Another Trek-sleyheath to this Neck-sleyheath of the Woods

Yes, if you couldn't tell by that title, we're back in Bexleyheath!

ENR6 starting a B13 rounder at Bexleyheath
© Lewis

Alongside the changes where Arriva gained both the 229 from Go-Ahead and the 469 from Stagecoach, the contract for route B13 was also retained. However, seeing as the new buses had not arrived in time for the new contract date, this change was glossed over in our post about the 229 and 469, but seeing as they have now entered service, a new post is most certainly due!

This is now only the second batch of Enviro200MMCs to enter service on London's road after the 499's batch in the summer, despite being unveiled at the NEC in late 2014. A few more batches are soon to arrive though, with Abellio on the 367 and C10 and Metroline on the 487 (the latter batch should have entered service by now but has been delayed until the summer).

ENR2 on the B15 at Bexleyheath.
© Lewis

Of course the first thing one mentions (as we did with the 499's buses in that post) about the new E200 MMC is the asymmetric design of the new frontage. Much like Wright's bold new design for the Streetdeck / Gemini 3, I think it's something which will grow on people as time passes. I personally think that the new face suits the E200 MMC better than the E400 City vehicles as on the 78.

The early days of the new buses on the B13 were just as fraught as any other new type being introduced. Luckily the retention of a contract means you can introduce the new buses gradually, which is what Arriva did over the course of the 2 days before most of the buses were introduced. On the day there were some delays and teething issues (and I got to show off my blind-changing prowess once more!).

Interior of ENR1
© Anthony

The buses are of a batch of 7, numbered ENR1-7 (showing the now heavily underway renumbering of the Shires and Southern Counties fleets into London-style codes) and registered LK65EKO/P/R/T/U/V/W. They are very smooth, showing off the overly publicised Alexander Dennis's new rattle-free qualities. They'll never match the build of, say, a Citaro, but they're a drastic improvement on the previous Enviro200 which can currently be found in swathes across all of London's boroughs. Something about the way the MMC is laid out inside makes it feel better, and the fact that Arriva have finally specified white handrails instead of yellow certainly improves the overall look as well.

ENR7 reaching the end in New Eltham.
© Jacek

Standard motive force is supplied by the Cummins four-pot engine to Euro VI emissions spec, which is nice in these small buses because they can actually get some good traction off the line when pulling away from traffic lights or bus stops. These engines are more powerful than their Euro IV and Euro V counterparts, which is a welcome relief especially for the longer E200 models as some of those have been woefully underpowered for years.

The B13 is a small route, starting in the main centre of Bexleyheath before heading through some small residential roads towards Avery Hill and New Eltham. At New Eltham, the route does a small one-way loop to turn around back towards Bexleyheath. It's fairly uneventful, to be honest!

ENR5 at Bexleyheath curtailed to Avery Hill.
© Lewis

The more MMCs that appear on London's roads, the shorter these posts will become because otherwise we'll be repeating much the same things again and again, but it is sometimes nice to see a change in what's new because it means new things to analyse, question and report to all of you.

Keep a look-out for more Enviro200 MMCs in the future, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and, if you've a question, comment below!