London Buses heritage route 9

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English: Route 9 (9H) was one of the two Transport for London Routemaster heritage services in London. There have been three versions of the route since it launched, due to a major revision in November 2010, and a lesser change in February 2012. It was withdrawn on 25 July 2014.

14 Nov 2005 to 12 Nov 2010

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Between the launch of the service and 12 Nov 2010, route 9 ran from the Royal Albert Hall in the west, to Aldwych in central London. The roads served were:

Westbound: Strand (Stop R, Aldwych / Somerset House, 51°30′44″N 0°06′59″W / 51.512151°N 0.116413°W / 51.512151; -0.116413) - Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross roundabout) - Cockspur Street - Pall Mall - Waterloo Place - Lower Regent Street - Piccadilly - Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Duke of Wellington Place, Grosvenor Place) - Knightsbridge - Kensington Road (stop RC, Royal Albert Hall, 51°30′05″N 0°10′44″W / 51.501505°N 0.178818°W / 51.501505; -0.178818)

Eastbound: Kensington Road (Stop RM, Prince Of Wales Gate, 51°30′07″N 0°10′16″W / 51.50197°N 0.171133°W / 51.50197; -0.171133) - Knightsbridge - Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Piccadilly) - Piccadilly - Piccadilly Circus - Coventry Street - Haymarket - Cockspur Street - Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross roundabout) - Strand - Aldwych (Stop E, Aldwych / Drury Lane, 51°30′46″N 0°07′07″W / 51.512721°N 0.11861°W / 51.512721; -0.11861)

The roads were the same in both directions, except for the route around the Hyde Park Corner gyratory, and the route between Cockspur Street and Piccadilly (due to the one way system).

Western end, first/last stops & out of service

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The Royal Albert Hall sits on the south side of Kensington Road, the same side as the last stop, RC. To get from there to the first stop, buses would turn around using the anti-clockwise square formed by the streets around the hall - Queen's Gate (southbound) - Prince Consort Road (eastbound) - Exhibition Road (northbound). If necessary, buses would lay over in the bus stand in Prince Consort Road.

Stop RC
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Kensington Road (arrivals)
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Prince Consort Road bus stand
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The stand is at the alighting only Stop RW (Prince Consort Rd Imperial Col) 51°29′59″N 0°10′44″W / 51.49978°N 0.179005°W / 51.49978; -0.179005 on north side of Prince Consort Road (facing east), partly outside the Holy Trinity Church (the front of the stand overlaps just slightly with the church facade). There is a stop to the east of the stand - Stop RZ (Prince Consort Road) 51°29′59″N 0°10′41″W / 51.49984°N 0.178115°W / 51.49984; -0.178115 - but this is not served by the heritage route 15 buses, as it is not part of the standard route 15.

Exhibition Road (departures)
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Eastbound

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Knightsbridge
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Knightsbridge before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Aldwych)

Piccadilly
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Piccadilly before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Aldwych). In this period, buses would run in both directions along the full length of Piccadilly, from Hyde Park Corner to the junction with Regent Street (eastbound buses continuing around Piccadilly Circus into Haymarket)

Haymarket
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Haymarket before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Aldwych). As a one way street, buses would only proceed south down Haymarket (westbound buses using Pall Mall heading westbound, then Waterloo Place & Regent street heading north)

Cockspur Street
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Cockspur Street before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Aldwych).

Trafalgar Square
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Trafalgar Square before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Aldwych). Eastbound buses take the direct route as they transit from Cockspur Street into Strand, passing inbetween the square/Neslon's column (to the north) and the Charing Cross roundabout/Charles I statue (to the south).

Strand
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Strand before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Aldwych).

Eastern end, first/last stops & out of service

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The last stop, E, was on Aldwych. The first stop, R, is on the westbound portion of Strand, south of Aldwych, just east of St Mary-le-Strand church. To get from E to R, buses would run to the east end of Aldwych and turn back onto Strand. If necessary, they could lay over on bus stands in the area, located on the south side of Aldwych (on the opposite side to the last stop, with the transition made possible because it's a one way street), or in the westbound section of Strand before R.

Aldwych bus stand
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Aldwych
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Strand
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Westbound

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Strand
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Westbound route 9 buses on Strand before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Royal Albert Hall).

Trafalgar Square
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Westbound route 9 buses on Trafalgar Square before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Royal Albert Hall). Westbound buses take the longer route in this direction as they transit from Strand into Cockspur Street, passing to the south of both the square/Neslon's column and the Charing Cross roundabout/Charles I statue.

Cockspur Street
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Westbound route 9 buses on Cockspur Street before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Royal Albert Hall)

Lower Regent Street
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Westbound route 9 buses on Lower Regent Street before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Royal Albert Hall). As a one way street, buses would only proceed north along Lower Regent Street, as part of the section using Pall Mall heading west, then Waterloo Place & Lower Regent Street heading north (eastbound buses going via Piccadilly Circus, Coventry Street and Haymarket).

Knightsbridge
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Westbound route 9 buses on Knightsbridge before 13 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Royal Albert Hall)

13 Nov 2010 to 25 Jul 2014

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On 13 Nov 2010, at the request of Kensington borough who were seeking to increase tourism, route 9 was shifted west - the western terminus was extended to the western end of Kensington High Street, and to compensate the eastern end was cut back to Trafalgar Square. The new route was as follows (new roads served in bold, roads no longer served struck out, roads with changed length of service in italics):

Westbound: Strand - Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross roundabout) - Cockspur Street (Stop S, Trafalgar Square, 51°30′27″N 0°07′46″E / 51.5075°N 0.129367°E / 51.5075; 0.129367) - Pall Mall - Waterloo Place - Lower Regent Street - Piccadilly - Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Duke of Wellington Place, Grosvenor Place) - Knightsbridge - Kensington Road - Kensington High Street (Stop Z, Warwick Gardens, 51°29′51″N 0°12′12″W / 51.497542°N 0.203218°W / 51.497542; -0.203218)

Eastbound: Kensington High Street (Stop W, Warwick Gardens, 51°29′51″N 0°12′12″W / 51.49761°N 0.203454°W / 51.49761; -0.203454) - Kensington Road - Knightsbridge - Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Piccadilly) - Piccadilly - Piccadilly Circus - Coventry Street - Haymarket - Cockspur Street (Stop B, Trafalgar Square, 51°30′27″N 0°07′45″W / 51.507591°N 0.129148°W / 51.507591; -0.129148) - Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross roundabout) - Strand - Aldwych

From 25 Feb 2012, the route followed by the standard route 9 in the St James area was altered (meaning the heritage route was altered as well). The new route was as follows (new roads served in bold, roads no longer served struck out, roads with changed length of service in italics):

Westbound: Cockspur Street (Stop S) - Pall Mall - Waterloo Place - Lower Regent Street - St James's Street - Piccadilly - Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Duke of Wellington Place, Grosvenor Place) - Knightsbridge - Kensington Road - Kensington High Street (Stop Z)

Eastbound: Kensington High Street (Stop W) - Kensington Road - Knightsbridge - Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Piccadilly) - Piccadilly - Piccadilly Circus - Coventry Street - Haymarket - St James's Street - Pall Mall - Cockspur Street (Stop B)

Western end, first/last stops & out of service

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Despite being named Warwick Gardens, stops Z & W are on Kensington High Street itself, at its western end. They are on opposite sides of the road. After turning around, if necessary, bus can lay-over in the tail stop bay/stand which was added to the front of the head stop bay for Stop W - leaving the head stop space clear for conventional front entrance buses to use.

Stop W & stand
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Eastbound

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Kensington High Street
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Kensington High Street after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Trafalgar Square).

Kensington Road
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Kensington Road after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Trafalgar Square).

Knightsbridge
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Knightsbridge after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Trafalgar Square)

Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Piccadilly)
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Eastbound route 9 buses on the Hyde Park Corner gyratory after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Trafalgar Square). Eastbound buses take the short route across the gyratory, effectively heading straight on from Knightsbridge into Piccadilly (which forms the north side of the gyratory). As they transit the gyratory, the pass the following on the north side: the Hyde Park Corner Screen, Apsley House, the bottom of Park Lane, and the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel

Piccadilly (13 Nov 2010 to 24 Feb 2012)
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Piccadilly after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Trafalgar Square), but before the re-routing of standard route 9 (see above). During this time, buses travelled the full length of Piccadilly to Picadilly Circus. After the re-routing, buses now only travel as far as St James's Street, where they turn right.

Coventry Street (13 Nov 2010 to 24 Feb 2012)
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Eastbound route 9 buses on Coventry Street after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Trafalgar Square). Eastbound route 9 buses ceased using Coventry Street entirely after the re-routing of standard route 9 (see above)

Eastern end, first/last stops & out of service

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After the shift west, the central London terminus of route 9 is now on the west side Trafalgar Square, with the first/last stops on opposite sides of Cockspur Street. As with route 15, to get from its own first & last stops (B & S), route 9 buses can either turn right around Charing Cross roundabout and layover on the first stop, or use Whitehall/Northumberland Avenue and other streets to the south, to turn around and if necessary, layover in nearby stands.

Cockspur Street -> Trafalgar Square -> Charing Cross roundabout (arrivals)
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Great Scotland Yard bus stand
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Whitehall, northbound (departures)
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Charing Cross roundabout -> Trafalgar Square -> Cockspur Street (departures)
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Westbound

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Waterloo Place (13 Nov 2010 to 24 Feb 2012)
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Westbound route 9 buses on Waterloo Place after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Kensington High Street). Westbound route 9 buses ceased using Waterloo Place entirely after the re-routing of standard route 9 (see above)

Piccadilly (25 Feb 2012 to 25 Jul 2014)
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Westbound route 9 buses on Piccadilly after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Kensington High Street)

Westbound route 9 buses on Piccadilly after the re-routing of standard route 9 (see above) - after this change, westbound buses heading to Hyde Park Corner in the west, only travelled along Piccadilly from its junction with St James's Street. Before this change, westbound buses travelled the full length of Piccadilly, ie starting from Piccadilly Circus, further to the east.

Hyde Park Corner gyratory (Duke of Wellington Place/Grosvenor Place)
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Westbound route 9 buses on the Hyde Park Corner gyratory after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Kensington High Street). Westbound buses have to take the long way around the gyratory as they transit from Piccadilly to Knightsbridge - using Duke of Wellington Place to go south and then west, then Grosvenor Place to go north.

Knightsbridge
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Westbound route 9 buses on Knightsbridge after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Kensington High Street)

Kensington Road
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Westbound route 9 buses on Kensington Road after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Kensington High Street)

Kensington High Street
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Westbound route 9 buses on Kensington High Street after 12 Nov 2010 (ie ordinarily terminating at Kensington High Street)

Route 9 buses in unknown locations

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Route 9 buses off route

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