(28 May 2026, 5:09 pm)Superman wrote [ -> ]I'm told that 7596 and 7597 are now destined for Redcar, to work two school Service 63/64/65 boards from September.
This will presumably mean some of the E200s will creep onto the X2/X3/62/28 etc also.
I assume this is related to Redcar council wanting to remove the 25 school service from Lingdale to LJS? Had seen posts suggesting they’d binned that idea but maybe it’s back on!
(23 May 2026, 6:25 am)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Worth mentioning as I don’t think we’ve seen it confirmed anywhere (?) that the latest TVCA transport paper suggests Darlington will receive 54 electrics next year, which will ensure the depot is fully electrified.
Seeing branding from other regions including the new Streetdecks for Southend suggests route and/or network branding will be a decent part of Arriva going forwards.
I noticed that the Streetdecks for Southend are 21 Reg from Ensign which were originally intended for Arriva under an order that was cancelled around the time Wrightbus were in Administration iirc before Jo Bamford bought them.
Good to see more of the newer buses serving the Blyth expresses being took away.
Like I don't expect anything from Arriva but I must say it's impressive how badly they've handled the new rail line opening.
They've done absolutely nothing to try and promote people to stick with the buses infact you could argue they've done the opposite with cancellations, frequency reductions and just damn right neglect.
Embarrassing really. It's no wonder the trains are standing load.
(29 May 2026, 9:20 am)Storx wrote [ -> ]Good to see more of the newer buses serving the Blyth expresses being took away.
They weren't long-term at Blyth anyway - they were only allocated there due to the delay in the electrics entering service meaning some of the 57-plate E400s would be out of MOT before their replacements were on the road. Once 8001-8014 enter service, 7596/7 are surplus to requirements at Blyth - and until now hadn't featured on any plans until this one. It also means all the ex-Midlands examples are at the same depot.
(29 May 2026, 9:24 am)Kuyoyo wrote [ -> ]They weren't long-term at Blyth anyway - they were only allocated there due to the delay in the electrics entering service meaning some of the 57-plate E400s would be out of MOT before their replacements were on the road. Once 8001-8014 enter service, 7596/7 are surplus to requirements at Blyth - and until now hadn't featured on any plans until this one. It also means all the ex-Midlands examples are at the same depot.
You'd think, given the state of the current fleet, some urgency would be applied to get the new E400s out in service. A decent chunk of the E400s have been delivered for a week now and pictures posted on social media would indicate that they still haven't had any vinyls applied or ticket machines installed.
They're at depots where camera mirror vehicles already operate too, so it isn't as if any additional familiarisation should be required. Get some ticket machines on, get them in service, get the 57-plate death traps to the baked bean tin factory.
(29 May 2026, 11:21 am)sPH - BQA wrote [ -> ]You'd think, given the state of the current fleet, some urgency would be applied to get the new E400s out in service. A decent chunk of the E400s have been delivered for a week now and pictures posted on social media would indicate that they still haven't had any vinyls applied or ticket machines installed.
They're at depots where camera mirror vehicles already operate too, so it isn't as if any additional familiarisation should be required. Get some ticket machines on, get them in service, get the 57-plate death traps to the baked bean tin factory.
As already stated, at least the 5 already delivered to Blyth are supposedly going on-loan for use on the Sliverstone GP Shuttles in a few weeks time. And so far, only 2 of the examples for Whitby have been delivered with the second, 7727 (YY26 FTA) only arriving on Wednesday. The quicker Whitby's arrive and enter service, the quicker the remaining B9s can be released to Blackburn for refurbishment before transfer to Ashington.
(29 May 2026, 11:28 am)Kuyoyo wrote [ -> ]As already stated, at least the 5 already delivered to Blyth are supposedly going on-loan for use on the Sliverstone GP Shuttles in a few weeks time. And so far, only 2 of the examples for Whitby have been delivered with the second, 7727 (YY26 FTA) only arriving on Wednesday. The quicker Whitby's arrive and enter service, the quicker the remaining B9s can be released to Blackburn for refurbishment before transfer to Ashington.
But that should not stop them from going on the road in the meantime thou.
(29 May 2026, 11:51 am)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]But that should not stop them from going on the road in the meantime thou.
Exactly! If they're not getting used until Silverstone, why even deliver them to Blyth in the first place?
Regarding the Whitby ones, again, just fit a ticket machine and get them in service if they're the limiting factor in releasing other vehicles for refurbishment. It isn't rocket science.
Just screams that there's a fundamental lack of organisation within the company, at a local level especially.
2 more e400mmcs have arrived at Redcar taken it up to 4 now only 2 to come
(29 May 2026, 1:08 pm)PH - BQA wrote [ -> ]Exactly! If they're not getting used until Silverstone, why even deliver them to Blyth in the first place?
Regarding the Whitby ones, again, just fit a ticket machine and get them in service if they're the limiting factor in releasing other vehicles for refurbishment. It isn't rocket science.
Just screams that there's a fundamental lack of organisation within the company, at a local level especially.
Any new vehicle delivered needs a PDI check before it gets used, but that is a few hours job, so not huge.
Ticketer ToTo kit isn't fit as standard either, only the baseplate is, so ticketer tech team availability comes into play here to get that commissioned. Arguably not crucial.
Vinyl fitment, the new MD will not let a new vehicle be used without full vinyl application. An external company does this, but their diary is rammed. This is the key blocker to be honest.
You're right though, it should be streamlined, but rarely is. They don't book any of this external stuff to be done until the vehicle actually arrives, as delays from the manufacturer are uncertain.
Why they aren't vinyled at the factory, I don't know, it would make absolute sense.
One query I do have is if individual route branding and vinyls is all of a sudden flavour of the month at Arriva why was it removed from half of the X4 Evora's? For them to be delivered branded then have it removed 7 months later seems a strange move?
(29 May 2026, 8:26 pm)peter wrote [ -> ]One query I do have is if individual route branding and vinyls is all of a sudden flavour of the month at Arriva why was it removed from half of the X4 Evora's? For them to be delivered branded then have it removed 7 months later seems a strange move?
Only one actually got done (4505?) and the rest have kept it.
Maybe 4505 was done because it had accident damage, and it would have been going around with most of the branding missing, so they removed all the branding anyway.
(29 May 2026, 9:50 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Only one actually got done (4505?) and the rest have kept it.
Ah my mistake, I thought at least two out of 4501/2/9/10 originally had it too - seems strange they only branded 6 for a PVR of 8 in the first place
(29 May 2026, 3:07 pm)Superman wrote [ -> ]Any new vehicle delivered needs a PDI check before it gets used, but that is a few hours job, so not huge.
Ticketer ToTo kit isn't fit as standard either, only the baseplate is, so ticketer tech team availability comes into play here to get that commissioned. Arguably not crucial.
Vinyl fitment, the new MD will not let a new vehicle be used without full vinyl application. An external company does this, but their diary is rammed. This is the key blocker to be honest.
You're right though, it should be streamlined, but rarely is. They don't book any of this external stuff to be done until the vehicle actually arrives, as delays from the manufacturer are uncertain.
Why they aren't vinyled at the factory, I don't know, it would make absolute sense.
Yorkshire's E400MMCs arrived vinyled. I don't know why the Luton or North East ones haven't.
(28 May 2026, 9:39 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]I assume this is related to Redcar council wanting to remove the 25 school service from Lingdale to LJS? Had seen posts suggesting they’d binned that idea but maybe it’s back on!
If it is, then Gazette are reporting that the plans have been shelved:
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess...s-34035806
Some e400mmcs could be potentially delayed, as Arriva Merseyside are using 20 brand new e400mmcs, that are part of Arriva's Fleet Upgrade Plan with camera mirrors as part of a Golf Contract in July, these buses I think will go to the Golf Contract before going to their respective depots throughout the country.
I don't know if some of these buses are for the North East.
(31 May 2026, 8:54 pm)davao123 wrote [ -> ]Some e400mmcs could be potentially delayed, as Arriva Merseyside are using 20 brand new e400mmcs, that are part of Arriva's Fleet Upgrade Plan with camera mirrors as part of a Golf Contract in July, these buses I think will go to the Golf Contract before going to their respective depots throughout the country.
I don't know if some of these buses are for the North East.
Believe these are the ones due for Ashington, certainly lines up with those ones being delayed compared to the Blyth and Whitby examples.
(31 May 2026, 9:10 pm)PH - BQA wrote [ -> ]Believe these are the ones due for Ashington, certainly lines up with those ones being delayed compared to the Blyth and Whitby examples.
Its the Ashington ones as Whitbys are been delivered and I understand from high above its northrumbra ones goring to Silverstone so Whitbys aren't affected there will arrive ?
(31 May 2026, 9:20 pm)Dan manger wrote [ -> ]Its the Ashington ones as Whitbys are been delivered and I understand from high above its northrumbra ones goring to Silverstone so Whitbys aren't affected there will arrive ?
Originally the plan regarding Silverstone, and currently still the plan, but there's still discussions which could lead to that changing apparently.
See that despite having vinyls applied now, Redcar still haven’t put their new E400s into service. 7401, therefore, on its return from refurb is straight onto an X94.
Is it some sort of challenge between depots to see who can take longer to put stuff into service?
(12 Jun 2026, 7:10 am)PH - BQA wrote [ -> ]See that despite having vinyls applied now, Redcar still haven’t put their new E400s into service. 7401, therefore, on its return from refurb is straight onto an X94.
Is it some sort of challenge between depots to see who can take longer to put stuff into service?
Blyth currently winning with the BYDs at this rate
(12 Jun 2026, 7:10 am)PH - BQA wrote [ -> ]See that despite having vinyls applied now, Redcar still haven’t put their new E400s into service. 7401, therefore, on its return from refurb is straight onto an X94.
Is it some sort of challenge between depots to see who can take longer to put stuff into service?
Next week the new mmcs should be out im told
When are the e200 mmcs due at redcar ?
(13 Jun 2026, 8:29 am)stagecoachfan wrote [ -> ]Monday according to a Facebook post I've seen.
The electric cables are still not connected yet, so it will be a few more weeks
(13 Jun 2026, 3:12 pm)Olympian wrote [ -> ]The electric cables are still not connected yet, so it will be a few more weeks
Looking at a post on LinkedIn from one of the partners at the launch, they seem to be suggesting they will be on the roads next week.
(13 Jun 2026, 8:34 am)Ryland wrote [ -> ]When are the e200 mmcs due at redcar ?
I hear there should be fair behind now
(13 Jun 2026, 8:34 am)Ryland wrote [ -> ]When are the e200 mmcs due at redcar ?
It all depends on when they arrive because with Redcar depot closing they could possibly arrive at Stockton but let’s just wait and see what happens