Proposed changes to Arriva Services 35 and X21 within Newbiggin & Woodhorn
with effect from Sunday 28th January 2024


What are we proposing to do and why?

Over recent months, the reliability and punctuality of Services 35, X21 and X22 have seen decline in the face of increasing levels of traffic congestion within the region. Arriva, as the operator of these services have an obligation to ensure that we provide a service that is as reliable and punctual as possible.

With this in mind, we've been analysing passenger data along with punctuality and reliability data with a view of understanding what needs to be done to improve the situation. The summary of this is that we need to increase scheduled journey time, particularly on Services X21 and X22 into Newcastle, however we also need to ensure that we do this in a sustainable way.

Our proposal is to revise the way in which Services 35 and X21 operate around Newbiggin & Woodhorn. There will be no change to service frequency, buses will still run up to every 20 minutes during Mon-Fri daytimes, up to every 30 minutes on Saturdays and hourly on evenings and Sundays, however the routes in which they may operate is subject to change.

This survey will briefly explain the plans and allow you to feedback some comments at the end. It shouldn't take any more than a few minutes to complete.

If this proposal progresses, the proposed start date would be Sunday 28th January 2024.

What will change on Service 35?

Service 35 will continue to operate between Morpeth, Ashington, Newbiggin and Woodhorn as it does now, up to every 20 minutes during Monday to Friday daytimes, up to every 30 minutes during Saturday daytimes and hourly on evenings and Sundays.

However, we're proposing to revise the route in which the service operates within Newbiggin and Woodhorn into a one-way loop.

This revised Service 35 route would therefore commence its journey towards Morpeth from Woodhorn Crossroads, then via Woodlea and Seacrest Road as normal. From Seacrest Road and Woodlea, buses would then turn left as normal, but would additionally serve Cresswell Arms (currently not served by Service 35). From Cresswell Arms, buses would then head along Newbiggin Front Street and Sandy Bay Holiday Park, resuming the normal route at North Seaton Demesme towards Ashington and Morpeth.

What does this mean?

What this means is that all Service 35 journeys will operate in a one-way clockwise loop of Woodhorn & Newbiggin, but will additionally serve Cresswell Arms as an improvement over current service, providing more journey opportunities, and permitting reallocation of the time saved by only operating one-way, into the service schedule to improve punctuality.

Service X21 is proposed to operate via the exact opposite of this route within Newbiggin & Woodhorn, providing local short hop journey opportunities within the area (i.e. if you are only travelling between Woodhorn and Cresswell Arms, you would catch Service 35 towards Cresswell Arms, but return on Service X21 in this proposal).

What will change on Service X21?

Service X21 will continue to operate between Newcastle, Bedlington, Ashington and Newbiggin as it does now, up to every 20 minutes during Monday to Friday daytimes, up to every 30 minutes during Saturday daytimes and hourly on evenings and Sundays.

However, we're proposing to revise the route in which the service operates within Newbiggin into a one-way loop and additionally serving Woodhorn too.

This revised Service X21 route would therefore commence its journey towards Newcastle from Newbiggin West End, Spital Road and operate via Newbiggin Front Street to Cresswell Arms. From Cresswell Arms, buses would then operate via Woodhorn Road and Woodlea to serve Seacrest Road as they do now. From Seacrest Road and Woodlea however, buses would then turn right and continue north to Woodhorn, before turning left onto the A197 and resuming normal route towards Newcastle from Wansbeck Hospital (meaning they wont go back to Cresswell Arms or Spital Road).

What does this mean?

What this means is that all Service X21 journeys will operate in a one-way anticlockwise loop of Newbiggin & Woodhorn, but will serve both Cresswell Arms and Seacrest Road as it does now, whilst additionally serving Woodhorn and providing more journey opportunities, and permitting reallocation of the time saved by only operating one-way, into the service schedule to improve punctuality.

Existing passengers of Service X21 would therefore need to board the service towards Newcastle on the northbound side of the road between Spital Road and Cresswell Arms.

Service 35 is proposed to operate via the exact opposite of this route within Woodhorn & Newbiggin, providing local short hop journey opportunities within the area (i.e. if you are only travelling between Cresswell Arms and Woodhorn, you would catch Service X21 towards Woodhorn, but return on Service 35 in this proposal).

What else do I need to be aware of?

Below is a map of the proposed route options within the area, as described on the previous pages. This should hopefully help visualise and understand what is being proposed.

From an operational point of view, customers should be aware that within this proposal, Services 35 and X21 will 'interwork' or simply change number within Newbiggin & Woodhorn.

What this means is that passengers arriving on a Service X21 from Newcastle or Ashington for example, will see their bus turn left onto the Spine Road after Wansbeck Hospital and then turn right at Woodhorn Crossroads. The driver will then change the service number on the front of the bus to Service 35, but passengers who wish to alight anywhere within Newbiggin area can stay on the bus until it reaches their stop.

Conversely, passengers arriving on a Service 35 from Morpeth or Ashington will see their bus continue into Newbiggin as normal, but the driver will change the service number on the front of the bus to Service X21. However, as with the case above, passengers who intend to alight anywhere within Newbiggin or Woodhorn can remain on the bus until it reaches their stop.

This arrangement will be in place on every journey, so to remove any additional complication.

TLDR - It doesn't matter where within Newbiggin or Woodhorn that you got on at, the bus you come back on will take you back to that same location.

Service X22

As a by-product of this change, Service X22 will see a revised timetable on all days, however will continue to operate between Ashington and Newcastle via the same route as now and to the same service frequency.


Link to the survey: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsep...ZhXnqKQWOE

Thought it would be pointless creating a new thread so putting it in here. Nexus have put a consultation out for the Go North East Q3 & Stagecoach 35 service
https://www.nexus.org.uk/consultation/it...-35-and-q3

Our plan is to stop providing financial support for service Q3 to divert via Osborne Road. This will result in Go North East operating the route directly via Great North Road.

The money saved from paying for service Q3 would pay for changes to service 35. This will mean service 35 will operate as now between Newcastle (but start from Central Station) and Fawdon but will then extend to run via Gosforth High Street, Osborne Road, city centre and Central Station.

In addition, there will be an hourly service on evening and Sunday, between Newcastle, Pilgrim Street and Fawdon, Mormon Church via Osborne Road, Gosforth High Street, Kenton & Fawdon (note evening/Sunday trips would not serve Central Station, John Street/Welford Avenue, or Red House Farm estate).

(07 Nov 2023, 11:22 am)Ambassador wrote Think we need to give the new owners an opportunity before we cast them into the abyss.

Hopefully they'll make a few better local decisions than GNE's new owners have so far

Bearing in mind capacity at Ashington & Blyth will be available to take on extra work once the ABTRL goes live and PVR reductions happen as a result

NEW: Rishi Sunak will outline tomorrow that buses and delivery vehicles will be driverless from 2030

Like its going to happen in 2030, especially with the roads the buses go on with roads works and everything. 

My son left a bag on the 71 from chester le street to Seaham, is there a number for Gateshead central taxis lost property?

Spotted on Facebook that City Transport is intending to run essentially a short 4 (Galleries to Heworth). They claim to have Nexus support to submit a short notice registration:

Hi all - some positive news in that Nexus are happy to support us registering a bus service at short notice!

This means that the service will no longer have to work on the original proposal of it being pre booked, and that instead you will be able to board and pay the driver like a regular service bus.

We do still intend to pick up only at Galleries, Concord and Heworth, as we are expecting the service to be extremely busy - although we will possibly be able to drop off at any stop.

We are hoping to submit all the documents to the Traffic Commissioner on Monday morning and start the service literally as soon as they give us the approval - although please realise that this step could take a few days.

There is an awful lot of work for me and my team to get this going so please bear with us, and I will do my best to keep you all updated on this group. If you have any questions please put them in the comments and I will get round to responding as soon as I can.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/10400303...360431794/

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On bus times, it shows that withdrawn 2858 is on 9s


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Seen someone done a freedom of request to the councils about subsidised routes and there appears to a few extra routes appeared on the list pretty much exclusively to GoNorthEast but to summary all these routes have a subsidy in some of form now from Nexus, Durham or Northumberland Councils.

Arriva (Durham if not mentioned)
1, 5, 6, 8, 22, 24, 43, 48, 49, 56, 58, 64, X22, X75, X14 (ANU), X15 (ANU), X18 (ANU), 57A (ANU)

GoNorthEast
1, 351, 353, 41/41A, 91, 57, 84, 85, 35, 35A, 39A, 39B, 79, 81, 82, 83, 93, 94, X30, X31, Q3, 5, 5A, 9, 24, 26, 50, 51, 52, 39, X45, 96, 49, 49A, 12, 47, 27, 10A, 8, 8A, 6, 15, 20, 34, 60, 65, 78, 16, 16A, Peterlee Locals, 28, 29, 61, 61A, V1, V2, V4, V5, X15, X72, Hexham Locals, AD122, 74

Stagecoach
317, 18, 553, 32, 32A, 35, 62, X78, 8, 12, 10, 11

From - https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/s...ng-2383925, https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/s...ng-2399914 and https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/1...sthrough=1

Obviously I could jump straight into the middle bit but I'll be positive and say it's quite impressive how little of the Arriva Northumbria and Stagecoach network is subsidised really. I always thought that more of would be subsidised in some way, especially in South Shields and the 1, 2, 35, 44 and 45 with Arriva - an early or late Sunday journey etc.

PS. Whoever done the FOI fair play, as I believe they've been done the last time we were talking about these on here.

spotted 1431 tracking at Darlington on the 1 was it just on loan to Stockton

Thought i'd post a thread, to save the GNE thread about the strike from getting clogged up with stuff, and as the following question covers potentially a range of answers i've posted it here
So the question is
Strikes?, Closures?, What would you do and why?, wether it be close depots, resolve the strikes, take over routes, i'd like to hear your answers