Overview
The busway follows the route of the disused railway from Redlands Lane to Rowner Road. It has 18 stops on the line with three connections in the middle of the line, being Palmerston drive, Wych Lane and Tichborne Way. It runs under four bridges and passes through three towns. The maximum speed on the road is 40 mph (64 km/h) for all vehicles and has a restricted time between 05:45 and 23:15 where outside those times the busway is closed.History
In 1998 Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council proposed a Light Rail System to link Fareham and Portsmouth via Gosport. Funding of £170m was approved in 2001 but withdrawn in 2004, a decision that was confirmed in 2006. Following this decision, a cheaper, shorter BRT scheme was proposed which led to the creation of the South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit. The route opened on 22 April 2012 with services provided byServices
Two existing bus routes were replaced by the new Eclipse Bus Rapid Transit network and one was modified to use part of it. All routes are commercially operated by First Hampshire and Dorset.Route E1/E2
Buses on routes 86 and 82 became Eclipse routes E1 and E2 and at peak times route 88 (as the X88 service) was diverted to use part of the busway between Wych Lane and Redlands Lane. * The E1 starts at Fareham Bus Station and travels westwards to Fareham station before heading south past Fareham College and joins onto the busway at Redlands Lane. It then continues down the busway until Hutfield Link where it continues down Rowner road and goes to Elson, Forton and Newton before meeting up at Alverstoke with the E2 and ends at Gosport Bus Station. * The E2 continues a similar path with the E1, starting at Fareham Bus Station however it splits at Rowner road, heading to Holbrook to continue down the A32, passing Brockhurst, Camdentown and Privett and meets up with the E1 at Alverstoke where it heads to its terminus at Gosport Bus Station. Both of these routes run a 10-minute frequency, or a 5-minute frequency combined between peak times. When the busway is closed during morning and evening times, both routes use the A32 instead until Tichborne Way.Route 9/9A
On 18 November 2012 service 88 was replaced by the new 9/9A, which was modified to use the busway. This route isn't part of the Eclipse network, hence it doesn't have the custom specification buses put onto the E1/E2 routes. Both services start at Fareham Bus Station and travels westwards to Fareham station before heading south past Fareham College and joins onto the busway at Redlands Lane. It then continues down the busway until Wych Lane, where it continues down Tukes Avenue going past Bridgemary and Holbrook. The routes split up at Rowner Road with the 9 running along St Nicholas Avenue and Grange Lane and 9A running along Rowner Road and turning into Grange Road. Both routes meet up at Howe Road where they serve the areas of Browndown, Privett and Alverstoke before terminating at Gosport Bus Station. Both of these routes run a 40-minute frequency, or a 20-minute frequency combined between peak times. When the busway is closed during morning and evening times, both routes use the A32 instead until Wych Lane.Gallery
References
{{UK busway Guided busways and BRT systems in the United Kingdom