No current plans to introduce additional express bus route through Enfield, says TfL

A previously proposed Superloop route between Barnet and Stratford, via Enfield Town, is not currently being taken forward by Transport for London, reports James Cracknell

The Superloop first launched in 2023 (credit TfL)

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it’s not currently taking forward plans for a new express bus route through Enfield borough – despite such a service being proposed two years ago.

Superloop bus services were first introduced in London in 2023, with a route along the North Circular linking North Finchley and Walthamstow via Arnos Grove, Palmers Green and Edmonton – called SL1 – launching in December that year.

The routes were primarily chosen by TfL with the aim of linking outer London suburbs with faster services, and during the 2024 City Hall election campaign Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan pledged to double the number of Superloop services from ten to 20.

Among a list of ten proposed routes published in April 2024 was a new service between Barnet and Stratford, via Enfield Town, Chingford and Walthamstow.

Although no route map of this proposal was published, it was suggested at the time that it could include stops at High Barnet Station and Enfield Town Station.

Currently, these two stations are linked only by the 307 bus, which takes an average of 29 minutes to travel between them during off-peak periods, and often much longer during peak times.

However, after being questioned about the proposal this week, a TfL spokesperson explained that the transport authority currently had firm plans to deliver on just three new Superloop routes in 2027, and that none of these will serve North London. An additional route in South London was introduced earlier this year.

While not ruling out the Barnet/Enfield/Stratford Superloop route entirely, the spokesperson said that it had appeared on “an initial speculative list of potential routes – it was never a confirmed route”.

At the time of his announcement during the 2024 mayoral election campaign, Khan had said: “The success of the Superloop is one of my proudest achievements as mayor, connecting Londoners to key locations in outer London and getting more people onto public transport. It has been nothing short of a game changer – making journeys quicker and more convenient.

“The proposed new routes will all be subject to consultation with Londoners, but I’ve asked Transport for London to start looking at how they could best serve key locations – whether popular town centres, other transport hubs or public services like hospitals.”

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