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The SL11 Superloop service — running between Abbey Wood and North Greenwich via Thamesmead — launches this Saturday (24 January), becoming the 11th express bus route on the ever-expanding orbital bus network.
For the first week of travel, SL11 passengers will travel for free on the service (you'll still need to touch in using Oyster/contactless, but won't be charged).
Though branded as a new addition to London's transport network, the Superloop is really a streamlined edit of existing bus routes; in this case the SL11 replaces the (daytime) 472 bus — taking a more direct route through Woolwich town centre and providing easy connections with Superloop route SL3 at Abbey Wood.
From toying around on Citymapper, it seems the SL11 service could save passengers approximately 15 minutes, were they heading between Abbey Wood and North Greenwich.
The frequency of SL11s will also be higher than the to-be-retired 472 route, running every six minutes during the day Monday-Saturday (7am-9pm) and every 10-12 minutes during other times, except early Sunday mornings when it will be every 15 minutes.
An N472 service will run through the early hours, serving all stops on the former 472 route.
SL11's launch confirms a commitment to providing better connections between this section of south east London, and more central areas of the city. In November, the government gave its blessing to a new DLR extension linking Thamesmead to DLR stations north of the Thames, although this isn't expected to be completed until the early 2030s.
Since its introduction in July 2023, the Superloop has carried around 60 million passengers.
