London Buses route SL4 is a

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

contracted Superloop express bus route in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. Running between Grove Park station and

Westferry Circus Westferry Circus is a road interchange and public space in Canary Wharf estate in London, and contains a two-level road interchange. There are two roundabouts, one above the other. It was designed by Laurie Olin. In this context, a circus, from ...

, it is operated by

Go-Ahead London Go-Ahead London is a major bus operator in Greater London. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently (as of April 2025) the largest bus operator in Greater Londo ...

subsidiary

Blue Triangle Blue Triangle is a bus operator brand under London General Transport Services Limited, trading as Go-Ahead London. It operates services in East London under contract to Transport for London. It is the operator of the East London Transit servic ...

. The service is one of three bus routes to run through the

Silvertown Tunnel The Silvertown Tunnel is a road tunnel, opened on 7 April 2025, beneath the River Thames in east London, England. The twin-bore tunnel runs between west Silvertown, east of the River Lea estuary, on the north side of the Thames and a portal adj ...

, alongside route 129 and the

Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle The Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle (SCS) is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Greenwich Peninsula, North Greenwich and Royal Victoria DLR station, Royal Victoria station, it is operated by Stagecoa ...

History

The route was first proposed by

in November 2022 as part of the

bus network. At the time of the consultation, the route was proposed to be numbered X239. In March 2023, it was confirmed that the route would be introduced as planned and would also be included as part of the then proposed Superloop network of express bus routes. In October 2023, it was confirmed that the route would be introduced using route number SL4. In 2023, the contract to operate the service was awarded to

, a subsidary of

. Route SL4 was introduced on 7 April 2025, the same day as the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel.

Current route

Route SL4 operates via these primary locations: * Grove Park station * Lee station *

Lee Green Lee, also known as Lee Green, is an area of South East London, England, straddling the border of the London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located northwest of Eltham and southeast of Lewisham. It was in Kent bef ...

* Blackheath station * Blackheath '' Sun in the Sands'' *

Leamouth Leamouth is a locality in the Blackwall area of Poplar, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area takes its name from the former ''Leamouth Wharf'' and lies on the west side of the confluence of the Bow Creek stretch of the Lea, at it ...

* East India station * Canary Wharf station *

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

Operation

The route operates at a frequency of a bus every eight minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends. Like all bus services using the Silvertown Tunnel, the service is operated using zero emission

battery electric buses Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device which ...

. The service will be free to use for all passengers until at least April 2026.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:SL4 Bus routes in London Silvertown Tunnel London Superloop