A new express Superloop bus route linking Romford, Elm Park and Rainham will launch next month, as first reported by our sister title London Now.
The SL12 service will begin operating on Saturday, September 5, with passengers able to travel for free during its first week.
The new express route will connect Gants Hill, Romford, Elm Park and Rainham, providing faster and more direct journey options for passengers across east London.
You can read the original London Now report for full route details, stops and information on the free travel offer.
The new service will also mark the first time Ferry Lane Industrial Estate is connected to the bus network.
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Transport for London (TfL) announced the launch of the SL12, which will operate with brand new electric, zero-emission buses equipped with improved features.
These include real-time customer information, air conditioning, and device charging points at seats.
The SL12 is expected to improve access to various key locations.
These include Romford for shopping, job opportunities, leisure activities, and the Elizabeth line.
It will also provide convenient links to the District line at Elm Park and the Central line at Newbury Park.
The new route will offer access to the Central line and connections with Superloop route SL2 at Gants Hill.
Direct bus connections to both King George Hospital and Queen's Hospital will also be available.
The SL12 will further support employers and employees in the Ferry Lane Industrial Estate by providing a bus route into the area for the first time.
The SL12 builds on the success of the Superloop network, which has had more than 81 million trips made on Superloop routes since its introduction.
With the inclusion of SL12, the Superloop bus network has added 9.6 million bus kilometres per year to the capital's network.
Figures from December 2025 show that since the first Superloop was launched in July 2023, the average increase in passengers on all Superloop corridors (including parallel routes) is 12 per cent higher than the network average.
The SL12 will operate between about 5.30am and 12.30am on all days of the week.
Buses will operate every 12 minutes during the day on Mondays to Saturdays and every 15 minutes every evening and all day on Sundays.
There will be a small number of changes to where routes 86, 498, and Night Bus N86 stop in Romford town centre to accommodate the new route and to enable easier interchanges.
TfL's journey planning tools have been updated to help customers plan their journeys in advance, including with the exact stops that will be served and any stops that will change for other routes.
TfL will also be increasing the frequency of Superloop route SL9 (Heathrow to Harrow) at all times.
New electric buses have been introduced on route SL2 (Walthamstow to North Woolwich), are being rolled out on route SL7 (Heathrow to West Croydon), and are planned for later this year on route SL11 (Abbey Wood to North Greenwich).
Further new Superloop routes are planned with routes SL14 (Stratford to Chingford Hatch) and route SL15 (Clapham Junction to Eltham) planned to start operating during 2027.
Consultation feedback for route SL13 (Ealing Broadway to Hendon) is currently being considered, with the outcome being published in due course.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, expressed his enthusiasm for the new route.
He said: "Our Superloop network has been a gamechanger for bus travel in outer London, offering quicker, more convenient journeys around the capital.
"I'm delighted that our latest Superloop express route, SL12, will now be connecting communities in Gants Hill and Rainham and providing faster links between town centres, railway stations and hospitals.
"TfL will be offering a week of free travel on the new Superloop service from 5 September, giving Londoners the chance to try the SL12 for themselves and transform their everyday journeys.
"The success of the Superloop is one of my proudest achievements as Mayor, and I'll continue to explore how we can keep improving London's bus network and build a better, fairer London for everyone."
Lorna Murphy, TfL's Director of Buses, said: "We're thrilled to be able to deliver yet another Superloop express bus service for Londoners, with services on the game-changing network now expanding into Havering for the first time.
"The SL12 will boost travel and journey times in northeast and east London, taking people across the area to local shops and amenities and onwards to fast and convenient Elizabeth line and Tube connections at Romford, Newbury Park, Elm Park and Gants Hill.
"We're also excited to be able to offer customers free journeys on the SL12 for the first week and I'd encourage everyone in the area to try out this new, sustainable, accessible transport link."
Ilker Dervish, Chairman of the London Riverside BID, welcomed the new route.
He said: "The London Riverside BID has been lobbying for many years for improved transport into Rainham's employment zone, which accommodates over 600 businesses and thousands of jobs.
"On behalf of the businesses in Ferry Lane, we welcome the introduction of the new route.
"It will greatly help to connect local residence to jobs, and we look forward to continuing to work with TfL to bring yet more transport solutions to all of the BID."
Margaret Mullane, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, also praised the new service.
She said: "This is good news for constituents across the Havering part of my constituency.
"Finally providing a much-needed link for people to get to work at Ferry Lane, improving access to both King George's Hospital and Queen's for residents across the piece, and filling the transport gap whilst we wait for Beam Park station to be delivered.
"It's also great to see that the new route will be free for the first week.
"Delivering infrastructure alongside new homes is key to ensuring new and existing communities can thrive.
"I look forward to trying the SL12 myself in the coming weeks!"
Pay-as-you-go fares will be free on route SL12 from 5.30am on September 5 until 11.59pm on September 11.
Free pay-as-you-go fares apply to the entire SL12 bus route only.
Passengers must touch in with a valid Oyster card, or contactless card, or device, and the fare will be £0.00.
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