A Transport for London (TfL) bus route that goes from Maida Hill to Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal via HS2’s site in Old Oak Common has had to have its timetable change due to disruptions caused by ongoing work and road closures.
The 228 had previously operated every 20 minutes from Monday to Saturday but the ongoing HS2 work has had a knock on impact with road closures which has resulted in the route becoming less reliable as well as not being used as much by bus passengers.
The new Monday to Saturday time went into effect on 20 January 2024.
One commuter in Park Royal told EALING.NEWS: “Ever since HS2 started to become a reality, the 228 and also other buses in the area have become less and less reliable with temporary lights often being in operation and trucks causing delays as they are in and out of the site.”
They added: “It’s become very unreliable to plan journeys for many people here and you often have to look at alternatives for the journey as well as allowing extra time.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, Geoff Hobbs, director of Public Transport Service Planning at TfL said: ”We regularly review our services according to customer demand. Following a detailed review, we have made changes to the timetable of route 228, which runs between Maida Hill and Central Middlesex Hospital.
Mr Hobbs added: “The new timetable will see route 228 running every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday during the day instead of every 20 minutes. The change in frequency allows us to operate the service efficiently to meet the current and expected demand during the busiest times and customers should see minimal impact to their journeys. The new timetable and revised frequency will allow buses more time to complete their journeys, which should increase reliability and match capacity closer to demand. There is no change to the frequency at any other time.”