25 Feb 2020, 3:35 am
#244
(24 Feb 2020, 9:44 pm)Dan No roundup from streetdeckfan yet - I am surprised!
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So it's just a given that I'll watch the live stream again and give a recap for the people who don't have Facebook or can't be bothered to watch it?
Anywho, I did just that. It's not as if it's what I do for my day job or anything!
Coaches
As shown above, 7098 will be the final Caetano Levante to receive the Northern Coaching livery, this time branded 'Voyager', following on from 'OK Travel', 'Charterplan', and 'Armstrong Galley'
With Martijn accidentally winning the 'Director's Challenge' driving competition at Blackpool Coach Rally last year, he will be returning this year to defend the title along with colleagues and a coach from East Yorkshire!
As the 'coaching arm' of GNE is not significant (in comparison to the likes of East Yorkshire who have a dedicated division), the fact that GNE doesn't need to brand their coaches is precisely the reason for the coaches being painted in retro liveries. They needed to be tidied up, and if they're being painted, they might as well have a bit of fun!
New Vehicles updates
3 X-Lines spare Streetdecks in Charcoal
New StreetDecks will have a double height destination display to allow more information to be displayed. They will also feature an offside display
New StreetDecks (MG said Streetlite but I assume he meant StreetDecks) will have upgraded suspension and more soundproofing
Enviro 400MMCs for the X1 will be low height vehicles and are still scheduled to arrive in May
14 of the new Enviro 400MMCs will be branded in red for X-Lines X1 service, with the first new vehicle going to Consett to complete the PVR for the X-Lines X30 service, with 6336 being the dedicated spare for the X-Lines X1 (and presumably 6337 being the dedicated spare for X-Lines X30)
Yutong EVs for Saltwell Park 53/43 are currently being built in China and are expected to arrive around July time. New livery will be revealed around June time, with a different livery to stand out and emphasise the fact that they're zero emissions electric vehicles
X-Lines
Some X45/X46/X47 will continue to run as non-express
No plans for X66 to become X-Lines as it is a shuttle service rather than an inter-urban express route
There will be 3 different shades of Green at Consett, a dark green which is already in use with the X30, a mid green and a light green. As well as the Orange/Yellow for the X5/X15. This is presumably why the X30 E400s arrived in the wrong shade of green!
X84/X85 will be receiving an upgrade before the end of the year as with the Citaros not being Euro 6, they will not be allowed into Newcastle Clean Air Zone (or more accurately will have a £50 charge to enter). When asked if they will be upgraded to double decker, Martijn responded saying it hadn’t been decided yet, but his face said otherwise!
They are still wanting a demonstrator Scania E400MMC for the X9/X10, but there are none available
Wrightbus
Arrangements will be finalised soon, with vehicles arriving in the next few months
Go North East not expecting any additional costs with the new owner of Wrightbus, although personally I would be quite interested in how the warranties will work. I believe legally they don’t have to honour them, but going off what Martijn said, I’m guessing they will as a gesture of good will with Go North East having such a large fleet of Wrightbus vehicles.
Vehicle Refurbs/Upgrades/Updates
Red Arrow B9s, once the new Enviro 400MMCs arrive, will be used on a service that goes to Newcastle City Centre as they have been upgraded with Euro 6 SCRT systems (or will have by the time the new vehicles arrive) although that route has not yet been confirmed.
Air Cleaning bus will be an existing Euro 6 vehicle that runs in to Newcastle City Centre, although unlikely to be the spare Enviro 200MMC
Quaylink Versas will be upgraded to Euro 6, possibly receiving a refresh in the year ahead
Versas on the 69 and 67 will be receiving a Euro 6 upgrade in partnership with Gateshead Council, as well as other upgrades such as WiFi being considered later on in the year
Consett will lose all B9s and Euro 5 Streetlites. Red Kite B9s will be heading to East Yorkshire, in exchange for the 2 B5s and 2 E400MMCs, which are currently being used as X-Lines spare vehicles.
Ex-BlueStar Citaros will be withdrawn this year as they are some of the oldest and as previously mentioned, the Citaros cannot be upgraded to Euro 6
No new vehicles planned for the Crusader 26/27 (although current rumours suggest that could be where the Red Arrow B9s end up)
NSAs (my favourite section!)
All old NSA systems will be upgraded with Hanover's latest system, work has started already with 6043 already receiving the upgrade last week, with 6044 being upgraded this week. Process could take a few months
X30 will receive 'X-Lines spec' NSA when it next receives it’s next update (ie. the one that waffles on for a minute about WiFi and the app, similar to the X21, X9/X10 etc.)
The cost of installing an NSA system is between £5000 and £10,000 (is that true? I’m guessing most of the cost comes from Hanover’s computer system as the LED displays and speakers are not that expensive)
Little Coasters will not be receiving NSA as they are older vehicles. As a result of contract losses, some of the older 10 plate Optare Solos will be replaced later this year
Toon Tour
New publicity leaflet will be going online very soon
Buses will feature WiFi this year, allowing passengers to share their experiences on board on Social Media
This year the route will include a visit to The Biscuit Factory, as well as minor route changes around The Sage to avoid getting stuck in congestion
More partnerships with local business to allow more discounts at tourist destinations
Other
North East Bus Preservation Trust Metrocentre show will be Sunday 3rd May, Go North East will be partially opening Riverside Depot for an open day
Evening and 24 Hour tickets are most likely going to become permanent with the January offer already being extended.
No plans for a service to link Middlesbrough and Scarborough as Arriva already run the X93 and GNE already have enough to deal with on their current network.
Timetables will soon be added to the app in addition to the journey planner
Please feel free to correct me if I got anything wrong or missed anything out!
