Fastrack (bus)
| Fastrack | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Kent Thameside Dover |
| Transit type | Bus rapid transit |
| Website | www.go-fastrack.co.uk |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 26 March 2006 |
| Operator(s) | Go-Ahead London |
| Number of vehicles | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC Wright Eclipse 2 Mercedes-Benz Citaro |
Fastrack is the name given to two bus rapid transit schemes in Kent. One of these is operational by Go-Ahead London and the second is operational by Stagecoach South East. The current network in Kent Thameside consists of six routes operated on behalf of Kent County Council with Prologis and Amazon respectively. Bus priority measures including traffic signal priority, reserved bus lanes and segregated busways are used throughout the network to allow buses priority over and avoid traffic.
The network in Kent Thameside was operated by Arriva Southern Counties since 2006 however the franchise was taken over by Go-Ahead London on 10 November 2024.[1]
The service in Dover was launched on 17 November 2024 and is now operated by Stagecoach South East.[2]
History
[edit]
Kent Thameside
[edit]Construction work on the Fastrack network in Kent Thameside began on 23 September 2004.[3] The network commenced operations on 26 March 2006 with the introduction of Fastrack B between Temple Hill and Gravesend.[4][5]
On 3 June 2007, Fastrack A commenced operations in order to serve the new development at The Bridge in Dartford.[6] The route is part-funded by Prologis, the developers of The Bridge.
From 19 November 2007 following the opening of Ebbsfleet International railway station, Fastrack B was diverted to serve the station in order to connect with Eurostar and Southeastern High Speed services.[7]
Following the completion of the Everards Link Phase 2 on 10 December 2012, Fastrack B was rerouted via a new section of busway linking Ingress Park with Greenhithe railway station.[8] Fastrack B began serving the whole of the Ingress Park development from 2 September 2018.[9]
From 2 August 2020 following the opening of the Springhead Bridge, Fastrack B was rerouted between Ebbsfleet International railway station and Gravesend to serve the new Springhead Park development.[10][11]
On 23 August 2021, Fastrack AZ commenced operations in order to serve the Amazon LCY3 distribution centre in Dartford.[12] The route was initially operated by Go-Coach but transferred to Arriva Southern Counties on 3 April 2022 with Fastrack A being modified to serve the LCY3 distribution centre at the same time.[13]
Dover
[edit]Construction work on the Fastrack system in Dover began in February 2023 and infrastructure works were completed in Summer 2024.[14]
The system was launched on 17 November 2024. Route D runs between Dover and Whitfield and is now operated by Stagecoach South East.[2]
Current routes
[edit]
The current Fastrack network is formed of six routes, five operated by Go-Ahead London, and one operated by Stagecoach South East.[15]
Route A
[edit]Fastrack A operates between Dartford and Bluewater Shopping Centre via Temple Hill, The Bridge, Amazon LCY3 and Greenhithe station. It runs every 12 minutes daily and every 30 minutes overnight.[16]
Route AZ
[edit]Fastrack AZ operates from the Amazon LCY3 distribution centre to either Dartford via Temple Hill, or to Gravesend via Greenhithe station and Ebbsfleet International station. It operates during shift changeover times at the LCY3 distribution centre only.[17]
Route B
[edit]Fastrack B operates between Dartford and Gravesend via Darent Valley Hospital, Bluewater Shopping Centre, Greenhithe station, Ingress Park and Ebbsfleet International station. It runs every 15 minutes daily.[18]
Route C
[edit]Fastrack C operates to and from Dartford in a clockwise loop around Temple Hill. The route runs every 15 minutes daily.[18]
Route D
[edit]Fastrack D operates from Dover to Whitfield via Dover Priory railway station. The route runs every 20 minutes 7 days a week.
Route E
[edit]Fastrack E operates from Gravesend to Castle Hill via Cable Wharf and Ebbsfleet International station. The route runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, and hourly on Sundays.[19]
Fares and ticketing
[edit]The network is split into three fare zones. Tickets are sold by the driver and from roadside machines, at certain bus stops, to allow for faster boarding.
M-tickets, bus tickets on mobile phones, were successfully trialled on 11 February 2008 and are now available across the Arriva bus network.[20][21]
Vehicles
[edit]The original fleet consisted of 26 Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B7RLEs. These had audio-visual next stop announcements, air conditioning and CCTV.[5] On 9 August 2015, these were replaced by 21 Wright StreetLites.[22][23]
From 21 March to 9 May 2018, Fastrack took part in a trial scheme which saw an additional hourly journey made by an electric Volvo 7900e, with a main charging point installed in the form of a generator at the front of Greenhithe station allowing the bus to fully charge inside six minutes.[24]
On 4 August 2019, Arriva Kent Thameside retained the contract to operate the Fastrack B service. As part of this, the 14 Wright StreetLites on the route were replaced with newer Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC vehicles transferred from the Medway area which were refurbished to Fastrack specification. 7 of the Wright StreetLites continued to operate on Fastrack A.[25]
Between 23 August 2021 and 3 April 2022, whilst the Fastrack AZ service was operated by Go-Coach, a total of eight Alexander Dennis Enviro400 vehicles worked on the service.[12] When this route was transferred to Arriva Kent Thameside, the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 vehicles were withdrawn and three additional Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC worked on the AZ service.
On 10 November 2024, Go-Ahead London took over the Fastrack network in Kent Thameside. By April 2025, a new fleet of 28 Irizar ie tram electric buses will be introduced across the network.[26] In the meantime, the fleet will consist of older buses, specifically Alexander Dennis Enviro200, Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC, Wright Eclipse 2 and Mercedes-Benz Citaro vehicles.
See also
[edit]- List of guided busways and BRT systems in the United Kingdom
- Crawley Fastway, a similar-sized guided system
References
[edit]- ^ "Go-Ahead London to take over Arriva Fastrack bus services". KentOnline. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Dover Fastrack to launch in November". Kent County Council. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Work starts on new Buslink scheme". BBC News. 23 September 2004. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ "Fastrack bus service open for use". BBC. 26 March 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ a b Booth, Gavin (25 April 2006). "Fastrack flight test". Bus & Coach Professional. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Community Website Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Thames Gateway Facts: Ebbsfleet Station". BBC. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "New Dartford to Gravesend Fastrack bus is 'life line' for residents". Newshopper. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ Changes to Arriva bus services The Reporter August 2018
- ^ "Fastrack Network Map, August 2020". Arriva Southern Counties.
- ^ "Arriva Fastrack service re-routed to include Springhead Park at Ebbsfleet Garden City after £16m bridge opening". Kent Online, September 2020. 7 September 2020.
- ^ a b "New 24 hour bus route launched to serve Amazon's vast Dartford distribution depot". 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Northfleet April 2022 Network Changes". Arriva Southern Counties. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "Dover Fastrack". Kent County Council. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Fastrack Network Map" (PDF). Go-Ahead London. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Fastrack A: Dartford to Bluewater Shopping Centre". Go-Ahead London. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Fastrack AZ: Dartford and Gravesend to Amazon LCY3". Go-Ahead London. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Fastrack B & C: Gravesend to Dartford and Temple Hill". Go-Ahead London. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Fastrack E: Gravesend to Castle Hill". Go-Ahead London. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Mobile phones are just the ticket for Arriva's new Fastrack bus trial". Arriva. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ Mobile ticketing on Kent Fastrack[permanent dead link] Bus & Coach Professional 27 February 2008
- ^ "Arriva launches 21 new Fastrack vehicles in Kent" Coach & Bus Week issue 1201 11 August 2015 page 10
- ^ New vehicles for Arriva Fastrack[permanent dead link] Bus & Coach Professional 14 August 2015
- ^ Electric bus trial, kent.gov.uk
- ^ Arriva wins contract for Fastrack B service for 13th year CommunityAd August 2019
- ^ Trams on wheels for Kent: Go-Ahead to operate all-electric Fastrack network Go-Ahead Group 14 June 2023
External links
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