Outer London transport

Encouraging people who live in outer London to switch car trips to public transport is critical to achieving the Mayor's aim that 80% of trips are made by active, efficient and sustainable modes by 2041.

Tackling the triple threat

London is facing challenges in the form of congestion, air pollution and the climate emergency.

We're working to improve the already extensive public transport network in outer London - where most Londoners live - across our services. This includes expanding the bus network, introducing the full peak timetable on the Elizabeth line, upgrading our other rail services and investing in walking and cycling.

These improvements will help us maximise the benefits of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) when it is expanded across London from 29 August 2023.

Outer London bus improvements

We're working on an ambitious programme to grow the bus network in outer London and create faster connections, provide better coverage and more direct, frequent services.

Since 2016 we've introduced 12 new routes (218, 278, 301, 304, 306, 378, 335, 483, 456, 497, 533 and X140) and extended another 41 routes (30 in outer London) as well increasing frequencies on 65 outer London bus routes to ensure the service better matches demand.

We've consulted on extensions of routes to key growth areas or town centres as well as more direct and frequent services:

We're also proposing to extend route 223 so that it terminates at the new Eastman Village housing development on Harrow View in Harrow. The Route 223 extension to Eastman Village consultation is open until 4 June 2023.

Work continues on other expansion plans for outer London, including in Southall and Haringey. These will complement previously announced enhancements which include three new routes in the Sutton and Croydon areas, with improved services to the new Cancer Hub at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

New zero-emission cross-river services will also be introduced in east London, following our Silvertown Tunnel bus network proposals consultation.

Superloop

We're now developing proposals for the Superloop - a network of limited-stop bus routes, circling the entire capital, which would connect key outer London town centres, stations and transport hubs. Find out more about the Superloop proposals on our consultation site.

The first new potential Superloop route - called the X183 - would operate between Harrow and North Finchley. Have your say on the X183 Superloop proposals until 12 June 2023.

The proposed new routes could add over 4 million kilometres on to London's bus network - in addition to the extra one million kilometres already announced by the Mayor.

The Mayor is providing £6m funding as an initial catalyst for improvements to outer London orbital bus services.

superloop map - routes and stops are illustrative only and subject to consultation

Bus Action Plan

Other improvements are being introduced as part of our Bus Action Plan to make bus travel in London better and faster. This includes trialling high-power fast charging technology on route 358, between Crystal Palace and Orpington, which will enable buses to cover a greater distance without having to return to the garage to recharge.

We've allocated more than £63m in funding for London's boroughs in 2023/24, with more to follow in 2024/25 as they continue to make the Capital's roads safer and more attractive. The whole programme will see 29km of bus lane schemes and £10.6m provided to London boroughs for bus journey time improvements.

We're also working with boroughs to introduce 25km of new and improved bus priority by 2025, and have confirmed plans to increase live journey information across the city. This includes more than 300 new Countdown signs to boost the overall number by 12%, as well as hundreds of new or upgraded shelters.

Making the bus network zero-emission is one of the major things that we can do to decarbonise London's transport network. There are already more than 950 zero emission buses in London, and we have committed to converting the whole fleet by 2034. This target could be brought forward to 2030, subject to Government funding.

See the Bus Action Plan on the Mayor's Transport Strategy page.

Elizabeth line

The Elizabeth line has cut journey times in London and the southeast - example journey times include Tottenham Court Road to Ilford in 24 minutes and Ealing Broadway to Canary Wharf in 34 minutes.

The line has also transformed accessibility with spacious new stations and walk-through trains.

From May 2023, services will run to the final peak timetable and 24 trains an hour will run at the busiest times between Paddington and Whitechapel.

New DLR trains

We're introducing 54 new DLR trains to replace the 33 oldest trains on the fleet to help make the service even more reliable and frequent, and to support population and employment growth.

The new trains will also feature better facilities for those with mobility impairments with three multi-use areas in addition to three dedicated wheelchair spaces.

The first new train will be available for passenger use in 2024, with the whole fleet in place by 2026.

Find out more on the Improving the DLR page.

We launched DLR timetable changes on Monday 15 May 2023 to further reduce waiting times, relieve crowding and make it easier for people to access housing, employment and leisure opportunities across the Docklands and east London. These build on timetable changes in September 2022.

New Piccadilly line trains

Siemens Mobility is manufacturing 94 new Tube trains for London Underground to replace the 1970s-built Piccadilly line fleet from 2025.

The state-of-the-art Tube trains will significantly improve the experience of millions of customers, with wider doors and longer, walk-through, air-conditioned carriages for more comfortable and accessible journeys.

The first stage of the upgrade includes the design, manufacture and delivery of the base order of 94 new trains. We're currently planning for the first train to enter passenger service in 2025.

As new trains are introduced to the line, we will gradually withdraw the current fleet from passenger service. When deliveries are complete, we will increase the frequency of trains in peak hours from the current 24 to 27 trains per hour from mid-2027. This means a train every 135 seconds at the busiest times.

The new, longer trains, operating at 27 trains per hour will mean 23% more trains will run during peak times.

Find out more on the Piccadilly line upgrade page.

Barking Riverside

The new Barking Riverside London Overground station now connects passengers to central London in as little as 22 minutes and to Barking in 7 minutes.

Walking and cycling

We're working with London's boroughs on a range of walking and cycling improvements that support Healthy Streets across outer London including:

  • A 12km route connecting Tottenham Hale, Seven Sisters and the Nag's Head. Some parts of this proposed route are under construction as part of Cycleway 50
  • Plans with the London Borough of Brent for a new Cycleway - part of their Healthy Streets improvements between Wembley and Willesden
  • A 3km route connecting Lea Bridge and Dalston. We have consulted on this route and started work on the section between Lea Bridge and Clapton, in partnership with London Borough of Hackney. Find out what we're doing at the Lea Bridge roundabout
  • Greenwich and Woolwich. This route will be part of Cycleway 4, linking Tower Bridge and Woolwich
  • In early 2022 we consulted on an extension of the Cycleway 9 route to run from Brentford to Hounslow - this would link West Kensington, Hammersmith, Chiswick and Brentford

Find out more about Cycleways.