With the GNE strike amd the recent sale of Arriva and talk of future expansion, now would be a good time to 'dip feet in water'

How about a service from Durham depot similar to GNE 50 but possibly a version of the old X50.
Durham to South Shields

Durham to Chester all stops
Chester to Washington non stop
Washington to Boldon Asda limited stop via Follingsby Park
Boldon Asda to South Shields limited Stop via Whiteleas Bridge, South Tyneside Hospital and Westoe

Personally I'd be looking at the Sunderland to Durham network if I was going to do something like that.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.77727...?entry=ttu - Maybe something like this now that GNE ditched the 55 and there's never been a link to Durham from large chunks of Hetton.

Can't say they're competing for the sake of it, they dropped out the area. Could do it as an extension as the 64 maybe, which would also open links towards Arnison and Dragonville from those areas aswell. 50 minutes+ from Hetton to Sunderland on the 35 is unacceptable.

With the GNE strike amd the recent sale of Arriva and talk of future expansion, now would be a good time to 'dip feet in water'

How about a service from Durham depot similar to GNE 50 but possibly a version of the old X50.
Durham to South Shields

Durham to Chester all stops
Chester to Washington non stop
Washington to Boldon Asda limited stop via Follingsby Park
Boldon Asda to South Shields limited Stop via Whiteleas Bridge, South Tyneside Hospital and Westoe

Personally I'd be looking at the Sunderland to Durham network if I was going to do something like that.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.77727...?entry=ttu - Maybe something like this now that GNE ditched the 55 and there's never been a link to Durham from large chunks of Hetton.

Can't say they're competing for the sake of it, they dropped out the area. Could do it as an extension as the 64 maybe, which would also open links towards Arnison and Dragonville from those areas aswell. 50 minutes+ from Hetton to Sunderland on the 35 is unacceptable.

I would say, at present, unless the X12 turns being worked by Durham returned to Stockton, Durham have neither the staff nor the vehicles to take on any additional work (indeed, despite regaining some X12s, Durham's 7 turns are still being worked by Darlington and are likely to remain as such). Indeed, there's still days when Durham have work stood due to either no driver, no bus or even sometimes both.

Working in partnership and if there's enough space to do it, changes to the 19/57/57A into:

56 (Hourly): East Hartford - Cramlington - Fern Drive - Seghill - Current route to Whitley Bay
57 (Hourly): Current 57A
58 (Hourly): Ashington - Stakeford - Bedlington - Guide Post - Cramlington - Cramlington Hospital - New Hartley - Seaton Delaval - Seghill - Backworth - Northumberland Park - Cobalt - North Shields
58 Short (Hourly) (35 Minutes Trip): Backworth Loop - Northumberland Park - Cobalt - North Shields

(19/Current 58: Withdrawn)

Current PVR
57/57A: 5
19: 3
58: 1

New PVR
56/57: 4
58: 5

Map:

It would open up quite a few new links, give more time for the 57/57A (56/57) which is having problems and remove the completely pointless 58 and use it for better resources imo.

Working in partnership and if there's enough space to do it, changes to the 19/57/57A into:

56 (Hourly): East Hartford - Cramlington - Fern Drive - Seghill - Current route to Whitley Bay
57 (Hourly): Current 57A
58 (Hourly): Ashington - Stakeford - Bedlington - Guide Post - Cramlington - Cramlington Hospital - New Hartley - Seaton Delaval - Seghill - Backworth - Northumberland Park - Cobalt - North Shields
58 Short (Hourly) (35 Minutes Trip): Backworth Loop - Northumberland Park - Cobalt - North Shields

(19/Current 58: Withdrawn)

Current PVR
57/57A: 5
19: 3
58: 1

New PVR
56/57: 4
58: 5

Map:


It would open up quite a few new links, give more time for the 57/57A (56/57) which is having problems and remove the completely pointless 58 and use it for better resources imo.

This seems sensible to me, I’ve always thought there 58 could be merged into the 19 or 57 in some way.

This seems sensible to me, I’ve always thought there 58 could be merged into the 19 or 57 in some way.

Yeah just makes it tidier, I know New Hartley want more links aswell as they can't get to Cramlington really and have no real Metro link either without travelling all the way to Haymarket or doing a long walk up South Gosforth bank. East Hartford also get a bus service which actually goes somewhere aswell.

Other than the few bus stops to the East of Cramlington, I can't really see any negatives tbh and the 19/57A follow each other through High Pit so there's no loss there. The 19 right now just kind of exists on top of the other 2, and you'd open direct Ashington and Bedlington links to Cobalt for workers. They badly all need to be together imo.

They 57a has turned into a mess, especially as the timetable liners (that I have seen in Seghill) are now inaccurate to boot.

X7/X8/X9 changes as it's simply not working right now.

Arriva and NCC work in partnership for some small extensions to the X7 and X8, namely the X7 serving Tillmouth Avenue in Holywell and the X8 serving Amersham Road in Blyth

New typical board:

X7: 11:14 (BLY) -> 12:22 (NCL)
X8: 12:30 (NCL) -> 13:38 (BLY)
X7: 13:44 (BLY) -> 14:52 (NCL)
... repeat ...

or

X8: 11:29 (BLY) -> 12:37 (NCL)
X7: 12:45 (NCL) -> 13:53 (BLY)
X8: 13:59 (BLY) -> 14:07 (NCL)
... repeat ...

X9: Current times, work standalone.

X7/X8: PVR 10 (+1)
X9: PVR 5 (No Change)

I know it's an extra PVR but at least it's being used to serve some areas which have both lost their serve in recent'ish times and create some links and get the X7 and X8/X9 away from Gosforth High Street and/or South Gosforth so when ones goes tits up the other service isn't seriously impacted. Something needs done anyway as it's pretty much consistently late in recent times. There's also extra padding in the route to help them out a bit (it doesn't take 5 minutes to serve Tillmouth or Amersham).

X19: Wooler, Haugh End, Powburn, Longframlington, Longhorsley, Morpeth, Stannngton, Regent Centre, Newcastle.
Could operate alongside the X14, X15, X16 & X18 between Morpeth & Newcastle. If the X14 is still only every 2 hours to thropton, run the X19 in the other hour

Hi guys, I don't usually post on this part of the forum but today was the tip of the iceberg for me. I was waiting ages for the 7 today and Thursday and I was tracking on bustimes as well as Arriva's app, as you do. They cancelled so many buses before a bus actually came and it always seems to be around 1/2 ish they get really bad. The security guard in the bus station got a driver to ring control or something to check and they said a bus would be 10 minutes but that bus got took out of service. Ended up getting a train - ironically it was a replacement bus. Does anyone know why the 7 is particularly horrendous and why Arriva is so bad at communication?

Hi guys, I don't usually post on this part of the forum but today was the tip of the iceberg for me. I was waiting ages for the 7 today and Thursday and I was tracking on bustimes as well as Arriva's app, as you do. They cancelled so many buses before a bus actually came and it always seems to be around 1/2 ish they get really bad. The security guard in the bus station got a driver to ring control or something to check and they said a bus would be 10 minutes but that bus got took out of service. Ended up getting a train - ironically it was a replacement bus. Does anyone know why the 7 is particularly horrendous and why Arriva is so bad at communication?

Looking at BusTimes for Saturday, it seems like at least 2 buses were missing for much of the day on consecutive boards, leaving to an hour's gap in service (assuming it's not just tracking issues).

Getting in and out of Darlington can be a mess on Saturdays and the fact the 7 runs on a 20 min frequency instead of 15 that's offered M-F probs doesn't help.

Have noticed more dropping out of service on Darlington services when services are running late, one occasion that left me steaming was a delay of less than 5 mins resulting in a 40 min wait for the next service 5 in Bishop Auckland to which Arriva's response to my complaint being "operational disruptions" which was a load of shit, especially when the driver ran early for much of the remainder of the journey and started at Shildon. When I was in Durham Bus Station during half term one afternoon, two buses in a row dropped out of service, one rushing light all the way back to Darlo and the other starting in Chilton on time.

Sunday suggestion
3 that runs between lingdale and Redcar could in turn serve new Marske.
So follows the same route to Marske. Then turns into longbeck and new Marske. Then revert to the 62 route accessing redcar via the bypass and onto redcar lane

I've been thinking, couldnt Great North Road be done with 2 services if the frequency was right
42-Newcastle-Blyth via Hazlerigg and Dinnington
43-Newcastle-Morpeth as now

I've been thinking, couldnt Great North Road be done with 2 services if the frequency was right
42-Newcastle-Blyth via Hazlerigg and Dinnington
43-Newcastle-Morpeth as now

I often thought about this especialy for an evening or on a sunday

Couple of things though - 

People in brunswick having to get the bus to town would have 20/30 minutes added to journey unless they got  bus to wideopen and it connected with the 43.  Same goes for passengers for stops between the travelers rest and blyth 30 minutes minimum added to journey time.

I've been thinking, couldnt Great North Road be done with 2 services if the frequency was right
42-Newcastle-Blyth via Hazlerigg and Dinnington
43-Newcastle-Morpeth as now

Not really, as there's the two roads towards Dinnington.

Mind speaking of the 43, I'd love to see these changes:

X16: Newcastle - Northgate Hospital, PVR 2 Saloons / Deckers
777: Kingston Park - St George's Park, PVR 2 Minibuses
43: Cramlington to Newcastle only
57/57A: No route change, PVR 5 Saloons
58: Cramlington to Morpeth via East Hartford (43 from Cramlington to Morpeth additionally serving East Hartford), PVR 3 Midibuses
58: Rest of current route scrapped, not replaced
416: Withdrawn
417: Withdrawn
436: Reroute somehow, PVR 1 Minibus

There's currently full size buses been wasted on the 43 extensions and 777 and it's a waste of tax payer money aswell since it's public funded mostly and don't get me started on the current pointless 58.

I've been thinking, couldnt Great North Road be done with 2 services if the frequency was right
42-Newcastle-Blyth via Hazlerigg and Dinnington
43-Newcastle-Morpeth as now

I thought we were trying to improve services with these suggestions? That's a definite no.

Sunday suggestion
3 that runs between lingdale and Redcar could in turn serve new Marske.
So follows the same route to Marske. Then turns into longbeck and new Marske. Then revert to the 62 route accessing redcar via the bypass and onto redcar lane

I'd have it go along the A174 from Saltburn, do New Marske, then Longbeck and in to Marske that way.
Granted it would miss the station, but it's still hitting the main drag in Marske.

I'd have it go along the A174 from Saltburn, do New Marske, then Longbeck and in to Marske that way.
Granted it would miss the station, but it's still hitting the main drag in Marske.

Maybe could just run the short X4 as an X4A instead or vice versa since they seem to think it's important enough to have a Middlesbrough link at night? Would solve most the Redcar end problems out.

Can do whatever then, the 62/81 route badly needs covered at the other side of Redcar though, half the town has no Sunday service including Kirkleatham (think I spelt that right) which is the sort of place people actually might want to go to on a Sunday rather than say a Tuesday.

Maybe could just run the short X4 as an X4A instead or vice versa since they seem to think it's important enough to have a Middlesbrough link at night? Would solve most the Redcar end problems out.

Can do whatever then, the 62/81 route badly needs covered at the other side of Redcar though, half the town has no Sunday service including Kirkleatham (think I spelt that right) which is the sort of place people actually might want to go to on a Sunday rather than say a Tuesday.

No x4 needs to be full size on versa or solo should be one as 1 there compancy isn't bigger enough  

Versa would be better  at Ashington  for their town sevice  or Stockton  for the 8 .7 .9