Aviation Specials – June 2018

90 The London Bus

A

t first sight, there

is something

contradictory

about north-

south route 108

between Stratford and Lewisham.

It is a high-intensity 11mile

service with departures every 8

to 11min, yet it is operated by

single-deckers.

The explanation is that it

runs under the River Thames

through the Blackwall Tunnel,

and the headroom in the original

northbound tunnel bore is

insufficient to accommodate

double-deckers.

The 108 is one of the oldest

routes in London, having been

launched in 1914. The original

Blackwall Tunnel had already

been open for 17 years by then

(the current southbound bore

was opened in 1967).

Before the war, NS and STL

double-deckers with specially

adapted roofs were acquired in

order to fit through the curved

cross-section of the tunnel.

Then in 1952 the roadway was

lowered, and it was possible to

put standard RT double-deckers

on the service. However, the

surface was raised again in the

mid-1960s to increase the width

by bringing it closer to the

centre line, so double-deckers

disappeared from the route.

Not surprisingly, extensive

peak-hour congestion in the

tunnel can play havoc with

timetables, and is said to

make the 108 London’s most

unpredictable route – though in

fairness, during our visit it ran

like clockwork.

Longer-term tunnel closures

are another matter; from 2010

the southbound bore saw

repeated evening and overnight

closures for repair, and late

evening services on the 108 had

to be run in two parts – north

of the river between Stratford

and Canning Town,

and south of the

river between

North Greenwich

and Lewisham.

The Canning Town

diversion became a regular

feature of the route, and

curiously it was still shown on

Transport for London’s online

route map when I checked it in

spring 2018, though the stops

were no longer served.

During the early days of bus

privatisation in the 1990s, the

108 saw a succession of colourful

liveries as the route was

allocated to Boro’line Maidstone

(blue and yellow), then Kentish

Bus (maroon and cream), then

Harris Bus (blue and green).

When Harris failed, TfL took over

the route with its own subsidiary

East Thames Buses. Go-Ahead

bought East Thames in 2009

and has retained the route since

then.

Mercedes-Benz Citaros were

the order of the day when I

sampled the route. Although

nine years old, they were smartly

turned out – mostly in London’s

current overall red, but some

featuring Go-Ahead’s former

grey skirt. However, having been

cascaded from central London

Red Arrow routes, some still

London by Bus

BELOW:

Mercedes-Benz

Citaro MEC30

emerging from the

northern portal

of the Blackwall

Tunnel.

Route

108