North East Buses

Addressing the barriers that transport creates to economic growth and accessing employment

This is a rather large file from the Tyne and Wear Transport Integrated Authority. It includes details of major bus improvements planned across Tyne and Wear; one of which is the re-routing of Go North East's service 8 away from Chester Road to run along the A1231 express between Sunderland and Waterview Park, in addition to a new 15 minute service between Sunderland, Hylton Enterprise Park and Washington. There's also proposals for an all-day 30 minute frequency service between Washington, Team Valley and MetroCentre; and a new half-hourly service between Jarrow, Cobalt and Northumberland Park.

According to this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/2...rt-schemes - funding has been approved for this scheme. I'll post the highlights below.

I apologise if this is old news to some - it's just the first time I've seen it!

What is Proposed -

The Introduction of three new strategic routes, and extension of an existing service to match new employment patterns and residential areas.

Strategic Route 1): Washington - Springwell Village - Wrekenton - Harlow Green - Team Valley - Bensham - Dunston - Metrocentre (extending to/from Blaydon and Winlaton at peak times)
Frequency: every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes
Scheme details: This route provides a regular all day bus service between Washington, Team Valley and the Metrocentre. Washington is a major catchment area for Team Valley, but there is currently a very limited direct service. Providing better links to the Metrocentre also opens up connections to a wide range of other places in west Gateshead and north Durham.

Strategic Route 2): Jarrow - Percy Main - Silverlink - Cobalt - Northumberland Park
Frequency: every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes (every 15 minutes Percy Main to Northumberland Park combined with an existing service)
Scheme details: This route addresses the issue of poor transport connectivity from South Tyneside and areas of high unemployment, to North Tyneside where the Business and Industrial parks associated with the A19 provide significant employment opportunities for the this demographic.

Strategic Route 3): Washington - Waterview Park - A1231 - Enterprise Park - Hylton Riverside Park - Sunderland
Frequency: every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes
Scheme Details: to pump-prime a 15-minute service between Sunderland and Washington, serving the employment areas along the north bank of the river Wear. As this corridor currently does not have an express bus service.

Service Extension: Extension of the current Quaylink service to Walker Riverside, enabling direct public transport provision to the newly declared Enterprise Zone.
Frequency: Every 10 mins on Monday to Saturday daytimes

The full document can be seen here; PDF too large to upload sadly - http://www.twita.gov.uk/sites/default/fi...20Case.pdf

These Annexes discuss the bus improvements in much more detail (from P.31) -

http://www.twita.gov.uk/sites/default/fi...nnexes.pdf

Some of these improvements have already been recently implemented, such as the bus-link between Gosforth Business Park and Balliol/Quorum. I think the proposals for the 8 running over the Queen Alexandra Bridge and a new 15 minute service between Sunderland, Enterprise Park and Washington gives more credibility to the rumour on the Skyscraper City forums that when the new Wear Bridge opens - the Queen Alexandra Bridge will be closed to all traffic except buses and emergency vehicles.

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edit - Just done some checking up - "Funding for a revised small project proposal from Tyne and Wear ITA, based on elements of their Large Project business case, has also been retained, and will be awarded pending a successful revised small project application."

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/2...rt-schemes

It looks as though Tyne and Wear will only receive £5 million for a revised smaller project instead. Pity

Strategic Route 3): Washington - Waterview Park - A1231 - Enterprise Park - Hylton Riverside Park - Sunderland
Frequency: every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes
Scheme Details: to pump-prime a 15-minute service between Sunderland and Washington, serving the employment areas along the north bank of the river Wear. As this corridor currently does not have an express bus service.

That's a great idea, i hope it goes ahead

If they haven't won enough funding for these improvements with this bid, then they still could become reality at some point. I first heard the idea of the Washington - Enterprise Park - Sunderland service a few years ago.

These are bus routes that the ITA have identified as stategic and I'm pretty confident that they will exhaust every avenue to secure funding in some form to launch these services. It's anticipated that the Washington - MetroCentre service would become commercially viable into the third year of operation. Stagecoach X47 was exactly the same, launched using KickStart funding but now a commercial success.

The proposal for the half-hourly service between Jarrow and Northumberland Park makes sense too, combining with 19 to provide a 15 minute frequency between Percy Main, Cobalt and Northumberland Park. On Page 19 of the Annexe, you can see the map plotting the post-codes of employees at Cobalt, and I think a service from South Tyneside would be well received. Quite a good proportion of commuters come from Gateshead too, but the 58X already provides a rather limited service. A lot also come from West Newcastle which is predominately Stagecoach terrritory, yet they run no buses to Cobalt meaning people having to buy Network One passes.

(12 Jan 2013, 9:09 am)Michael wrote [ -> ]Strategic Route 3): Washington - Waterview Park - A1231 - Enterprise Park - Hylton Riverside Park - Sunderland
Frequency: every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes
Scheme Details: to pump-prime a 15-minute service between Sunderland and Washington, serving the employment areas along the north bank of the river Wear. As this corridor currently does not have an express bus service.

That's a great idea, i hope it goes ahead

I hope so. Living in Washington, I find it complete insanity that I can't get to the Enterprise park by bus, without travelling 30 minutes in to the City Centre first. Something the old X4 was great for.

I've bumped up the file size limit for PDF documents, if you'd like to upload it now Brandon - I don't see that being a problem? Would be great for us to have a solid document that won't get deleted (as many things do over time).

(20 Mar 2013, 7:16 am)Daniel wrote [ -> ]I've bumped up the file size limit for PDF documents, if you'd like to upload it now Brandon - I don't see that being a problem? Would be great for us to have a solid document that won't get deleted (as many things do over time).

Cheers Dan Ill have a go tonight when I get home. I know at some point I ramped up our jpeg attachment limit to maximum, but I don't think I touched the pdf sizes

I tried uploading as attachments Dan but it kept timing out for some reason. Managed to upload to the server instead though - might be more secure that way too - absolute pigs of files though

Main Report

Annexes

Like I said before though, funding couldn't be secured for some of the improvements listed. A revised, smaller bid was accepted instead. But I'm sure the Nexus and ITA will still be very keen on launching these services - and I hope other avenues of securing funding are being explored - because these are great services penned here

I strangely had the same problem when I tried to do it when I had some free time.
No idea why though..!

So really whar the plan is to reinstate old links off years ago in the old X4 and 638 with a few changes.

Overall I think it's long overdue, i've been saying for weeks these links need reinstating.

When were these links planned for.. Such as when were they planned to start... i like the route 3 idea but dont think it will be every 15 mins but 30 because of funding and that

Just pointed out on another thread about the workers from Sunderland Enterprise Park and their thoughts on the buses through the area changing regularly.

That document is a couple of years old and GNE are yet again proposing changes in that very area.

The reluctance of the likes of GNE to follow or listen to these proposals seems strange.
I am guessing, they dont see enough profit in the proposals to run the proposed services OR people will stop using/buying the key (i.e they would be able to get a direct bus to/from work rather than having to change on the way).

Using the comments in that article about travel numbers in certain directions, employment hubs etc and an example of a customer in Sulgrave travelling to Sunderland Enterprise Park, I came up with the following scenario.

They get the 56 to Park Lane (or somewhere on route)and then a connecting bus to the Enterprise Park

That customer getting a bus from home and then their connecting bus to work - would be classed as a passenger twice. Obviously the same would happen on their way home from work and for the remainder of the week.

That one passenger contributes 800 passenger journeys over a 40 week period (instead of 52 due to 28 days leave, time off work etc), rather than 400 if there was a direct bus.

Because the Enterprise Park is described as a hub, imagine how many other people have to make the same or similar journeys, using 2 or 3 buses in each direction?
Someone living in Blackfell, would need three buses in each direction and would contribute to 1200 passenger journeys a year on their expensive two zone bus ticket as opposed to 800 journeys using two buses (400 if they got the 186) on a cheaper (half the price) Tyne & Wear ticket just a few years ago.

How good does it look to shareholders when GNE can describe how customers can make upto 1200 commuting journeys a year; since the decision to take away direct buses, introduce additional zones to buzzfare, ignore Nexus proposals and force passengers onto interchange points was made?

Imagine the scene: Several big bosses are sitting around the table at GNE towers when someone suggests:-

- "We restructure the buzzfare zone boundaries so that along prime commuting corridors, day, week and month tickets will double in cost, unless we have competition, in which case we will lower fares or have 'district day tickets', subsidised by passengers in other areas of the region".

- "We will take off less direct routes, so that passengers are forced into changing buses and buy more expensive day, week or month tickets. We will dress this up so they think they are getting value for money and will be tempted to make more 'free' trips".

- "Because passengers are unable to get direct buses, we count them for each bus they use and can tell the world how passneger numbers are increasing, especially when they make their 'free' trips".

(11 Jan 2013, 11:08 pm)NEB Admin Team wrote [ -> ]Addressing the barriers that transport creates to economic growth and accessing employment

This is a rather large file from the Tyne and Wear Transport Integrated Authority. It includes details of major bus improvements planned across Tyne and Wear; one of which is the re-routing of Go North East's service 8 away from Chester Road to run along the A1231 express between Sunderland and Waterview Park, in addition to a new 15 minute service between Sunderland, Hylton Enterprise Park and Washington. There's also proposals for an all-day 30 minute frequency service between Washington, Team Valley and MetroCentre; and a new half-hourly service between Jarrow, Cobalt and Northumberland Park.

According to this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/2...rt-schemes - funding has been approved for this scheme. I'll post the highlights below.

I apologise if this is old news to some - it's just the first time I've seen it!

What is Proposed -

The Introduction of three new strategic routes, and extension of an existing service to match new employment patterns and residential areas.

Strategic Route 1): Washington - Springwell Village - Wrekenton - Harlow Green - Team Valley - Bensham - Dunston - Metrocentre (extending to/from Blaydon and Winlaton at peak times)
Frequency: every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes
Scheme details: This route provides a regular all day bus service between Washington, Team Valley and the Metrocentre. Washington is a major catchment area for Team Valley, but there is currently a very limited direct service. Providing better links to the Metrocentre also opens up connections to a wide range of other places in west Gateshead and north Durham.

Strategic Route 2): Jarrow - Percy Main - Silverlink - Cobalt - Northumberland Park
Frequency: every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes (every 15 minutes Percy Main to Northumberland Park combined with an existing service)
Scheme details: This route addresses the issue of poor transport connectivity from South Tyneside and areas of high unemployment, to North Tyneside where the Business and Industrial parks associated with the A19 provide significant employment opportunities for the this demographic.

Strategic Route 3): Washington - Waterview Park - A1231 - Enterprise Park - Hylton Riverside Park - Sunderland
Frequency: every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes
Scheme Details: to pump-prime a 15-minute service between Sunderland and Washington, serving the employment areas along the north bank of the river Wear. As this corridor currently does not have an express bus service.

Service Extension: Extension of the current Quaylink service to Walker Riverside, enabling direct public transport provision to the newly declared Enterprise Zone.
Frequency: Every 10 mins on Monday to Saturday daytimes

The full document can be seen here; PDF too large to upload sadly - http://www.twita.gov.uk/sites/default/fi...20Case.pdf

These Annexes discuss the bus improvements in much more detail (from P.31) -

http://www.twita.gov.uk/sites/default/fi...nnexes.pdf

Some of these improvements have already been recently implemented, such as the bus-link between Gosforth Business Park and Balliol/Quorum. I think the proposals for the 8 running over the Queen Alexandra Bridge and a new 15 minute service between Sunderland, Enterprise Park and Washington gives more credibility to the rumour on the Skyscraper City forums that when the new Wear Bridge opens - the Queen Alexandra Bridge will be closed to all traffic except buses and emergency vehicles.

---

edit - Just done some checking up - "Funding for a revised small project proposal from Tyne and Wear ITA, based on elements of their Large Project business case, has also been retained, and will be awarded pending a successful revised small project application."

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/2...rt-schemes

It looks as though Tyne and Wear will only receive £5 million for a revised smaller project instead. Pity

I know Brandon isn't about on here anymore, but was having a gander at this old thread and wondered what progress has been made in the period since the corridors were originally proposed.
Not much by the looks of it

(21 Aug 2016, 5:51 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]I know Brandon isn't about on here anymore, but was having a gander at this old thread and wondered what progress has been made in the period since the corridors were originally proposed.
Not much by the looks of it

The extension of the Quaylink service to Walker Riverside has progressed.

(21 Aug 2016, 6:02 pm)MurdnunoC wrote [ -> ]The extension of the Quaylink service to Walker Riverside has progressed.

Albeit commercially. When the OP was written, it was seen as an extension to the secured service.

(21 Aug 2016, 6:02 pm)MurdnunoC wrote [ -> ]The extension of the Quaylink service to Walker Riverside has progressed.

(21 Aug 2016, 6:34 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]Albeit commercially. When the OP was written, it was seen as an extension to the secured service.

And it's taken 3 years for that to happen.

We (sort of), have route 3 and have seen a very watered down version of route 2.

A lot of passenger research and analysis went on prior to the proposed improvements and I can't believe an operator hasn't jumped on them with more enthusiasm - either as stand-alone services or as in the case of the Q3, an extension of an existing route.