(28 Apr 2015, 5:20 pm)aureolin wrote ...and the X12 only gets 5 minutes more running time than GNE's X21 between Durham and Newcastle, yet the X21 doesn't stop at all between Chester and Gateshead. The X21 also gets 7 minutes layover at Newcastle, yet the X12 only gets 5 minutes? The quick solution would be make it non-stop between Chester and Gateshead, with the same timing points as the current time table for Chester, Gateshead and Newcastle. It's not like they get more than a few passengers along Durham Road, and the ones that travel from Durham are only ever going to Gateshead Interchange or Newcastle.

 

I think just dropping Birtley would be good as in my experience the X12 never picks up much custom here. doing this would chop around 5 minutes off the journey time, could probably still pick up on Durham Road though.

Isn't most of the X12's problems with stopping at every stop between Croxdale and Durham, did the X12 from Durham at peak time once and it only passed one stop until Croxdale and by the time it made it to Croxdale it had fallen behind the timetable. Newcastle can sometimes be difficult to get out of and Low Fell at peak times is a pig as well at times.