26 Jun 2017, 10:54 am
#337
(26 Jun 2017, 8:20 am)G-CPTN Currently the X84 and X85 alternate to maintain an hourly service on both.
Extending the X85 to Newbrough will mess up this arrangement and these timings (unless an additional vehicle is added - though, of course they will lose the 687 buses which will probably be reallocated to 683/684 duties).
Changes to services in Hexham and Tyne Valley from 23 July 2017.
The timings won't really be affected - both will depart Newcastle at the same time and from Hexham 5 minutes earlier than now. As you say the arrangement will be altered - they will continue to alternate at Newcastle but will no longer do so at Hexham. All it means is that the X84 will have a twelve minute layover at Hexham. An extra bus is being added to accommodate the extension to Newbrough but as the extension is not a full hourly round trip - departs at :54 and arrives at :36 - then this is what allows it to operate as an X85 both to Newbrough and on return, and is subsequently the source of the time for additional layover - which is a positive surplus of the extension.
They aren't losing the 687 - it is just being incorporated into/re-numbered the 686. In fact there is an additional journey from Hexham at 14:40 and an additional journey from Corbridge at 16:57. The 683/4 will, I suppose, be allocated the vehicle currently allocated to the 683 as the section to Newbrough is merely replaced by an additional full-size vehicle on the X84/5.
