(16 Aug 2017, 9:29 pm)James101 GNE now matching Arriva during Sundays on the Hartlepool - Peterlee corridor, and only 1 bus per hour down during the week, too. 

First Go North East (rather than Northern) buses to operate in Hartlepool on Sundays?

(16 Aug 2017, 10:39 pm)Andreos1 Chester had the 21A head down that way on a Sunday immediately prior to the 2006 changes, covering the DCC contracted section beyond Houghton. I cant remember if it went to Hartlepool or stopped at Peterlee.

(16 Aug 2017, 3:56 pm)Michael Noticed on the new 8 timetable that Hylton retail towards Sunderland will; have a bus at 17:10pm and 17:11pm, could they not of ran the 17:11 later?

(17 Aug 2017, 10:50 am)Dan This is a mistake - I think it's due to be corrected today or tomorrow.

The existing weekday 15:55 8A service is revised to operate 1-2 minutes later throughout, and instead runs as an 8 service via Hylton Retail Park (arriving at 17:10), to compensate for the withdrawal of the existing short 17:11 trip (associated with the loss of Misc. Works contracts).

(16 Aug 2017, 2:04 pm)Malarkey I have to say the changes around Doxford International on a Sunday are shocking, going from having a bus every 20 minutes in the form of the 20, to having one an hour in the revised X5.

Quite a lot of people who I talk to at work travel from South Shields & Durham to which the 20 provides direct link to Doxford International on a Sunday, from the 3rd September they will have either get the Bus to Herrington Board Inn and walk from there which takes around 20 Minutes for where we are on business park, or face changing in Sunderland or Houghton on to the X5. Once again these service changes from Go North East causes an inconvenience to those who rely on the services in there current form to get from A to B, and this example in particular is most definitely a loss of service.

(17 Aug 2017, 3:26 pm)Michael Ah right, good, i thought it was daft, shame the 8 and 36 still arrive within 5 minutes of each other throughout the day at Hylton Retail Park, can't be helped at the min due to interworking (8 and 78) and providing a service every 15 minutes on the 35/36 (on certain parts of the route), any chance that could ever change, so it's spread out so it provides a service every 15 minutes?

Then after 6, 18:11 for the 8 and then nothing until 18:37, complete nightmare.

I also thought with changes to the 35, it would be on a separate timetable to the 36. 

(17 Aug 2017, 3:26 pm)Michael Ah right, good, i thought it was daft, shame the 8 and 36 still arrive within 5 minutes of each other throughout the day at Hylton Retail Park, can't be helped at the min due to interworking (8 and 78) and providing a service every 15 minutes on the 35/36 (on certain parts of the route), any chance that could ever change, so it's spread out so it provides a service every 15 minutes?


Then after 6, 18:11 for the 8 and then nothing until 18:37, complete nightmare.


I also thought with changes to the 35, it would be on a separate timetable to the 36. 

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Just think they have the half hourly 39 too, on a Sunday, so there's still still 2 services going to Doxford International.

(17 Aug 2017, 4:11 pm)Andreos1 Absolutely shocking that like Michael.

Fancy having to wait half an hour for a bus just cos it's after 6

Dunno how you cope.

Imagine those poor punters having to put up with a half hourly frequency on a service all day!

(17 Aug 2017, 3:26 pm)Michael Just think they have the half hourly 39 too, on a Sunday, so there's still still 2 services going to Doxford International.

(17 Aug 2017, 3:26 pm)Michael Just think they have the half hourly 39 too, on a Sunday, so there's still still 2 services going to Doxford International.

(17 Aug 2017, 4:36 pm)Malarkey While there maybe a total 3 Buses an hour and alternative ways of making connections to other services, those who work Sundays at Doxford International are still losing a frequent service and more importantly direct links, whether that be to Sunderland and South Shields or towards Houghton and Durham.

If compare that to other Business Parks locally such as the Quorum and Cobalt on a Sunday, the service provided is poor.

Quorum on a Sunday: Arriva X7/X8 - Hourly = 2 Buses
                                Arriva 52/54 - Hourly = 2 Buses
                                Stagecoach 62 - Half Hourly = 2 Buses

Four Lanes End is also only 10 Minutes walk offering connections region-wide on the Metro, and to service 55 and 63 also.

Cobalt on a Sunday: Go North East 309 - Half Hourly = 2 Buses
                              Stagecoach 22 - Every 20 Minutes = 3 Buses

Coast Road is a short walk where you can catch the 57, 306, 308 and 310 which all operate frequently.

(17 Aug 2017, 4:46 pm)Dan Maybe the simple answer is that there is more demand at other business parks on Sundays?

Approximately 14,000 people are employed at Cobalt Business Park, while just 8,000 are employed at Doxford International. For that reason alone, I would assume that there is less of a demand for bus services to Doxford International? Or would you still suggest that there should be an equal number of buses serving the business park on a Sunday, despite there being fewer workers at one than the other?

Let's not forget that bus operators have the ability to analyse, right down to the bus stop, how many passengers board a service each day. If a lot of people were using the 20 service through Doxford Park on a Sunday, I very much doubt the company would cut it.


Doxford International source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxford_International_Business_Park
Cobalt Business Park source: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/how-cobalt-north-tyneside-became-11174568

(17 Aug 2017, 5:11 pm)Malarkey Of course there is going to be a higher demand for a bus service when a business park like Cobalt employs almost double that of Doxford International, my argument is that once again Go North East have cut a service in order to improve reliability of the Sunday daytime service, this being due roadworks etc around Durham and elsewhere along the route, however the 20 continues to serve Doxford after 17:30pm on Sunday every half an hour, and on an improved frequency compared to the X5 during the day from September 3rd, are you telling me with the ability to analyse, right down to the bus stop, that more people use 20 during the evening on a Sunday than they do during day when shifts are usually 10 till 4, no I really don't think so.

(17 Aug 2017, 5:11 pm)Malarkey Of course there is going to be a higher demand for a bus service when a business park like Cobalt employs almost double that of Doxford International, my argument is that once again Go North East have cut a service in order to improve reliability of the Sunday daytime service, this being due roadworks etc around Durham and elsewhere along the route, however the 20 continues to serve Doxford after 17:30pm on Sunday every half an hour, and on an improved frequency compared to the X5 during the day from September 3rd, are you telling me with the ability to analyse, right down to the bus stop, that more people use 20 during the evening on a Sunday than they do during day when shifts are usually 10 till 4, no I really don't think so.

(17 Aug 2017, 5:13 pm)Michael Email Go North East about it, not sure they can do much on here.

(17 Aug 2017, 5:28 pm)Malarkey I'm still waiting for a response from them about the Washington changes Michael, obviously couldn't care less about customers opinions otherwise they would do more consultations like they did a few years ago, before making changes to a network of services.

The last consultation I can recall was the one at Park Lane before they merged 20/35 together, that had to of been around 3 year ago.

(17 Aug 2017, 4:08 pm)Dan It's not so much that the interworking of the 8 and 78 causes an issue, but trying to maintain an even headway on other corridors on the network.

As you rightly suggest, the timetable of the 35/36 needs to be built so that it provides a 15-minute headway on some parts of the route (or as close to a 15-minute headway as possible).

On top of that, the timetable of the 36 is built to provide a 10-minute headway between Silksworth, Barnes Park and City Centre (combined with service 33). The timetable of the 36 is also built to provide a relatively even headway (approximately every 15 minutes) between Chester-le-Street and Great Lumley together with service 78.

There are bound to be more examples, but not every shared corridor can have an even headway, and I think it's a case of prioritising some corridors over others (for example, there is competition between Stagecoach and Go North East on the corridor between Silksworth and the City Centre, so it is more important to maintain an even headway here, rather than to Hylton Retail Park where there is no real competition).

(17 Aug 2017, 4:36 pm)Malarkey Quorum on a Sunday: Arriva X7/X8 - Hourly = 2 Buses
                                Arriva 52/54 - Hourly = 2 Buses
                                Stagecoach 62 - Half Hourly = 2 Buses

Four Lanes End is also only 10 Minutes walk offering connections region-wide on the Metro, and to service 55 and 63 also.

Cobalt on a Sunday: Go North East 309 - Half Hourly = 2 Buses
                              Stagecoach 22 - Every 20 Minutes = 3 Buses

Coast Road is a short walk where you can catch the 57, 306, 308 and 310 which all operate frequently.

(18 Aug 2017, 9:10 pm)Ambassador Quorum isn't a fair comparison. All of those services are major services which simply pass Quorum en route to Killingworth, Blyth etc etc. Quorum was built in that location because of its proximity to major transport networks like the A1, airport, metro etc. Quorum is on the edge of a major city and near many major road networks.

Doxford is the arse end of nowhere. 

With respect