Green Line bus route 724

724

Overview
System Green Line
Operator Arriva Shires & Essex
Garage Harlow and Ware
Vehicle Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Peak vehicle requirement 7
Route
Start Harlow
Via Hertford
St Albans
Watford
Uxbridge
End Heathrow Terminal 5
Length 57 miles (92 km)
Service
Level Daily
Frequency 60 - 120 minutes
Journey time 2 hours 12 minutes - 3 hours 36 minutes
Operates 03:35 until 00:39
See also Green Line Coaches and timetable

Green Line route 724 is a bus service currently operated by Arriva Shires & 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 airport's terminal 5, and is partly funded by airport operator Heathrow Airport Holdings. It is the only Green Line service to be operated by buses rather than coaches.

History

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 Shires & Essex.

In December 1997, a fleet of nine Plaxton Prestige bodied DAF SB220s were purchased, with extra luggage space built in. 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From 19 May, the service was withdrawn from Heathrow Terminal 4, with another new timetable introduced.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]

Current route

This was the route map when Heathrow Terminal 5 opened. The service was also diverted in St Albans avoiding the busy St Peters Street, the main road through St Albans' city centre around which most of the shops are located.[12]

Current route

References

  1. ↑ One-Man Operation for First Time on London Transport Coaches Commercial Motor 1 July 1966 page 45
  2. ↑ Wagstaff, J. S. (1976). The London single-deck bus of the fifties. Oakwood Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-0853611981. 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.
  3. ↑ 724 & 727 timetable London Country Bus Services 3 June 1972
  4. ↑ London Country - three to go Commercial Motor 12 November 1987 page 32
  5. ↑ Hansard House of Commons 18 April 1988
  6. ↑ Morris, Stephen (September 1996). "NBC since NBC: a history of the former NBC subsidiaries". Buses Focus: 46.
  7. ↑ Overview Arriva
  8. ↑ Heathrow service relaunched Transport Xtra 18 August 2006
  9. ↑ Revamped buses set for take-off Watford Observer 4 September 2006
  10. ↑ Arriva - "Green Line 724 to serve Heathrow Terminal 5."
  11. ↑ Route 724 timetable Arriva 2 June 2008
  12. ↑ Harlow - Heathrow Airport T4 & T5 Green Line 724 & 725 Arriva
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