Windsor Express (The London Line 701 and 702 & Flightline 703) are

bus route A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used i ...

s that run between

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

Bracknell Bracknell () is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Re ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

History

In 2015,

FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.Bracknell Bracknell () is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Re ...

. However, it was subsequently announced that the route would be retained. In December 2017,

Reading Buses Reading Transport Limited, trading as Reading Buses, is an English Municipal bus company, municipal bus operator owned by Reading Borough Council, serving the towns of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury, Slough, ...

took over the 702 route from FirstGroup. For the first day of service on 24 December, passengers could board for free and various heritage vehicles were used on the route. First had previously announced it would withdraw the route as it said it had become unsustainable due to increasing costs of operation. On 8 May 2018, route 703 was introduced. Buses were branded as the "Royal Express" and painted in a gold and purple livery, coinciding with the

wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held on Saturday 19 May 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. The groom is a member of the British royal family; the bride is American and previously worked as an a ...

. At the time, the routes were operated using

Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC (sold as the Alexander Dennis Enviro400) is a low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2014, replacing the Alexander Dennis Enviro400. The Envir ...

s. From 2 November 2020, some early morning and late evening 702 journeys started running via the M4 between Reading and

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

. In January 2021 route 702 was suspended due to low usage as a result of the

COVID-19 lockdown During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions), were implemented in numero ...

. On 24 July 2022, route 703 increased its frequency to provide a half-hourly service between Heathrow Airport and Slough, as a result of the airport's partnership. There is also now an improved hourly service between Legoland Windsor and Slough throughout the day. In February 2023, seven 76-seater

Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City is a low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2015, as an alternative to the standard Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodywork. The Enviro400 C ...

s were ordered to upgrade routes 702 and 703. Delivery of these buses in June 2023 coincided with Reading Buses dropping the Green Line brand for both routes, with route 702 becoming The London Line and route 703 becoming the Flightline, both under the new Windsor Express brand. 3 extra vehicles were delivered in February 2024 to complete the Flightline upgrade, coinciding with the Reading Buses' Lion 4/X4 upgrade. In March 2024,

Thames Valley Buses Thames Valley Buses Limited, trading as Thames Valley Buses, is a bus company based in Bracknell, England. It was known as Courtney Buses until 2021. Founded in 1973, the company operates a network of commercial and contracted local bus services ...

took over the operation of Flightline 703 from Reading Buses.

Current routes

The London Line route 701

Route 701 operates via these primary locations: * Reading station *

Bracknell bus station Bracknell () is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Reading, south of Maidenhead, ...

Heatherwood Hospital Heatherwood Hospital is an elective care hospital in Ascot, Berkshire managed by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. History Former hospital The hospital is located near the site of a former hospital that has its origins in a Victorian country ...

Legoland Windsor Resort Legoland Windsor Resort (), styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand. The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainment ...

Buses on route 701 continue beyond Legoland to and from London Victoria as route 702.

The London Line route 702

Route 702 operates via these primary locations: *

Parish Church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

'' *

''Wellington Street'' * Langley *

Hammersmith Broadway Hammersmith Broadway is a major transport node and shopping centre in Hammersmith, London. History The shopping centre opened in 1994, on the site of many now-demolished buildings, including The Clarendon Hotel (a music venue) and Palmers De ...

Kensington (Olympia) station Kensington (Olympia) is an interchange station between the Mildmay line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in Kensington, West London. Limited services on the District line of the London Underg ...

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

Hyde Park Corner Hyde Park Corner is between Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair in London, England. It primarily refers to a major road junction at the southeastern corner of Hyde Park, that was originally planned by architect Decimus Burton. The juncti ...

Green Line Coach Station Green Line Coach Station is a coach station in London, England, situated in Bulleid Way, Victoria, London, Victoria. The station offers regional coach services to various destinations to the north and west of London by Green Line Coaches and o ...

''for Victoria bus station and Victoria station '' Limited early morning and late evening buses continue beyond Legoland to and from Reading as route 701.

Flightline route 703

Route 703 operates via these primary locations: *

Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Bro ...

* Cranbourne *

'' *

''Wellington Street'' * Langley *

Colnbrook Colnbrook is a village in the Borough of Slough, Slough district in Berkshire, England. It lies within the historic counties of England, historic boundaries of Buckinghamshire, and straddles two distributaries of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, ...

Heathrow Terminal 5 Heathrow Terminal 5 is an airport terminal at Heathrow Airport, the main airport serving London. Opened in 2008, the main building in the complex is the largest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom. Until 2012, the terminal was used ...

{{rail-interchange, gb, bus

References

Green Line Coaches routes Buses serving Heathrow Airport Bus routes in England Transport in Berkshire