Plans for the launch of the new £23 million Fastrack route in Dartford took a major step forward on 18 May when the final beam on a new bridge dedicated to this new bus rapid transit system is put in place. Spanning the A282 between Junction 1a of the M25 and the start of the Dartford tunnel, the new £8.6 million bridge passes over the toll plaza and under the QEII Bridge, connecting the 264 acre mixed-use development at The Bridge to facilities such as Bluewater and to rail services at Greenhithe, Gravesend and Ebbsfleet International station.

Built by contractor Alfred McAlpine plc, the new bridge – along with the whole of the new Fastrack Route A - has been funded by ProLogis, who are developing The Bridge as a joint venture with Dartford Borough Council. The first major project to start on site in the Thames Gateway, The Bridge is also the first development in the UK where the public transport infrastructure has been planned, built and made operational before the arrival of commercial or residential occupiers.

Creating around 7,500 new jobs and 1,500 new homes in an area where the road network is already congested, it was important for The Bridge to be planned as a sustainable community that did not need to rely on the car. Working with the Fastrack Delivery Executive, Arriva and intelligent traffic systems provider ACIS, ProLogis - which has committed to running the service until 2021 - has put in place a high quality bus rapid transit route that forms part of an integrated transport network and offers a credible alternative to the private car.

Fastrack Route A will start running its first phase services on Sunday 3 June, then with the completion of the bridge over the A282; the full service will be operational by the end of September. Complementing the existing and highly successful Fastrack Route B, the new Route A will include a fleet of 12 new Fastrack vehicles that have been designed to make the journey as comfortable as possible. Along with well-designed seating, the vehicles will include air conditioning, CCTV, audio stop commentary and a real time information screen.

Operated by Arriva, Fastrack Route A will run along a 12 kilometre route from Dartford town centre, through The Bridge and on to Crossways, Greenhithe and Bluewater seven days a week from 6.00am until midnight. Services will run up to every six minutes and an off-bus ticketing system along with traffic signal priority will minimise any potential delays.

As well as being comfortable and reliable, the new Route A will also offer passengers the reassurance that they can travel safely. Each of the 19 new bus stations that ProLogis has built along the route is equipped with three CCTV cameras linked to a helpline. All the CCTV cameras will be monitored at a control centre at The Bridge, so any potential emergency along the route can be resolved immediately.

To encourage residents at The Bridge to travel by Fastrack rather than by car, information display screens which will include Fastrack arrival times will be installed in every home on the development. As a further incentive, everyone living at The Bridge will be given a smartcard that will allow them to travel free of charge along the entire Route A. Similarly, real-time information units will be fitted in the commercial buildings on site as well as in the health centre and school, while employees of organisations based at The Bridge will be able to travel free within the site and at a reduced fare along the remaining route.

Commenting on the new route Maurice Dalton, First Vice President at ProLogis said:

“We have been working on plans for The Bridge, including Fastrack Route A since 1999, so we are delighted that we have reached the stage when the final beam is being placed on the bridge and the first services are due to start operating. Fastrack Route A has already won a commendation from the International Association of Public Transport for innovative partnership working and, based on the tremendous success of Route B, we are sure that Route A will prove to be equally popular with the travelling public.”