Metroline gains Route 235

Metroline DEL2255 on Route 235, Hounslow (© Aubrey)

The first change of 2017 is the move of Route 235 from Abellio London to Metroline Travel, at the former base of Armchair at Brentford, Commerce Road. This returns Metroline involvement to the 235 itself after, for a short while, one journey on the 235 was operated by Armchair as a school working. Those workings were renumbered 635, and ran under Metroline until it turned to London United back in 2012.


Metroline DEL2259 on Route 117, West Middlesex Hospital (© Aubrey)

It is the second route to turn from Abellio London to Metroline in West London, after the 117 returned to Metroline. The 235's buses do not always stray from the 235 due to the need for most of them to be on the route as all of the buses have the sensor to unlock the barriers at Brentford, Great West Quarter, though DE953 has worked over the route on a few occasions.


Metroline DEL2245, 2246 and 2257 on Route 235, North Brentford Quarter (© Tommy)

The first day of the 235 proved to be fairly interesting, with no faults with the barriers at Great West Quarter, but certainly quite a bit of bunching and curtailments.


Metroline DEL2265 at Great West Quarter on a Sunbury Cross short working (© Tommy)


The bus was later turned further back to Lower Feltham! (© Aubrey)

This wasn't even the worst of their problems. The first ever 235 out of Great West Quarter didn't even make it out of the terminus without mishap! Unfortunately, the driver didn't turn at Great West Quarter and had to reverse to make a turn in the turnaround point (as he had gone straight on nearly into some bollards). There were reports of the driver behind having gotten lost at Sunbury Cross, as well! Other than that, the route seemed to run with the usual "first day" settling in process.


Metroline DEL2250 on Route 235, Feltham (© Aubrey)

These buses are Enviro 200MMCs with a Voith gearbox. It includes stop-start technology, which seems to stop and start not exactly when wanting to.
The route is still prone to bunching and crowding between Hounslow and Feltham, but less so after the extension of Route E8 and the double decking of the 116. It, along with the 117, are the only two direct routes from Hounslow to Feltham town centres.


Metroline DEL2249 starting its journey from Sunbury Village (© Tommy)

The barriers at North Brentford Quarter have a high level of "faultiness", and the complaints by some residents of buses within Great West Quarter development means that there is a proposal to move the 235 terminus point from inside the development onto Ealing Road, outside of the development, and with this there is an additional display on the blind. Many drivers were originally using this display on the first day by mistake. This maybe because it is the next destination to Sunbury Village on the set and thus the Mobitec display.


Metroline DEL2258 at Sunbury Village with blind display incorrectly set for Brentford, Great West Road, as opposed to North Brentford Quarter (© Tommy)

When the barriers fail at Great West Quarter, the buses normally terminate at Brentford County Court, or Brentford Commerce Road. This in itself proves to be a big problem for the residents, who still want the 235, yet ironically not right up their doorstep (hence the complaints and wanting to remove the route from the existing turnaround).
Brentford, Commerce Road is also used if there is no driver to take the bus over.


Metroline DEL2249 on Route 235, Sunbury Village (© Tommy)

Hopefully, after the small issues that always are encountered with the first day, Metroline, the route will settle down under Metroline, and it'll actually be useful. Although at the moment, bunching is still an issue with this fairly traffic-prone route.