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What would you say are interesting dedicated busways in Europe (outside the UK)? I'm talking about bus routes which run mostly on their own bus lanes or roads exclusively for buses. This is somewhat synonymous with BRT but there is some debate as to what constitutes BRT. For example, the Cambridge to Huntingdon bus service runs on a dedicated busway but is probably not considered proper BRT because of its slow boarding process.
I'm familiar with these:
Amsterdam-Zuidoost - Haarlem
Eindhoven busway network
Almere busway network
Trans-Val-de-Marne (TVM) in the Paris region
History now, the Jemelle-Rochefort section of the La Brugeoise (later Bombardier) TVR test route to Han-sur-Lesse was most unusual in being a defunct railway alignment with TVR's unique centre rail guidance system plus electrification. Of the two TVR systems sold, I never saw Caen and Nancy only after it closed but I think both were in/on-road throughout?
Translohr systems I would not consider a bus as they are captive to the guide rail whereas TVR could pop off onto roads.
Essen-Kray, conventional kerb-guided but used to change to electricity and continue through the east-west tram tunnel.
Faded memory, somewhere in Europe was there a proposal for a high capacity south-american style route with high platform off-side doors and nearside kerb loading? Non-guided but dedicated alignment.
Castellón comes to mind, optical guidance, busway linking new university with city centre but I've never been to see it.
That one has several branches in the mean time: interesting is the one towards Aalsmeer which has the busway going through the middle of roundabouts.
Additional to the ones you already know in the Netherlands: in Utrecht there is the busway from the Science Park via the city centre and Leidsche Rijn to Vleuten (used by route 28, from december again mostly with double-articulated buses). Especially when weaving through the station area it's a bit like a rollercoaster ride.
That busway has several branches: from the central station there is one via Papendorp which meets the above one in De Meern and there are a few other sections, but most of them are not the entire route of a bus line. However frequencies on the busways themselves can be impressive.
For example at the Heidelberglaan in Utrecht the busway is shared by trams 20/21/22 (12 per hour), bus 27/28 (12 per hour) bus 202/215/276 (12 per hour) and a several other routes adding up to 77 vehicles per hour in one direction in the peak. And when I'm not mistaken the frequencies here will even increase further in the 2026 timetable.
Additional to the ones you already know in the Netherlands: in Utrecht there is the busway from the Science Park via the city centre and Leidsche Rijn to Vleuten (used by route 28, from december again mostly with double-articulated buses). Especially when weaving through the station area it's a bit like a rollercoaster ride.
That busway has several branches: from the central station there is one via Papendorp which meets the above one in De Meern and there are a few other sections, but most of them are not the entire route of a bus line. However frequencies on the busways themselves can be impressive.
For example at the Heidelberglaan in Utrecht the busway is shared by trams 20/21/22 (12 per hour), bus 27/28 (12 per hour) bus 202/215/276 (12 per hour) and a several other routes adding up to 77 vehicles per hour in one direction in the peak. And when I'm not mistaken the frequencies here will even increase further in the 2026 timetable.
I forgot about Utrecht. Obviously some buses were removed when the new tram line was built, but clearly there is still a requirement for cater for a huge number of passengers on buses.
All the south-american dedicated busways with their super high floor bi-articulated buses and metro-like stations. Very different to what you are going to see here
All the south-american dedicated busways with their super high floor bi-articulated buses and metro-like stations. Very different to what you are going to see here
Of course, the South Americans pioneered the concept and is the main place in the world to look for this. I'm aware there won't be anything remotely on this scale in Europe, but I'm curious if there are some 'hidden gems' worth investigating.
History now, the Jemelle-Rochefort section of the La Brugeoise (later Bombardier) TVR test route to Han-sur-Lesse was most unusual in being a defunct railway alignment with TVR's unique centre rail guidance system plus electrification. Of the two TVR systems sold, I never saw Caen and Nancy only after it closed but I think both were in/on-road throughout?
Translohr systems I would not consider a bus as they are captive to the guide rail whereas TVR could pop off onto roads.
Caen's system was guided throughout, but could operate independently in diesel mode to reach the depot. Nancy's system was about two-thirds guided - for the other third it ran as a conventional trolleybus. Both systems were disasters - the former has been replaced by a conventional tramway; the latter by pure trolleybus!
In Oslo, outside of the city-centre, lots of tram-stops are off-road which buses on other routes can drive through and use as well.
In case some one wonders; that Heidelberglaan in Utrecht/OOst/UIthof area is smack in the middle of the giant uni-hence the superhigh frequency-only when lessons are on. All streets in that area are named after other famous cities with uni´s-so yes there is also an Oxford- and Cambridgelaan. I did my study there in the early days of start up-smack in the middle of meadows and greenery.
Almere is a pre-planned now quite big city, taking the overload of people from AMSterdam-in newly won polder ground-the whole citybussystem was set up that way with dedicated busways. However-before that started Lelystad was founded -now also on a newly built railway across the new land-but there it is just an ordinary and not doing that well normal bus system.
The 300 bus between AMSterdam ZO via Schiphol main airport to the west is mainly set up for transport of the thousands of airport workers-as an aside to a very recent topic about building raillines to those. It thus runs also high-frequency and from very early till very late with on some days also overnight service.
I right now sit in Wroclaw/PL and scratch my head about your question: for NL=Nederland best would be to look to other cities with big-uni´s. Plus that somehow I think FRance-in its wave of building new tramsystems, also some cities decided on BRT instead as a cheaper and much quicker to build alternative. And of course mainland China-with dozens and dozens more of fastly growing cities that need transport solutions.
THat remark about slow boarding in the UK makes me also scratch my head a little; time&again I see so many cases where in our view you would indeed do better to copy some continental practice-forget that overemphasize on revenue takings??!!
Of course, the South Americans pioneered the concept and is the main place in the world to look for this. I'm aware there won't be anything remotely on this scale in Europe, but I'm curious if there are some 'hidden gems' worth investigating.
THat remark about slow boarding in the UK makes me also scratch my head a little; time&again I see so many cases where in our view you would indeed do better to copy some continental practice-forget that overemphasize on revenue takings??!!
It is so frustrating! There have been many threads in the main Buses & Coaches section about slow boarding in the UK. Technology means that it is not as bad as it was. However Stagecoach (who run the bus service I mentioned) still get their drivers to sell a lot of tickets.
I forgot about Utrecht. Obviously some buses were removed when the new tram line was built, but clearly there is still a requirement for cater for a huge number of passengers on buses.
Actually only one bus route was cancelled when the trams were introduced, but the double articulated buses just moved to the route via the city centre (which the tram doesn't serve) until a fire in the depot destroyed most of them. But as written: the 24 meter long buses will be back in Utrecht as of december when a brand new fleet of Solaris Urbino 24 Electric buses are due to enter service.
As far as you didn't know them: relative recent busways are Utrecht Centraal - Westraven/Papendorp, which split at the Anne Frankplein. The branch to Papendorp has two bus tunnels: one where it branches off, the other to cross underneath the tram (they found out 15 years ago that a level crossing is not ideal over there).
Amersfoort also has dedicated busways on the ring road in Vathorst.
Actually only one bus route was cancelled when the trams were introduced, but the double articulated buses just moved to the route via the city centre (which the tram doesn't serve) until a fire in the depot destroyed most of them. But as written: the 24 meter long buses will be back in Utrecht as of december when a brand new fleet of Solaris Urbino 24 Electric buses are due to enter service.
As far as you didn't know them: relative recent busways are Utrecht Centraal - Westraven/Papendorp, which split at the Anne Frankplein. The branch to Papendorp has two bus tunnels: one where it branches off, the other to cross underneath the tram (they found out 15 years ago that a level crossing is not ideal over there).
Amersfoort also has dedicated busways on the ring road in Vathorst.
Waiting at one of the stops in the middle of the Ruhrschnellweg was always an interesting experience. Somehow it always felt more exposed than waiting at U17 stops although the principle was the same.
Could the dutch please provide line numbers for the routes with a lot of dedicated busways - it's fairly hard to find info online compared to tram lines.
I also spotted a long busway in Hilversum from the train this summer .
Unfortunately they are still struggling to make the priority at intersections work properly resulting in a longer travel time.
A "cab video" of the route (line 2) on the opening day without passengers can be seen here:
The last stretch to the new hospital (turning right at the start of the video) was not completed until 2024 and the hospital will fully open in early 2026.
Could the dutch please provide line numbers for the routes with a lot of dedicated busways - it's fairly hard to find info online compared to tram lines.
I also spotted a long busway in Hilversum from the train this summer .
Looking at the map, the busway is about 3 km long and provides a direct link from the station to the A27 motorway. The A27 junction looks like it is for buses only.
Looking at the map, the busway is about 3 km long and provides a direct link from the station to the A27 motorway. The A27 junction looks like it is for buses only.
Correct. A bit further north there is this awkward busway construct to serve the Eemnes P+R stop with two off ramps for buses only crossing the on-ramps for cars.
Could the dutch please provide line numbers for the routes with a lot of dedicated busways - it's fairly hard to find info online compared to tram lines.
For Utrecht the line numbers are as follows:
- Leidsche Rijn - Central Station - Science Park: route 28 (and many more on the core route)
- Zuidradiaal (Central Station - Papendorp - De Meern): all routes that pass through Papendorp Midden (with several only using a small bit of the busway)
- Europalaan busway: all routes except 34 that call at Kanaleneiland Zuid.
In Amersfoort routes 3 and 15 use the busways in Vathorst.
Here is a route video of the 28 in Utrecht, which is almost entirely using a dedicated busway:
So today I travelled from Wroclaw to Dresden-first thing to see out of hotelroom here was old-style antique pale yellow IKarus looking like from some VEB Kraftverkehr. Also managed to ride 2 newly re-opened branch lines by KD and saw quite some derelict scrapheaps-or ´steam locomotive´.
So it sprang to my mind that here in Germany the city of Oberhausen-just N-W of Essen, also built a dedicated busway roughly in shape of figure of 8. ONe of the lower legs also has trams that connect into nearby Mülheim-then Essen. If one favours trams-much longer rides with more changes can be made till south end of Düsseldorf or even east into Bochum. Most of the routes using it are labelled XE+ nr.
This city was one of the ultimate ´autofreundliche= car loving´ big towns in the 50ies-and did away with all that oldstyle tram etc. Citybus by STOAG was just for those who really had no ALTernative. Then economic disaster struck in the 90ies and the town realised it had to re-invent itself again. As a major accelerator a Landes flower show OLGA was held in ´99 and to move the masses to there that busway was built. In the centre came a transit point and large new shopping centre-Sterkrade. The northern end is Holten. Plus that the then established VRR Verbund was also pressing to get up to date. But not that much improvement since then has really happened-and the town still seems to slowly loose inhabitants.
And as it seems out of EURope is also allowed: Bangkok/THailand also has a dediced U or V shaped BRT line-even called that, also in Thai descriptions, and NOT run by the citybus BMTA (which is stateowned BTW). It is in the far southern part of town where the usual tourist hardly ever comes and a direct link between the outer ends is much quikcer by other routes. In its first years the usual Thai way of payment was also done: roving conductors wanting cash coins
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No-it is a dedicated special branch of studies at the TH, now Technical University, where architects etc are formed in Delft. Another branch is for all those bridges viaducts and tunnels. And another one for keeping the low lying lands dry.
Where I followed ´high school or grammar school´-where the jesuit father teaching english very proud to have already been to GB extolled about how honest they were-even paying busfares if the conductor had not yet come around. Which makes me now hence wonder why they seem to be so keen on preventing fare-evasion there.
Brisbane has a pretty good network of dedicated busways that stretch quite far out from the city. I drive on the SE Busway that runs alongside the M1 motorway all the way to Springwood. It’s very intensively used especially at peak times. There are even tunnels underneath the city centre with dedicated bus stations.
Waiting at one of the stops in the middle of the Ruhrschnellweg was always an interesting experience. Somehow it always felt more exposed than waiting at U17 stops although the principle was the same.
I guess the U18 (not U17) stops for example also have closed off waiting areas with sliding doors, that the bus stops don't have.
Speaking of bus stops on Autobahns: West-Berlin replaced a lot of S-Bahn lines with buses running on the Autobahn (without dedicated lanes tho), and there's one Autobahn bus stop left: Hinckeldeybrücke on the M21 bus.
Recently, the Strasbourg region also built dedicated lanes along a motorway for a regional bus axis. I have only been on a small part yet but it seemed very interesting and creatively made. Mainly along route 230 Strasbourg to Wasselonne, which has a very high frequency for a French regional bus
Recently, the Strasbourg region also built dedicated lanes along a motorway for a regional bus axis. I have only been on a small part yet but it seemed very interesting and creatively made. Mainly along route 230 Strasbourg to Wasselonne, which has a very high frequency for a French regional bus
This looks very new as most of the M351 on Google Street View shows as roadworks in 2024. The few bits that were surveyed in 2025 show it on slip roads but at the junction there is a little bit of new road to get the bus back onto the main carriageway. As you say, creatively made.
The 230 timetable is very frequent in rush hours, up to every 5 minutes, but hardly runs on Sunday. Just nine journeys in the whole day.
The longer distance Dutch busway routes seem to maintain a good frequency every day. Usually at least every 30 minutes on Sunday, often better than that.
If we are broadening this out to bus lanes on main highways, bus 470 from Schiphol to Alphen aan den Rijn is impressive in this respect.
470 has no bus lanes on the highway AFAIK, though in the Netherlands it's common buses may use hard shoulder when there is a traffic jam.
387, 388, 500 and 501 do that at the A27 motorway for example, though less than before due to road works.
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