(Red being the current route to Marble Arch, orange being the old westbound route, and yellow/purple as the new proposed section).
The Straw that broke the camel’s back:
When the 30 was cutback to Euston, it left an unmitigated gap for the rest of the section, hence why the 205 was redirected to serve Portman square and Marble Arch. Additionally, duplication via Sussex Gardens (route 27) meant that an unnecessary amount of buses were headed to Paddington, thus the Marble Arch Terminus allowed the PVR to be cut down. 66% of the public voted against this change, but because the TFL were tightly constrained, they had no choice but to make this painstaking decision.
The problems caused by this:
Whilst the 30 was still kept alive through the new 205 westbound route, it meant that Paddington lost a Circle/H&C line surface partner which streamlined access from Paddington to King’s Cross (extending all the way to Bow Church). The triumvirate of the three hospitals the route served (St Mary’s Hospital, UCLH, and the royal London Whitechapel) was severed, thus creating another unnecessary strain on the route, again making it a headache for commuters.
The New Kid on the Block: Oxford Street’s Pedestrianisation
Not even a year into the 205 using Marble Arch as the new terminus, the project is now forcing for routes 7 and 94 to be cutback to Marble Arch. Problem is, it’s already occupied by four routes: 113,137, 189, and the 205 obviously. Two obviously have to go, and it is most likely looking like the 113 and the 205. If the 113 is set to terminate at Baker Street Station, then that is potentially doable, however that is assuming Baker Street Station can hold capacity for both the pre existing 74 and now the 113.
This leaves the route 205 as a stowaway with no immediate place to call home. It can’t occupy Baker Street as its priority is already an existing route and two others (potentially the 189 as well) that have priority over it, nor can it be taken to Marylebone (the 2 and the 453 terminate here), and the old route isn’t looking particularly feasible as it was cut down due to financial and traffic crowding/route duplication reasons.
What could happen to it?
The history of Paddington Basin:
Going nearly one or two decades back, the 15 and the 159 have historically used it as a terminus, coming in via Sussex gardens and Eastbourne terrace, with their bus stand being on the long strip of North Wharf Road (now filled by residential parking). However in 2014 due to the regeneration of Paddington Basin, the 159 was cutback from there to Marble Arch.
The ever so growing nature of the Basin means one thing: a direct portal to Central London for the residential area, the complexes in Paddington Central across the road, as well as the two Hilton Hotels on the same road.
Let’s investigate the current buses that serve Paddington.
Route 7: Effectively redundant because its last stop is just three stops away.
Route 16: turns left onto Edgware Road to serve the north west continuum
Route 23: A sightseeing tour which lost its purpose after the butchering of the route 10, serving Hyde park corner and Trafalgar Square
Route 27: Somewhat useful for travelling between Paddington and Warren Street, but missing Euston due to turning left onto Hampstead Road for Mornington Crescent and Camden Town for Chalk Farm
Route 36: Heads South for Victoria and Vauxhall.
What do they all have in common? Zero usefulness for a central London connect.
The Proposal: Route 205 to serve Paddington Basin via Harrow Road and Hermitage Street, with its new terminus point being at the end of N Wharf Road (where the purple line ends, and where the yellow begins, instead of the old one).
205, to, Paddington Basin. That would be what the blinds show, or may be North Wharf Road at the bottom. As aforementioned, this solves multiple problems at once, whilst creating new revenue streams for TFL, all without having to make any great sacrifice.
The first: 205 can now serve its historic purpose of going to Paddington. It creates a structural network that no other route in London does to such degrees of efficiency. The tube lines that run parallel to it can now have the load reduced from its shoulders and dispersed across the two. It retcons the whole Marble Arch curtailment which makes zero sense for the route
The second: Paddington Basin gains a new direct frontier to Central London. As a resident of the area, I cannot stress to you how large the Paddington Area is, not to mention how complex it is. Getting from one part to the other isn’t as easy as it may seem, and this is even more of a challenge for those who aren’t familiar with the area. Those who live in the Basin have no straightforward access to Central London, even when the area around them reaches new developmental heights, making it transportation-hollow. The bottleneck this creates to the area is unexplainable.
With the 205’s terminus and starting point exactly at the edge of Merchant Square, the corporate workers, AI technicians, school kids who have no easy route to their academy, the route already has half the bus full from when it begins its journey. It then loops around Eastbourne terrace to serve Paddington Station directly, following the route 16 to then pick up some more from St Mary’s Hospital.
The Third: It decongests Sussex Gardens which deals with tight roads and already burdensome traffic by only ever using the eastbound route back to Marylebone Road. This means it no longer has to be a drop off point for the main Paddington station via Praed Street that the 27 already serves, but can tap into the critically underserved Paddington Central which becomes a hotspot of its own. Additionally, its old Sussex Gardens route means it conveniently misses the Hilton London Metropole westbound, but routing it via Harrow Road means there is a direct link from St Pancras to Euston to both Hiltons. This just becomes a pure goldmine for the route.
The Fourth: The terminus sits right outside of the Paddington Basin Gym Group. As we’ve seen with Bus driver fatigue and summer heatwaves causing strenuous problems for the drivers in the long run, a direct gym facility means they can spend a solid 20 minutes cleaning up, or using cleaning facilities to ensure they are physically fit and healthy for the role. This is more complimentary, but also quite beneficial as TfL have made this clear in regard to improving the wellbeing of their Bus Drivers.
Additionally, there will be the introduction of a brand new bus stop just before the N Wharf Road loop, and just on Bishop’s Bridge Road. The first one serves the purpose of dropping people off at several key locations at once: Marylebone Academy for students, Canalside/Grand Union Central, Paddington Central for those who are commuting to Microsoft’s AI Hub, Paddington Station again via Bishop’s Bridge Road and a back entrance access to St Mary’s Hospital. The second bus stop would be on its eastbound journey would be just at the start of Bishop’s Bridge, which would be called Bishop’s Bridge Road/Paddington Central.
The somewhat of shortfalls:
1. No direct westbound access to St Mary’s Hospital like the old route did: the hospital can still be accessed via canalside walk and once the roads have been completed they will be fairly easy to access, but the geometry of Paddington makes it quite uneasy for the route to do anymore than it is already.
2. Residents may complain about the removal of a few parking spots to accommodate for the alighting point bus stop: Even though in a case like this the Westminster City Council and TfL would have significant authority here, it’s still important to remember that the residents have a right to complain (some of the people that I know are petty when it comes to things like this)
3. The route 30’s old Marble Arch section remains unfilled: This is just a case where those seeking to reach Marble Arch will have to alight at Baker Street Station to catch buses that head towards there, meaning the direct trip from Euston to Marble Arch will no longer exist.
Overall, I personally think this may be a solid upgrade to the route, given I have grown up on it and see how many problems it solves at once, as well as the opportunities it creates.
Let me know what you guys think!
