Interesting dedicated busways in Europe

[johncrossley]

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.

Just to clear, I meant the road between Alphen and the motorway. British English uses the word 'highway' to include almost any public road, whereas in American English it is more likely to mean a motorway or other limited acces road.

 

[philg999]

Not sure if this is long enough for you… there is about 4.5km of busway through Amsterdam Noord, which is used in its entirety by the 391 and 394 to Zaandam. There is 2.5km between the mosplein and stellingdokweg stops, and another 2km between the oostzaanerdijk and westkolkdijk stops. The first section runs down the middle of the road and the second is a dedicated road. In my experience it is very rare for the bus to have to stop at any lights, despite the many intersections.

 

[johncrossley]

Not sure if this is long enough for you… there is about 4.5km of busway through Amsterdam Noord, which is used in its entirety by the 391 and 394 to Zaandam. There is 2.5km between the mosplein and stellingdokweg stops, and another 2km between the oostzaanerdijk and westkolkdijk stops. The first section runs down the middle of the road and the second is a dedicated road. In my experience it is very rare for the bus to have to stop at any lights, despite the many intersections.

Yes, it is definitely long enough

 

[philg999]

Yes, it is definitely long enough

At the moment they just run regular buses on it (not ones disguised to look like trams or anything!) and the stops are nothing special to look at but they are planning to upgrade the look and the vehicles in a couple of years once more apartments are built in the Amsterdam Noord-Zaandam corridor.

 

[johncrossley]

At the moment they just run regular buses on it (not ones disguised to look like trams or anything!) and the stops are nothing special to look at but they are planning to upgrade the look and the vehicles in a couple of years once more apartments are built in the Amsterdam Noord-Zaandam corridor.

Most of the Dutch routes mentioned already just have "normal" buses on them with normal stops. However they are mostly run by modern electric buses, which combined with bus priority already makes them exceptional, certainly by UK standards. There are so many electric buses and so many busways in the Netherlands that it is getting to the stage where they no longer seem special.

 

[DanielB]

There are so many electric buses and so many busways in the Netherlands that it is getting to the stage where they no longer seem special.

Well, there just lots of buses... Plenty of diesel ones left, though there will be less next year. Just added up the numbers for three new franchises starting the 14th of December 2025. On that day 422 new electric buses are planned to enter service.
One that wasn't mentioned yet AFAIK are the busways from Amsterdam Bijlmer via Oudekerk aan de Amstel to Amstelveen and from Uithoorn to Hoofddorp.

 

[dutchflyer]

Just found a hint to another and apparently by now even extensive BRT system-in ASIa/ASEAN again: Jakarta, the overpopulated capital of INdonesia, named TransJakarta. Extensive description in wikipedia and links to several youtube movies. High platform-controlled access, but level crossing with major roads-holding ups are big. Already by now has a 25/30% share of electric buses. Described as overcrowded from early till late and from 1 end to other in a very recent story about transport Indonesia in a dutch magazine. NL has long time colonial links with there and it used to be my favorite country to visit-even more as Thailand, but this city never was and my last visit was when it has just opened some sectors in outer suburbia. So now just for the record.

 

[andersj]

I forgot to mention "Den kvikke vej" (The quick road/way) in Copenhagen, which is a stretch of 5 km with seperated busways from the central Nørreport station in Copenhagen to Ryparken station. It's used by multiple buslines to get out of and into the city centre quick.

The busway begins 42 minutes into the following video from the busy 150S line serving a corridor between two raillines into Copenhagen, mostly via the motorway.

 

[stadler]

Essen in Germany has a guided busway. It is the only guided busway that Mainland Europe has. It is a very interesting and unusual design as the guided busway runs in the middle of the motorway. So on both sides of the busway you have three lanes of motorway traffic. It also means that the stops are accessible only by footbridges and subways.

Mannheim in Germany also used to have a guided busway but it was scrapped twenty years ago. So the one in Essen is the only operational one left. The old one in Mannheim was so unique as it had sections where the guided busway and trams shared tracks and you got this very unique design of guided busway track that was combined with trams tracks.

Istanbul in Turkey has a very impressive busway called Metrobus in the city. It is an ordinary non guided one but well worth a visit. It is the most frequent busway i have seen. Last time i was there at peak times you got buses running on a frequency of around every thirty seconds. It is entirely segregated and almost feels like a metro system that is run with buses. The bus stops have ticket barriers and extra long platforms and feel more like metro stations. It also has the layout like Essen where it runs in the middle of the motorway. Very impressive for a busway.

 

[andersj]

Speaking of Germany I also just remembered the busway build on the former light rail line crossing the Northern Elbe river on the "Neue Elbbrücke" bridge in Hamburg. I think it's currently not in service because of construction works, but even when used it just sees one busline running every 20 minutes, because the parallel S-Bahn is doing the heavy work.
The interesting part is that it enters and exit through a tunnel "Straßenbahntunnel Veddel" going from the middel of the road on first floor level to a smaller road on ground floor level. The busway ends just south of the bridge "Schwarze Brücke" north of the Northern Elbe and at the end of the tunnel at the busstop "Hovestieg" south of the Northern Elbe.

 

[The exile]

Mannheim in Germany also used to have a guided busway but it was scrapped twenty years ago. So the one in Essen is the only operational one left. The old one in Mannheim was so unique as it had sections where the guided busway and trams shared tracks and you got this very unique design of guided busway track that was combined with trams tracks.

Not unique if you go back a bit further in time (1990s) as the Essen guided buses used to go down into the tunnel section (operating as trolley buses) - also sharing with trams.

 

[citycat]

A few months back, I was driving a ten tonne truck from Almere to Amersfoort. I missed my turn from the A27 onto the A1, so I took the next exit which was an unmarked slip road,hoping to be able to turn around under the motorway and head back to the A1.

Unfortunately, I ended up at a barrier which lifted as I approached it. I then ended up on a dedicated Lijn Bus road that resembled a rail track, and from which I could not escape. It stretched several kilometres and I passed a couple of buses coming the other way flashing their head lights. Yes, I know I shouldn't have been there so what was the point of flashing their lights? Anyway, this dedicated busway took me right into the middle of Hilversum bus station. I then had to try and escape Hilversum and the pedestrianised shopping area that I was now trapped in, in a truck, with lots of signs and railings and other road furniture that I had to try and scrape through. Oh, and also a low bridge which meant I had to go down a narrow residential street with cars parked on both side. It took me 15 minutes to escape that Hilversum nightmare.

I am just thankful I wasn't in the articulated lorry that I am normally in, or I would have been well and truly stuffed and probably made the national news that night. Truck brings major city to a halt. I will never venture down a unmarked slip road again.

 

[rvdborgt]

I am just thankful I wasn't in the articulated lorry that I am normally in, or I would have been well and truly stuffed and probably made the national news that night. Truck brings major city to a halt. I will never venture down a un marked slip road again.

If you were on the A27 and missed the A1, then the first exit after the A1 is indeed almost unmarked. However, according to Google Maps, it does have traffic sign F13 (bus lane)...

 

[citycat]

If you were on the A27 and missed the A1, then the first exit after the A1 is indeed almost unmarked. However, according to Google Maps, it does have traffic sign F13 (bus lane)...

Unfortunately, I missed any sign that indicated a bus lane. It looked like a normal exit slip road but had a barrier at the end. I’m sure I am not the first person to make the mistake of taking that slip road so you’d think they would build some sort of escape route, but there was none and it was straight onto the busway.

 

[AdamWW]

If you were on the A27 and missed the A1, then the first exit after the A1 is indeed almost unmarked. However, according to Google Maps, it does have traffic sign F13 (bus lane)...

A sign there is not an awful lot of use though.

If there is no advance warning I can see the logic perhaps that as it's only to bs used by drivers who know it's there then there isn't the need for one.

But I'd have thought an advance sign marking the slip road as buses only would be prudent.

 

[johncrossley]

There are quite a few bus only exits on Dutch motorways, so they aren't a new thing.

 

[rvdborgt]

A sign there is not an awful lot of use though.

If there is no advance warning I can see the logic perhaps that as it's only to bs used by drivers who know it's there then there isn't the need for one.

But I'd have thought an advance sign marking the slip road as buses only would be prudent.

There's an advance sign warning of exiting buses. But it does seem useful to place the "bus lane" sign a bit earlier, e.g. at the start of the exit bus lane.

 

[citycat]

If you were on the A27 and missed the A1, then the first exit after the A1 is indeed almost unmarked. However, according to Google Maps, it does have traffic sign F13 (bus lane)...

I've just seen the photo of the sign. I must have missed it. Normally they have Lijn Bus painted on the road to make it clear that it is for buses only. Not sure why they didn't do so in this case. Anyway, I won't be going down that slip road again, especially not in an artic.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

I’ve used the one in Lima, Peru (crowded but quick) and seen the one in Bogotá, Colombia (also looked busy). Neither were a patch on the genuine metro in Medellin (quick, smooth and busy).

 

[johncrossley]

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.

Plus a huge number of new Yutongs. How can they afford all these new buses?!

 

[dutchflyer]

Thats just in the package for the new franchisee that takes over that concession next week. In general then there will be no or hardly any new bus in the time of the contract-mostly 7 or 8 years, so its simply all together in stead of year by year a portion. And those mega-world-wide transport holders should be well used to it, plus its likely also much cheaper as buying a lot of trainsets. OR there is some leasing/renting out - others will know the finer details.
Another note as I now just read more of the stuff above: In NL there is even longer what was once called VETAG (VEhicle TAGging)-but I have not seen that word since years now. It is a device IN the bus-that can be 30 years old as such, that sends out signals to influence traffic signals, so that explains why long waits for red lights at the end that in effect destroy all the time gains of a busway are so rare. It also works away from busways. In fact I even think or have read that in newer standards it even sees if a bus is too early re its schedule, then there is less need for priority. That may compete with advanced AI?

 

[johncrossley]

Thats just in the package for the new franchisee that takes over that concession next week. In general then there will be no or hardly any new bus in the time of the contract-mostly 7 or 8 years, so its simply all together in stead of year by year a portion. And those mega-world-wide transport holders should be well used to it, plus its likely also much cheaper as buying a lot of trainsets. OR there is some leasing/renting out - others will know the finer details.

But if they are replacing most vehicles every 7 or 8 years, the Dutch must have a lower average vehicle age compared to other countries. Has the average vehicle age been calculated?

 

[DanielB]

Plus a huge number of new Yutongs. How can they afford all these new buses?!

29K views · 231 reactions | Yutongs ready for Transdev | Fleetmasters

Yutongs ready for Transdev

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They're usually leased and this is obviously financed by the subsidy in the contract. When I counted correctly 220 new electric buses will come in service for the Utrecht Binnen contract and some existing ones are taken over from Qbuzz. This is one of the larger franchises in the Netherlands.
Some more electric buses will enter service in Utrecht Buiten, but as that contract stays with Keolis they use a phased approach and replace some buses this year and the remainder in 2028.

It is a ten year contract by the way, and recently many electric buses introduced in the Netherlands had a condition in the contract that they will transfer to the next operator at the end of the contract.

The interesting part in these franchises is that the revenue responsibility goes to the Utrecht province and this resulted in really attractive fares to attract new passengers: a € 10 daily cap for everyone using OVpay and after registration a monthly cap of € 100 or a yearly one of € 1000 is available.
Unlimited off peak travel has its price reduced to €30/month, with the additional advantage of reducing the monthly cap to € 70, making it also attractive to travel in the peak in one direction and back off-peak (or the other way around).

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I suppose the Runcorn one is interesting if you're into failed experiments...

 

[Bletchleyite]

I suppose the Runcorn one is interesting if you're into failed experiments...

I wouldn't consider it failed myself. Though it has fallen slightly victim to the town being less successful than anticipated, the growth of car use and the decline of town centre shopping, the principle of an eco town of that size (though few would call Runcorn that it follows some of those ideas) with a figure-8 shaped public transport offering with the centre at the crossover which offers direct services from everywhere to everywhere with a single route is a pretty solid one. You can expand further (albeit losing the "direct from everywhere to everywhere" thing) by making it a cloverleaf shape with two crossing-over figures of 8 or by adding loops further out. It's a pretty solid model.

 

[johncrossley]

The Almere busway system is sort of similar to what they have in Runcorn.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I wouldn't consider it failed myself. Though it has fallen slightly victim to the town being less successful than anticipated, the growth of car use and the decline of town centre shopping, the principle of an eco town of that size (though few would call Runcorn that it follows some of those ideas) with a figure-8 shaped public transport offering with the centre at the crossover which offers direct services from everywhere to everywhere with a single route is a pretty solid one. You can expand further (albeit losing the "direct from everywhere to everywhere" thing) by making it a cloverleaf shape with two crossing-over figures of 8 or by adding loops further out. It's a pretty solid model.

Perhaps you could describe the whole of Runcorn as a failed experiment. Who thought it was a good idea to put a large Liverpool overspill community on the other side of the river connected by just a narrow two-lane bridge (at that time)?

 

[johncrossley]

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.

They went into service today and OV in Nederland Wiki already has a picture

Bestand:9843-28.jpg - OV in Nederland Wiki

wiki.ovinnederland.nl

 

[Bletchleyite]

Perhaps you could describe the whole of Runcorn as a failed experiment. Who thought it was a good idea to put a large Liverpool overspill community on the other side of the river connected by just a narrow two-lane bridge (at that time)?

It was certainly a failure of the earlier New Towns that it was felt that people would live and work in that town and wouldn't need much of a connection back to the original city because they would only make occasional visits to see family and friends - Skelmersdale, far worse connected by rail, is far worse than Runcorn which at least has the railway. But I don't think that could be argued to mean the Busway or even the town in general has failed, though undoubtedly it's not as successful as, for example, Milton Keynes.

 

[DanielB]

They went into service today and OV in Nederland Wiki already has a picture

Here's one that actually is on the busway network. Note the detail that they applied the wrong sticker at the front of the bus: there it's an U-bus while on the sides it's branded as U-link (which are the BRT routes mostly using the busway network in Utrecht, though not entirely)...