(31 May 2015, 7:24 pm)tyresmoke wrote As for the Northumberland MAX routes, I think they're trying to fit the capacity to the routes but we simply have a lack of double decks obviously. Maybe time to look at boosting some frequencies? The X15 has gone all DD for the summer but this has obviously meant that another route has had to lose out, the X14 in this case.
I don't really understand the "quick links" branding on one Scania and X14 branding on the other - they're wanting to convert the X4/X5 to MAX next but again there's a lack of suitable double deck stock for that which is why 1402/3 are branded currently I would assume. Will they upgrade some 12-13 year old single decks for that? I'm not convinced but then again the Scanias are 10 years old now. A logical swap in my eyes would be Stockton's 4652/4/8 to swap with 1401-3 which would mean all of the Scanias would be MAX spec (apart from the 07 plates, not sure what will happen to those now!...) and the Commanders would have a good home on the 21A. I'm biased, of course, as I would love a go of a Commander having ridden the Yorkshire ones many times.
As for the elderly double decks, the Lowlanders are down to be replaced this year by more cascaded London double deckers, I just hope we get something a bit less fragile than the B7TL's we got last winter. Some of the 04 plate DAF Geminis would be a superb replacement for the Lowlanders, and I expect the next things to go, though probably into 2016, would be the batch of DLAs we got in early 2013. By that time we would have got 3 years out of them which is a decent extended life for cascaded London stock. Single decks tend to last longer but there again those X-GGO Darts are getting binned at the moment!
PS: Sorry for the essay
Tried to cut it down as much as possible for my reply
Regarding capacity on the X14/5/8, especially the X14 now, would it be a possibility to see some new double deckers on order for Ashington to make all operations on their MAX routes double decker? Think it's just me, but are they down a MAX spare with the increase in summer time PVR, or does it match?
Could it be a possibility for the four Pulsars used on the X1 prior to the Streetlites to be refurbished for the X4/5 along with the Quorum Gemini's?
With regard to double deckers, there seems to be an alarming shortage all around, especially of decent stuff. Would it not be better to buy new stuff, than to keep relying on mostly worn out, past it, ex London stock?