Transport for London has formally ruled out extending the Superloop SL4 service to Bromley North, telling campaigners the extra mileage would cost more than the benefits justify.
The decision, reported by South London News on 14 September 2026, ends community hopes of running the express bus on from its current terminus at Grove Park into Bromley town centre, where it would have linked up with two other Superloop corridors already serving the borough. The Superloop network was launched to give outer London fast express orbital and cross-river links without forcing passengers through central London.
TfL’s position, as reported, is that the amount of money spent running buses further south would not justify the benefit, and that funding remains prioritised towards maintaining existing network commitments rather than extending express coverage into additional town centres. The Superloop SL4 will therefore continue to terminate at Grove Park.
Why passengers wanted the extension
Passengers and local advocates had petitioned TfL to push the SL4 on to Bromley North, arguing it would create an integrated outer-London interchange for journeys from Canary Wharf and the Royal Docks through to outer south London. Bromley is already served by two other Superloop routes, and campaigners said a single interchange would cut journey times and remove extra changes.
TfL has countered that existing feeder bus links between Grove Park and Bromley are sufficient for current transfer patterns, making a dedicated express extension financially unnecessary at this stage.
The Superloop SL4’s first year
The Superloop SL4 launched on 7 April 2025 as part of the surface transport strategy accompanying the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel, running from Canary Wharf through the new tunnel to Grove Park. To encourage uptake, TfL ran the service free of charge until 26 May 2025, when the standard £1.75 fare was introduced.
Ridership has held up since: the route now carries roughly 210,000 passenger journeys a month, according to figures cited by South London News, underlining demand for express cross-river travel between south-east London and Canary Wharf.
Reaction in Bromley
Supporters of the extension had argued that Bromley North, as one of outer south London’s busiest interchanges, was the natural southern terminus for the Superloop SL4. Linking the route with the borough’s existing Superloop corridors would, they said, have given passengers from the Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula a one-change journey into one of the capital’s major town centres.
TfL’s rejection means the borough’s Superloop network will remain two corridors strong, with the SL4 stopping short at Grove Park. Transport managers cited tight operational budgets as the primary barrier, a message consistent with TfL’s wider stance that express route extensions must clear a high bar on value for money.
For now, Bromley passengers wanting the express link to Canary Wharf must make their way to Grove Park first — a journey TfL says is adequately served by existing local buses.
What happens next
With the extension rejected, passengers travelling between Canary Wharf, Greenwich Peninsula and central Bromley will continue to change at Grove Park or use local stopping buses. TfL says the decision protects frequencies, vehicle reliability and the £1.75 flat fare across the existing Superloop network.
The row is the latest flashpoint over TfL’s bus network decisions: in Hackney, the council recently urged the transport authority to rethink proposed bus cuts as a consultation closed.
TfL insists investment is still flowing into the network elsewhere, including accessibility upgrades such as the new step-free entrance at Surrey Quays on the Windrush line.
Passengers planning journeys should also note separate disruption this weekend, with District, DLR, Piccadilly and Overground services all affected by closures on 19–20 September.
