Ghost Bus in England: The Unique and Mysterious Chiltern Railways Service

West Ruislip –

This is a ghost bus in England. Its existence is quite unique and perhaps only operates in England.

Citing BBC, Friday (19/1/2024), a one-way bus service has been running between two places already served by other operators, for the past year. Its existence is to keep train routes open. Why?

On a bright January morning at the bus stop outside West Ealing railway station, a replacement train service had stopped. The service is thought to be the only one of its kind operating in the UK.

Five passengers boarded who already had tickets because it was not possible to buy tickets on the bus. The driver announced that the only stop on the route was at West Ruislip.

Unlike the other bus, the E7, which runs every 12 minutes, this service runs once a week at 11:17 GMT. The journey time is 25 minutes, six minutes longer than the train it replaces.

Chiltern Railways ghost bus (Photo: BBC)

As the bus meanders across west London on its eight-mile journey, the top deck offers views of RAF Northolt, a transport hub still in use.

So, who wants to ride this bus?

“Simply put, it’s strange, it’s different,” said Sigi Gordon, who proudly displayed his ticket from the route’s final train journey in December 2022.

There is no advertised timetable, it is a one way trip and almost no one has heard of it, even people who live nearby.

These are so-called ghost buses, replacing the so-called parly trains, a service that train operators are forced to offer.

This terminology originates from the Railway Regulation Act of 1844, which required private companies to provide a minimum affordable service, one cent per mile for third class travel, to workers.

Chiltern Railways ghost bus (Photo: BBC)

Companies often only run one service a day to meet these regulations.

Chiltern Railways, which is responsible for this route, offers a replacement service. Because if not, they will have to go through a protracted and expensive process to close the train route.

It is said that this bus service provides a unique weekly journey for transport enthusiasts and the traveling public.

With 62 seats and space for wheelchair users, as well as standing room for another 29 people, will this double-decker bus ever be full?

“Some weeks are interesting because nobody gets on and you’re driving an empty bus,” said driver Tommy Cooling, who operates a weekly bus service on behalf of Chiltern Railways.

“Some weeks I transport eight people. No week is the same, every week is different,” he added.

Watch the video “England hit by floods after being hit by Storm Henk”

(msl/wsw)

2024-01-19 16:05:27
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