Route 16

Route 16
10 September 2008

Metroline are great fans of cascading vehicles around from one route to another – usually with good reason, varying from passenger loadings and vehicle layouts to economy in engineering. One route that has had more than its share of cascades is the 16, which seemed for a time to be getting new vehicles on an annual basis each summer. And true to form, no sooner had I written that the type allocation seemed to have settled down, than it has changed yet again! The mainstay of the route is now the ever popular Alexander Dennis Enviro400, a type which, albeit with a fair amount of contortion, accommodates as many passengers in the shorter 10m length as a standard long wheelbase vehicle. Here TE840 (LK57 AXV) rounds Marble Arch on a northbound journey on Friday 30th May 2008.

Photo © John Bennett.

The first of the sequence of new buses to come were Volvo Olympians, as an upgrade from Metrobuses, in 1998. AV 23-38 later moved to the 260 and were replaced by an equal number of new Tridents. Those were the first of what was destined to be a short run of success with Metroline for Alexander, as opposed to the Plaxton President which had been specified before (though by MTL, before takeover by Metroline) and subsequently became standard.

But in 2000 those were in turn cascaded, and replaced by the last Alexander bodied buses ordered by Metroline, TAL 118-134. This batch of TALs was thus unique. The TAs moved to route 32, but have subsequently drifted back partly to cover an increase in service on the 16. The 16 also suffered the indignity of a large number of Dennis Dart single deckers around the turn of 2002/2003, to free up double deckers for the much needed conversion of routes 139 and 189 to double deck.

Photo by Ash Turner.

Here an unidentified TAL (Trident/Alexander long) heads along Park Lane back towards its home garage, Cricklewood, where the 16 now, once again, finishes. Surprisingly this was the extent of the route before the war. It was later extended to Sudbury via Neasden and North Wembley – even this is not as far as many routes from central London used to run – but has been progressively cut back again over the years.

Neasden was the new terminus from 1970, a diversion of the 245 taking over to Neasden (and indeed leaving the 245 with very little of its previous route). The quieter, local, section between Cricklewood and Neasden was transferred to new route 316 in 1997, leaving the 16 to concentrate on the more high-profile job of transporting people to and from Victoria, its terminus throughout the period examined.

Victoria is where TPL256 (LN51KYP) was photographed around Christmas 2006. A further frequency increase meant that additional vehicles had to be drafted in to complement the TAL fleet. Somewhat perversely, the frequency was fairly soon reduced again when route 332 was introduced – the 332 having taken over the north end of the 316! Although this does provide extra capacity between Cricklewood and Edgware Road, one would have assumed the busiest part of the 16 was to and from Victoria, which is the only unique section of the 16.

Part of the delivery of new Enviro400s to Metroline was originally intended for routes 460 and 297 at Perivale garage and school route 603 at Holloway, but in its usual busical chairs Metroline has instead allocated them to Cricklewood to replace older buses. The reason for the remainder of the batch of 37 was never reported, but it appears they will now convert routes 16 and 32. These are also to be joined by five hybrid diesel-electric E400s in due course.

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Chronologically E6 354

Numerically 15 18
See also routes 32, 139, 189, 245, 316, 332, 460

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