Route 58

Route 58
8 June 2005

Route 58 started out to replace the 685/687 trolleybuses between Walthamstow Crooked Billet and Canning Town, via Blackhorse Lane, Leyton, Cann Hall Road, Forest Gate, Green Street and Plaistow (although the 687 ran via Upton Lane, covered instead by the 278 and now 325). Both ends of this original 58 route have subsequently been altered to provide new links and make the route a bit shorter at the same time.

First to go was the northern section beyond St. James Street, which was transferred to new route 158 (Chingford Mount — Stratford) and which parallels the 58 between St. James Street and Leyton. The 58 was diverted via Selborne Road to join the increasing number of buses terminating at Walthamstow Central. Initially this arrangement applied only during the day on Mondays to Saturdays with the evening and Sunday service remaining in its old form as route 58^A, but this has now been standardised.

More recently, in the 1993 Newham area scheme to be precise, the 58 was altered at Upton Park to run to East Ham instead of Canning Town, replacing the middle section of route 162 (Wanstead – Forest Gate – Upton Park – East Ham – Barking – Mayesbrook Park). Links between Forest Gate, Upton Park and Canning Town have been maintained by new route 330.

In March 2005 a major re-tendering exercise in the Walthamstow area saw route 58 awarded to First Capital; Stagecoach gained route 97 instead, which seems more economical as the 97 passes Leyton garage, where the 58 previously ran from, while the 58 doesn't. The buses on the two routes were simply swapped.

Photo © Lawrence Living.

Here TN 32846 (T846 LLC) runs along Selborne Road into Walthamstow bus station on Saturday 14th May 2005. This is one of the first batch of Tridents for First, originally used on route 18. Unlike Stagecoach's, most of First's vehicles on the 58 are short wheelbase, and First also have extra generous legroom specification meaning a reduction by 8 seats overall. To compound matters, the Saturday service, which is apparently extremely busy with shoppers for both Walthamstow and Green Street, was reduced from 6 to 5 buses an hour! At least the Sunday and evening service was improved, from 3 to 4 an hour, but 10 minute service would easily be justified on Mondays to Saturdays.

One other retrograde step with the new tenders was the withdrawal of the night service. Five new night routes were introduced at Leyton garage on 8 April 2001, one of which was the N58 (also routes N55, N69, N101 and N106). All four of the suburban routes were very quiet to start with, with most of the activity at night being away in the West End. The N101 was the first to be dropped, and the 58 also lost its night service at the end of the contract (the N prefixes having been dropped by then). However, it is reported that loadings were picking up quite well, especially at weekends! The N69 and N106 survive, perhaps not surprisingly as these have the busiest daytime counterparts.

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Chronologically 382 215

Numerically 57 60
See also routes 325, 158, 330, 69, 18

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