F1 - Gateshead Stadium Fireworks Shuttle on 7th November: https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/heading-ga...-money-gne

With Boxing Day on a Saturday plus an NUFC home match at 8pm, I wonder if operators will cash in with something akin to Sunday service on a fair chunk of routes.

I guess Arriva has cut the marketing budget and hired the level of experience of City Transport staff these days. 

The latest fireworks social media post looks like something I'd think is bad for a local pub, never mind an international transport company trading across the whole of Europe.

This, as I expect it'll be deleted before long so it can have a permanent existence:


It's not the first post in recent weeks with the embarrassing Bobby Robson post and another with a Halloween post either. If you're going to go down the AI slop route, least make it look like Stockton...

Hello everyone this is my last thread as I am leaving this forum.


I am simply making this because I have lots of withdrawn route leaflets.

I have the 97 one
I used to have the leaflet with all the routes on during the pandemic but I lost

https://realisetraining.com/courses/nort...nnhb5o8dc8

Came across this on Facebook today. Seems to be funded my Kim but aint seen or heard of it till today

Can someone please tell me how many miles the route is 1 way? Struggling to find online.

Just thought I'd start a thread on this as it's something which has come up once in awhile and is continued to be promised to be improved but nothing is changing.

Haymarket Bus Station tonight (at around 7pm) was an absolute disgrace; drunks shouting abuse at people outside the Junction, homeless people sleeping in the doorway of M&S, drunks just wandering around causing issues between the stands (no doubt begging again) and it's not even late. 

Absolutely disgusting for a major city centre bus station with absolutely zero security - I'm convinced this place used to have management on 24/7 even if he sat in the booth at the Eldon Square end.

First time I've left, and jumped on the Metro for a few stops and waited at South Gosforth instead as I couldn't be chewed with the hassle for 20 minutes (mistimed it) and I'm not a vulnerable pensioner, young or a woman who imo are more at risk - Kim McGuinness likes to tell everyone at every chance, at least anyway.

It's not a unique scenario as I know Stanley is a war zone, Blakelaw currently hasn't zero buses, Meadowell is regularly having buses pulled, the Metro is as bad as it's ever been and I'm sure that list could go on. 

Surely something has been done now? Not with franchising in god knows whenever it is. It's a complete mess and worse than I can ever remember. There's no excuse for zero visible staff in either Haymarket Metro or Haymarket Bus Station imo.

Just thought about this......but why did Arriva specify the Dennis Trident instead of the DAF DB250 for regional ALX400 orders in 2000 including 7340-35 for the 602 out of Hexham?

I know Northumbria trialed the DAF DB250 Optare Spectra (as they already had Deltas) before choosing the Cummins engined Volvo Olympian Palatine II's.

Surely the DAF DB250 chassis for regionals would've been better than the Dennis Trident chassis given that Hexham's batch needed to be replaced by B10BLE's.

Ironically a year later despite the Lowlander bodywork, Arriva did switch to the DAF DB250 chassis for regional orders which included the Darlington batch for the 723.

NEMSA Cabinet released the long-awaited North East Rail Vision at Tuesday's cabinet meeting, which is a high-level visionary document which sets out the Mayor’s priorities
for rail in the region up to 2040.

The vision is supposed to set out the practical steps needed to deliver change, which NEMSA include:

• Stronger partnerships with GBR, wider rail industry partners, Local Authorities and other stakeholders to ensure priorities are clear and plans are aligned.
  
• Joined-up planning to ensure rail investment aligns with wider regional goals.1
  
• Reliable funding, both multi-year devolved financial settlements and long-term infrastructure funding commitments from Department for Transport and GBR.
  
• A clear phased roadmap of improvements to 2040, to ensure funding can be used in a timely and targeted way.
  

I've added links to some of the key documents below:
North East Rail Vision Report to Cabinet
Appendix A - North East Rail Vision, summary document
Appendix B - North East Rail Vision
Appendix C - Washington Metro and Leamside South

The key things that I've noted are that there's an immediate desire to bring in local rail part of the 'Angel Network', integrated buses, Metro and other modes. Long term ambitions are the Leamside in full (which we knew about), and extending other lines to either increase capacity or link other places. Northumberland Line being one, with the plan to open up to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. There's references to building up a project pipeline, which returns again to reopening passenger services on the Stillington Branch and Ferryhill station, but also the Bensham Curve.

Wear Bus Preservation Group have this evening announced yet another Ex Go North East into Preservation in Optare V1110 Optare Versa 8307 (NK09 FVG) which has came back to the North East following the collapse of independent operator C4TN. 

8307 joins other group current fleet members:
- First York 11113 / BG58 OMJ
- Go North East 5264 / NK56 KJZ
- Go North East 4950 / NK51 OLR
- Go North East 3942 / NK05 GZP (part owned)
- Arriva North East 4718 / YJ10 DFU
- Go North East 3895 / NK51 UCY