Hill in Finchley.
After a couple of painfully slow journeys, the SL10 is less encumbered by traffic congestion - apart from in the pinch-point that is Kingsbury, where heavy traffic is as inevitable as the supermarkets already having put out their Christmas ranges in mid-October.
ABOVE: First Bus London BCE 47111 (LG22 ATX), another BYD D8UR-DD ADL Enviro400EV, is on the Edgware Road in West Hendon.
Ther's another problem on the final approach into Harrow, where the section of Kenton Road from the Northwick Park Roundabout has been closed by the Police, forcing us, and all the other traffic, down the much-narrower Gayton Road. This road is slow-moving, and full of buses. But we're facing into the sunset so there's no pictorial evidence that's good enough to share!
Again, a journey that should have taken 58 minutes has been stretched to 71 by the time we reach Harrow Bus Station. Quite a nice run, though. From here, the SL9 will take us to Heathrow Airport.
If we can get on it - there is a massive queue waiting:
ABOVE: Metroline West VWH 2347 (LK67 CXD), on route 114 to Ruislip, is unwanted by the crowd at Harrow Bus Station. An SL9 is just passing by - but won't be stopping!
There is an SL9 edging round from the back of the Bus Station. The driver comes round and tries to position the bus somewhere near the queue. But then, suddenly, she pulls out and, for no obvious reason, goes round to the back of the Bus Station again.
I say "no obvious reason", but there's a second SL9 coming round as well and I reckon she wants that one to go first and pick up the crowd. But that ploy doesn't work. The second driver switches off his "SL9 Heathrow" display as he approaches, and drives straight past the stop.
Unlike the first one, he doesn't go round again but just drives off in the general direction of the SL9 route. He's left his colleague, and all the people waiting at the Bus Station, to fight onto the one bus, where the two together would have done the job just fine. Poor behaviour by both drivers, really.
Our reluctant driver comes around again and this time decides that she has no choice but to face the crowds. The loading can only be described as a scrum and tempers are fraying. Only one member of my group gets a seat, and the driver pushes the "no standing on the upper deck or stairs, please" recorded message 13 or 14 times as the people who have found no seats upstairs try to squeeze into the diminishing space below - space that is being filled with new passengers because this woman seems to have no voice in her head to say "no more boarding".
Remarkably, the bus clears the queue - just. The driver closes the door, stays put and repeats the "no standing" message a few more times until everyone sorts themselves out. And then we're on our way.
ABOVE: On board the SL9...
I end up standing towards the back. But modern buses aren't so well designed for this sort of thing, and I can't stand up straight - in fact, I'm bent double. Someone kindly gives me their seat after a while - hopefully because they're sorry for me having to stand like that rather than because they think I'm frail and elderly.
It's possible that the buses were affected by some congestion on the incoming journey from the road closure, even though the SL9 route doesn't really go very close to the affected area. And there's a suggestion that some tube services may have been disrupted by something, but the TfL website suggests a "good service" in this area.
But it's also possible that it's like this all the time. The 140 bus that the SL9 parallels has always been a busy service, and I often see heavily-loaded SL9s, so maybe a frequency uplift is needed.
Things get gradually easier as we head through Yeading and into Hayes. By Hayes & Harlington Station the load is back to manageable levels.
Of course, all this eventually leads us to another "TfL Special" as the bus is suddenly terminated 'short' at Harlington Corner, a mile from Heathrow Central. As is always the case with TfL, passengers are given no warning, and are just put off the bus and left to fend for themselves and find a way forward.
To add insult to injury, the bus hasn't even dropped us at an SL9 stop, but has turned left onto the Bath Road instead of right, in order to access the turn-around point. So we have to find our way across two major roads at a busy junction in order to resume the journey. The ride to this point has taken 53 minutes where the timetable says 50, suggesting that the bus was already very late when it started out - so maybe the short working should have been anticipated from the start.
As we work our way across the road, we debate whether we need to use another SL9 into the airport in order to be faithful to the Superloop circuit. There are five other 'stopping services' that would also get us there.
The discussion is academic, as it turns out, as the next bus to the Airport is another SL9. It's only been six minutes since we were thrown off the previous one - it takes another six to get to the Airport.
It's 1917 hrs and we are about 75% of the way round. With all of the delays, the overall circuit time is now seven hours and 18 minutes, compared to my original circuit of six hours and two minutes for this 75%.
ABOVE: First Bus London BCE 47105 (LG71 DVC), at Heathrow Airport
After a sandwich and comfort break, we await the last bus of the day, the SL7 back to Croydon. This is the longest route of the seven - counts as two in my book - but the later hour should make it quicker.
On this route's 15 minute frequency, we wait 14 minutes, which is a bit unlucky. But this is the sort of ride that I really enjoy - a front seat for a brisk, early (ish!) evening drive along clear roads. This service is run by Go-Ahead London (Metrobus) and uses what are now by far the oldest vehicles on the Superloop - a fleet of Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 diesels of 2009-2011 vintage (again, new electrics are on the way).
FIve minutes out from Heathrow, as we head around the Northern Perimeter Road, one of the gang spots that we are passing near to Harlington Corner, about 45 minutes after we were unceremoniously dropped there. There's no SL7 stop around here, though, so we wouldn't have been able to skip the airport.
Some journeys on this route can take as much as two hours and eight minutes to East Croydon. But we are well past the busy part of the day now - at least as far as the traffic is concerned.
As we head across to the south side of the River Thames at Kingston Bridge I make some comment about not remembering where we crossed to the north side. Then it comes back to me. It's been a long day!
The service is busy, though. The top deck is almost full as we pass through Sutton, and it's remarkable to see how popular it has become, having been a half-hourly service - as route X26 - until 2023, and having had to run with single-deckers, until 2017.
The last stop before East Croydon is Carshalton, about 12 minutes before. Someone rings the bell soon after the Carshalton stop, so I don't have the opportunity to capture a finishing shot showing the time...
The journey takes five minutes longer than scheduled, bringing us to East Croydon in one hour and 35 minutes. It's 2113 - 12 hours and six minutes after we left on the SL5.
ABOVE: Go-Ahead London WVL 486 (LJ61 NWV), a Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2, has just dropped us at East Croydon station, at the end of our circuit.
But how long did the circuit take, accounting for breaks and the river crossing? Here's a summary of my 'rules' (go to my earlier article for the full list)...
- Clock starts when your first bus pulls out, and stops as you step off the last bus.
- Time between buses (ie, waiting time) counts, except for the first bus of the circuit.
- If you take a break, stop the clock when you get off the bus and restart it when you return to the bus stop.
- Stop the clock at North Woolwich / Thamesmead and restart it when you arrive at the Superloop stop on the other side of the river.
The following sections are not part of the circuit and can be omitted - stop the clock while you do them:
- SL1 & SL2 between Hoe Street / Bell Corner and Walthamstow Central
- SL5 between Park Street, Croydon (SL5) and East Croydon Station
- SL7 between West Croydon and East Croydon Station
So here's my timecard for the day:
So the part of our journey for which the clock was ticking according to my rules took nine hours and seven minutes. compared to seven hours and 25 minutes for my first circuit (but that was on a Sunday, with a much earlier start). To be honest, that first circuit was probably a bit quick, and this one was probably a bit slow (especially on the north side). A more typical loop might be around the eight to eight-and-a-half hour mark, perhaps?
The Superloop services are undoubtedly getting busier. They are popular with the general public and have created a whole extra dimension for us enthusiasts as well! There's a range of further new routes planned for introduction over the next couple of years which will almost create a second loop - inside the existing one in some parts of London and outside in others. This will add a new layer of possibilities for travel, so I doubt this will be the last time I talk about the Superloop! (These new routes are being developed gradually, though, rather than in a rush - there's no Mayoral Election coming up this time.)
Question - has anyone yet tried to do a double loop in a day? Meaning, one way right round and then straight back the other way? With a 20-hour operating day, it's probably just possible, although my friends don't feel enthused by my suggestion of going straight back round when I mention it as we get off the SL7 at East Croydon that night. Can't think why... we've had a great time!
ABOVE: Another view of Arriva London ED 75 (LF25 TGU), at Bromley North station as it prepares to head back to Croydon.