(30 Nov 2016, 8:21 pm)L469 YVK http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/NorthumberlandCountyCouncil/media/Roads-streets-and-transport/Bus-Changes-161125.pdf

Looking at the changes to the 35, will this mean the X21 being switched to depart Newcastle at xx:15 and X22 switched to depart Newcastle at xx:45 during the evenings and on Sundays?

Will be far more convenient for passengers as the areas that the X21 serve have traditionally been the strong point over the years including former guises such as the X31/X32. Would also be a good move for users of the 35 coming home from Morpeth.

Nothing confirmed yet but very likely judging by the information on the 35.

(30 Nov 2016, 8:21 pm)L469 YVK http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/NorthumberlandCountyCouncil/media/Roads-streets-and-transport/Bus-Changes-161125.pdf

Looking at the changes to the 35, will this mean the X21 being switched to depart Newcastle at xx:15 and X22 switched to depart Newcastle at xx:45 during the evenings and on Sundays?

Will be far more convenient for passengers as the areas that the X21 serve have traditionally been the strong point over the years including former guises such as the X31/X32. Would also be a good move for users of the 35 coming home from Morpeth.

Nothing confirmed yet but very likely judging by the information on the 35.

(30 Nov 2016, 8:46 pm)mb134 So a PVR reduction for the 35, or will they be increasing layover to help with the awful punctuality that it seems to usually face for no apparent reason?

(30 Nov 2016, 8:47 pm)Tom Going to every 20 minutes and serving Woodhorn and Newbiggin together so the 35A is being withdrawn. Hopefully the layover will be increased as the few times I've used it, it was quite late and once two came together so not great.

(30 Nov 2016, 8:50 pm)mb134 Just seen that, so I'm guessing the PVR will remain the same. Never sure how they become so late, it's not as if they go into anywhere that will me massively tailed back traffic wise, especially during the day.

(30 Nov 2016, 10:02 pm)omnicity4659 The timetable is quite tight, I did a run on an E400 at about 7pm to see if Morpeth to Ashington is actually possible in 17 minutes....4 stops. 3 minutes late. 

Every traffic light was green, roads were quiet, it was a 14 reg E400 with decent acceleration, reached top speed between Pegswood and Ashington, a handful of passengers, yet still running late?! 

Traffic levels during the day and StreetLites 50mph limit cause the delays. Other buses running the service get delayed because the StreetLite in front (behind) is running late, so the bus behind (in front) gets all the passengers.

(30 Nov 2016, 9:49 pm)omnicity4659 These are a very bad idea. Whoever thought these ridiculous changes up should use the services at their peak. 

- 35/35A. Passengers levels on these services fluctuate. Buses are generally full and passengers refused boarding at various times throughout the day, the other times it's dead. This is with a 15 minute frequency. If they're cutting the frequency, at least have the decency to have a fully double deck allocation. The service is also heavily used by wheelchair and pushchair users, my main concern is that older double deck vehicles at Ashington have 1 space for both types of users. There is generally little or no luggage space to place folded pushchairs.  

- 494. I've used this service to help route learn drivers, heavy loadings from both DSS sites in Longbenton, standing loads in a StreetLite. I assume that the 52 won't call into the DSS sites? If not, very bad decision and what's the point of extending the 52 in the first place when they've basically abandoned their main customers. 

- X20/X21/X22. No doubt more misery to come, I believe that the evening and Sunday timings are being swapped (ie from Ash xx:16 becomes X21, xx:46 becomes X22), which might see day times revised too. I see that the X20 is having a route change, Arriva seen that they actually picked passengers up on Hawthorn Road in Ashington and reverting back to it? Or some pointless route change in Alnwick? 

Not really welcoming changes, the 35 really needed some extra buses to help with having a longer layover each end of the route and a frequency upgrade, the 35 has seen a growth in passenger numbers since the 28th October 2013. Do we really deserve a reduced service with a pointless extension to Woodhorn to keep that miserable moaning git happy?!

(30 Nov 2016, 10:35 pm)mb134 Definitely agree with your points on the 35, unless they have a plan nobody on here knows about to get rid of the Streetlites, and get in more double deck vehicles? Not too sure where they'd come from like. 

Regarding the X21/22 timings, they had it running like clockwork prior to those September 2012 changes (when they decided running the X22 in a loop around Bedlington, at the time serving zero stops for half of it). I used the X21 daily at the time, as I had since September 2011, and the change in punctuality was unbelievable. Made worse by the withdrawal of Olympians around the same time, it must be said.

I'd welcome the 52 changes if they were an all day thing, as it would help connect SE Northumberland even more, and provide more links, while competing with the seemingly increasingly unreliable 19. However they just seem like a bit of an after thought.

(01 Dec 2016, 11:31 am)omnicity4659 The only reason why the X22 is still running is because the section between Stakeford Half Moon and Guide Post Square is funded by Northumberland County Council. I won't be surprised if the X22 goes and the X21 reverts back to the Hartlands route in the future.

(30 Nov 2016, 10:35 pm)mb134 Definitely agree with your points on the 35, unless they have a plan nobody on here knows about to get rid of the Streetlites, and get in more double deck vehicles? Not too sure where they'd come from like. 

Regarding the X21/22 timings, they had it running like clockwork prior to those September 2012 changes (when they decided running the X22 in a loop around Bedlington, at the time serving zero stops for half of it). I used the X21 daily at the time, as I had since September 2011, and the change in punctuality was unbelievable. Made worse by the withdrawal of Olympians around the same time, it must be said.

I'd welcome the 52 changes if they were an all day thing, as it would help connect SE Northumberland even more, and provide more links, while competing with the seemingly increasingly unreliable 19. However they just seem like a bit of an after thought.

(01 Dec 2016, 1:30 pm)South Tyne Lad Ive always wondered they purchased them 3 Streetlites in the first place, But then again if they were to be moved id say the best place for them is Jesmond, Due to them having a lot of them already in the same spec, But Jesmond don't seem to be displacing any deckers soon.

Or they could be swapped with Belmont's outgoing 57 reg Lowlanders, As the remaining ones seem to trundling on the likes of the 43 or 56 ( the latter certainly doesn't need that much capcity )
That could give Ashington a full double deck allocation for the 35 for the short term until longer term deckers can be found.

(01 Dec 2016, 1:30 pm)South Tyne Lad Ive always wondered they purchased them 3 Streetlites in the first place, But then again if they were to be moved id say the best place for them is Jesmond, Due to them having a lot of them already in the same spec, But Jesmond don't seem to be displacing any deckers soon.

Or they could be swapped with Belmont's outgoing 57 reg Lowlanders, As the remaining ones seem to trundling on the likes of the 43 or 56 ( the latter certainly doesn't need that much capcity )
That could give Ashington a full double deck allocation for the 35 for the short term until longer term deckers can be found.

(01 Dec 2016, 1:57 pm)Jimmi There was either rumours or suggestions to send 1574-1578 from Belmont and 1579-1581 from Ashington to Stockton depot as Cadet replacements, mind there is then the question as to what you'd put on the 23 and 35 in its place?

In regards to the 57 reg Lowlanders at Belmont, I believe that the 43 interworks with scholars services in Durham so some of the 43 boards need to be double deckers. The 56 (and 57/57A/86) doesn't tend to be allocated double deckers anymore since the 57A runs that started/terminated at Durham Johnston School were withdrawn. 64 has at least one double decker allocated to it during the week due to there being a run or two on one board that needs a double decker due to high loadings.