This diary was first published by Richard Delahoy in October 2000 to mark the 20th anniversary
of the service
starting. The subsequent history - leading up to First Thamesway withdrawing their timings
in October 2001 and then Arriva abandoning the service completely from February 17, 2002
(with Stephensons of Essex starting a replacement X1 the following day) - will be added
here when time permits.
Click here for the photo gallery.
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October 6, 1980 |
The Transport Act 1980 takes effect - coach services deregulated
- X1 starts, every two hours, Southend to Reading via Basildon, Socketts Heath, Rainham, Dagenham,
East Ham, Canning Town, Aldgate, Embankment, Piccadilly, Kensington, Hammersmith, Heathrow, Slough,
Maidenhead and Twyford. Jointly operated by Southend Transport and Reading Transport.
Southend mainly use the 4 recently delivered DP Leopards, 205-8; Reading provide
bus seated Metrobuses and Metropolitans. |
Feb 16, 1981 |
Road service licence granted for Southend to Hammersmith section
of route. Reading temporarily withdraw in a dispute with their crews - Southend operate to Heathrow
only but the timetable is reduced from 8 journeys a day to 6, until restored from May 23rd. |
Feb 29, 1981 |
Reading resume operation; some journeys now run express via M4.
Further road service licence granted. |
June 1981 |
Reading strike again for 12 days; Southend operate full service
to Heathrow, one driver sleeping overnight there! |
Jan 16, 1982 |
More local traffic can be carried following the granting of a
London Bus Agreement with LT. |
Jan & Feb, 1982 |
A series of rail strikes bring much additional traffic.
Southend operate up to 11 Fleetline duplicates each day; Reading’s response is more muted
but in February some limited duplication introduced. |
May 16, 1982 |
Last day of joint operation. Differences of opinion over
revenue allocation and the development of the service cause the operators to split up.
Reading now operate from Reading to Aldgate, ST from Southend to Heathrow, both still numbered X1.
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The remainder of this chronology will concentrate on the ST operations. |
May 17, 1982 |
Basic ST service is every two hours to Heathrow, with two
shorts to Green Park. One journey omits Basildon. |
June & July, 1982 |
Further rail strikes result in up to 17 double deck duplicates
in use, a few provided by Ensign Bus. |
July 29, 1982 |
A Neoplan double deck coach, EFW855X, is tried on X1 for a day;
a Bova single deck coach is similarly used on August 18th. Despite these demonstrators,
an order is placed for 3 Van Hool Astromega double deck coaches costing £112,000 each. |
November 28, 1982 |
Season tickets (Expresscards) introduced - previously there
were only singles, day and period returns. |
December 25, 1982 |
X1 runs on Christmas Day for the first time. It was to
operate continuously, 365/6 days a year, until December 24, 1999 (6,209 days without a break!). |
April 26, 1983 |
The first Astromega, 244, enters service - possibly the
most exotic municipal "bus" ever. It offers 84 seats in a 12m, 3 axle layout. |
May 3, 1983 |
The first short term hired coach - Colchester Leopard 102 -
enters service, due to increasing traffic. It is joined by further hired coaches from
Leicester (June onwards), Bournemouth and Burnley (both October), Fylde (November) and
Lancaster & Derby (December - the latter providing AEC Reliance’s rather than Leopards).
These short term hires peaked in December, when at one point there were 13 coaches on hire at
the same time. |
May 9, 1983 |
Peak hours only X21 introduced, Shoebury to Green Park via
Thorpe Bay, Prittlewell and the A127. |
June 1983 |
Two ex Midland Red Willowbrook DP bodied Leopards, 211/2,
enter service on loan from Ensign but are soon demoted to local bus work. |
August 15, 1983 |
The basic service is increased to hourly M-S and X21 is
enhanced. |
1983/4 |
Progressive increases in frequency and continued duplication
required as traffic continues to grow dramatically. |
Jan 1984 |
The short term hired coaches start to be replaced by long
term hires, numbered 321 upwards. The coach fleet now reaches 20 vehicles. Parcels service
started. |
April 15, 1984 |
Major timetable revision, with fewer Heathrow journeys but
more peak services. Sunday service upped to hourly. Journeys not via Basildon now numbered X11.
Coach fleet reaches 32 vehicles. |
May to Sept, 1984 |
Certain journeys extended on summer Sundays to Thorpe Park or
Windsor. Similar extensions operated in 1985. |
June 18, 1984 |
X31, Canvey to Green Park starts with 4 return journeys.
Coach fleet reaches 41 vehicles. |
October 9, 1984 |
X31 increased to 7 times a day, M-F; fleet reaches 50. |
Jan 14, 1985 |
The last short term hired coach, Burnley 13, returns home
after a long period out of use with accident damage. |
Jan 25, 1985 |
With the delivery of 351, the coach fleet reaches 60, plus
6 more on order; the bus fleet is only 63 vehicles. |
April 1, 1985 |
Another peak hour variant, X41 starts, Prittlewell to Green
Park via Rochford, Ashingdon and Rayleigh. X31 increased to 9 peak hour journeys and a
Saturday trip introduced. |
July 22, 1985 |
Numbers X10 and X30 introduced for peak hour journeys running
fast from Corringham to Purfleet via the newly opened A13 Socketts Heath by pass. |
April 12, 1986 |
Heathrow journeys extended to the newly opened Terminal 4. |
June 1, 1986 |
A significant relaxation in the licencing allows local traffic
to be carried between Southend and Basildon for the first time, but some restrictions remain. |
Sept 22, 1986 |
X31 increased to an hourly service M-F and doubled to 2 trips
on Saturdays. Four days later, Cardiff DP seated Olympian 559 was taken on long term hire.
5 more followed in Spring 1987. |
October 26, 1986 |
Bus deregulation day sees the lifting of the remaining travel
restrictions outside London, although minimum fares continue to deter short distance traffic.
|
Winter 1986/7 |
The service reaches its peak, with services X1, X10, X11, X21,
X30, X31 & X41 providing a total of 64 journeys a day, Mondays to Fridays, from the 0430
departure to the 0245 arrival (which could be later, as last coaches extended on request
through to Shoebury). In the peak, coaches run every 2½ minutes on average. Six journeys
serve Heathrow.
The Saturday service provides 20 journeys, with 18 on Sundays and Bank
Holidays.
The coach fleet stands at 66, exceeding the size of the bus fleet.
This proved to be a real case of the tail wagging the dog, unfortunately.
|
November 24, 1986 |
An off peak London service X23 introduced, East Beckton to
Green Park. It does not last long, being withdrawn in July 1987! |
April 1, 1987 |
In an attempt to find work for idle commuter coaches,
Southend acquire the Culturebus London sightseeing service from Ensign Bus, numbered
route 614, running every 30 minutes. It is mainly run by the Astromegas and the Cardiff
Olympians, some painted and lettered for the service. |
Summer 1987 |
ST is hit by a financial crisis, with heavy losses.
The over expansion of the coach operation is largely to blame, with too many commuter
passengers at fares that do not cover the costs involved. Drastic action is needed
to avoid bankruptcy. |
November 1987 |
Culturebus is reduced to hourly and then . . . |
December 19, 1987 |
Culturebus is withdrawn and sold back to Ensign. |
Dec 21, 1987 |
Cutbacks see the off peak service on X31 withdrawn,
although the Saturday journeys remain (until March 1988) and the Heathrow service reduced
to just 2 journeys. |
April 3, 1988 |
X31 drastically cut, to only 4/5 peak journeys. X41
also reduced and X21 & X30 withdrawn altogether.
The Heathrow section is withdrawn altogether (but reinstated from
October - see below), coaches terminating at Green Park. The overall service now comprises
32/3 journeys each way, still significant but only half of its peak. |
April/May, 1988 |
Many of the hired coaches are returned, along with the
Cardiff Olympians, the Berkhof rebodies are hired out and two Duple 320 bodied DAFs in build are
cancelled (one was in fact delivered to ST in white but went to Metrobus; the second went direct to
Davies of Rye). |
October 2, 1988 |
A limited Heathrow service reintroduced, twice daily M-F only.
It now runs via Victoria Coach Station then Earls Court and non stop to Heathrow, rather than
by the "traditional" stopping route through Hammersmith.
Five morning peak journeys are diverted from the Embankment to Westminster,
Victoria Street instead of Green Park; the afternoon journeys start from Embankment, however.
The main service also extended the short distance from Green Park to Hyde Park Corner.
Sunday service reduced to every 2 hours.
In a measure of how curtailed the peak operations have become, the
timetable leaflet now combines M-F and Saturday times into one table.
One minor extension sees the morning Westminster journeys extended to Victoria Station . |
October 1989 |
"London Coachlink" branding introduced. The
first vehicle is reliveried in this style in February 1990. |
October 8th, 1989 |
Residual Canvey service finally withdrawn but Heathrow
service increased to 3 journeys, including Saturdays. |
May 14, 1990 |
The last of the "off route" peak hour variants,
X41, is withdrawn. The X1 peak journeys which operate via Homesteads and Stanford Le Hope
(a variation introduced to replace the X31/X41 through there) are given a separate number, X2,
which also denotes coaches making a detour via Pitsea Broadway. |
1990 |
All 6 Astromegas are withdrawn during the course of the
year, and only 1 Leopard remains at the year end. New in are a series of A & B registered
Plaxton Paramount bodied Tigers. |
October 28, 1990 |
Some off peak journeys diverted into the new Lakeside
Shopping Centre. |
Summer 1991 |
With the sale of the 2 DAF/Duple Lasers and the last
Leopard (521), the coach fleet has now dropped to just 17 vehicles, all Tigers and the
service is now branded as a Green Line service (but the Green Line livery is not adopted
until 1995). |
August 25, 1991 |
Further increase in the number of off peak journeys extended
beyond Hyde Park Corner to Victoria, now 4 in addition to the 3 Heathrow trips.
Victoria terminus now in the Green Line Coach Station, rather than Semley Place. |
April 19, 1992 |
Yet more journeys extended to Victoria, and more still
the following year until almost the whole off peak service goes there. |
July 5, 1992 |
In a major blow to the X1, Thamesway start up a competing
CitySaver service, mainly running just in front of the X1 and with much cheaper season tickets. |
"Winter" 1994 |
More journeys run non stop as X10 or X11 and more off peak
journeys divert into Lakeside, including Sundays for the first time. Number X3 introduced
for journeys which serve both Homesteads and Lakeside. Evening peak journeys now avoid
Aldgate Bus Station, stopping in Mansell Street instead to avoid the congestion.
A separate table is needed again for Saturday times, as the M-F peak
service is quite complex and different to Sats. |
April 1, 1995 |
The first leaflet in Green Line house style appears -
by far the most glossy X1 issue in 15 years! In a sign of things to come, the Sunday
service is re-routed to run direct from Embankment to Victoria, no longer serving Piccadilly. |
Spring 1995 |
The fleet is partially upgraded, 8 secondhand Volvo
B10Ms replacing some of the Tigers. They introduce the Green Line livery to the fleet
and the Tigers follow suit. |
September 2, 1996 |
Some morning peak journeys now advertised as running non
stop via the new Limehouse Link instead of the A13. |
May 4, 1997 |
The Heathrow service is withdrawn again, this time for good.
In a minor reincarnation of the old X21 and X41, one morning journey starts at Ashingdon
and runs into Southend as a 7, then on to London, and another from Shoebury as an 8.
There are no corresponding return workings, but the last coach at night still extends
through to Shoebury on request. |
September 7, 1997 |
Route number X4 appears for two morning journeys ex London,
denoting that they don’t serve Basildon. |
September 6, 1998 |
Some of the gloss is lost from the leaflets, no longer
carrying a colour picture of a coach and now with Arriva Southend names in place of Southend
Transport. The X4 variant has disappeared again and the Piccadilly routing is only served
between the peaks M-F, not at all weekends. The last late evening journey is withdrawn
and with it, the extension on demand to Shoebury. |
October 10, 1999 |
After many years of competition, Thamesway and Arriva agree
to co-operate with a joint service, Green Line branded. The basic service is renumbered 721
(equivalent to the X3/S1, with peak hour variants 722 and 723, plus 720 (Canvey, = CitySaver S5).
The Piccadilly section of route no longer served at all.
Basic off peak service every 30 minutes M-S; on Sundays Arriva operate
alone, on a 2 hourly headway. No late evening service is offered on any day. Both operators
provide 8 coaches and Thamesway adopt Green Line colours.
Interestingly, each operator has separately registered their own timings. |
December 1999 |
More fleet variety with the acquisition of 4 secondhand Van
Hool bodied Scanias, Southend’s first air conditioned coaches. |
January 17, 2000 |
Revisions to the peak services following numerous complaints.
Further variants - 709/10 - introduced, to provide faster peak journeys. |
August 2000 |
Yet more variety, as 2 DAF SB300s are cascaded to Southend from
Arriva The Shires, after use on the 757. |
Autumn 2000 |
What is the future for X1 (now 721)? Passenger numbers
are not particularly strong, traffic congestion is worsening, the railway has fought back
with discounted season tickets. Does the service have a secure future?
Only time will tell! |
This diary was first published in October 2000 to mark the 20th anniversary of the service
starting. The subsequent history - leading up to First Thamesway withdrawing their timings
in October 2001 and then Arriva abandoning the service completely from February 17, 2002
(with Stephensons of Essex starting a replacement X1 the following day) - will be added
here when time permits.
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