The railways play a vital role in transporting passengers and freight around the country. But they require maintenance and upgrades which will often mean closure of lines for the work to take place. This will normally take place at weekends and Bank Holidays, to minimalize the disruption to commuters. Sometimes, trains can be diverted by an alternative route, but usually the closure will mean rail replacement buses are needed for the passengers.

London Transport Red Arrow AEC Merlin MBA535 stands in the forecourt of Charing Cross Station on BR rail replacement duty on 19 April 1976. All the LT vehicles are showing the printed blind display ‘RAILWAY EMERGENCY SERVICE’. (c. Rail Replacement Buses: London and the South East, Amberley Publishing)

Major investment projects such as electrification or tunnel repairs may require the closure of a line for a longer continuous period involving weekdays and all the peak-hour traffic that may entail. A dedicated long-term replacement will then be put in place which may involve vehicles carrying a special livery for the duration which may be weeks, months or even years.

Living in London there was not only the intensive network of National Rail lines, but also the London Underground, and from 1987 The Docklands Light Railway. The London Underground was part of London Transport until this was abolished in 1984 as were London’s buses, and although London Underground Ltd is now a separate company and London Transport’s buses have been privatised and are now operated by a number of separate companies on tender, the overall network is managed by Transport for London (TfL). Hence, rail replacement services for the Underground and DLR are now controlled by TfL and normally the buses of the tendered bus operators are utilised. However, sometimes the amount of work being undertaken may be such that other company’s vehicles will need to be brought in on a sub-contract.

At Strood, on 20 April 2003, Kings Ferry vehicles are replacing Conex trains on the Medway Valley line to Maidstone. H208 LOM is a 1990 Scania N113DR with Alexander bodywork, ex-West Midlands 3208. (c. Rail Replacement Buses: London and the South East, Amberley Publishing)

British Rail was also privatised in the 1990s and some of the companies like First Group and Arriva that now run rail franchises also operate buses, so it is likely that their bus companies may be a first choice. But again, the scale of replacements may be such that other vehicles are needed or they may not have their own bus operations in the area that requires a rail replacement service. So, there is still the opportunity to see a wide range of companies and their vehicles on some of these operations.

Departing from Watford Junction bus station, conveniently next to the railway station is Arriva the Shires 3413, a 2013 Optare Versa. It is working a replacement for London Overground to Harrow & Wealdstone and is branded for Watford local route 10. One of the London Overground trains can be seen in the station. 30 March 2014. (c. Rail Replacement Buses: London and the South East, Amberley Publishing)

Since 2017, buses on stage services have been required to be fully accessible. The railways too, have been increasingly made accessible wherever possible. Hence it has now become a requirement for the buses and coaches used on the rail replacement services to also be accessible. This will not be a problem when buses off stage service are used, but it has meant that many of the older buses and coaches predominantly used on schools and contract services at other times are no longer suitable for such work. Furthermore, the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) regulations in London, currently proposed for expansion, will also rule out some of the older non-compliant vehicles.

In this book I look at some of the wide variety of bus companies and their vehicles that have worked on rail replacement services in London and the South East over the last fifty years or so.

Malcolm Batten's book Rail Replacement Buses: London and the South East is available for purchase now.