(13 Apr 2021, 10:06 am)ASX_Terranova wrote Correct me if I'm wrong but arent services like the S1, T1A etc contracted by NCC because theres no commerical operation in those areas.They are indeed all NCC supported as was the 44 between Dinnington and Morpeth prior to that, was dropped North of Dinnington owing to changes with the contract which PCL Travel (now Rural Link) won so the decision was taken for Arriva to abandon this section as the numbers were not particularly high to justify the continuation of this link commercially.
About the only way round the added journey times would be to run via Stannington Village Northbound but Southbound just serve the stop on the A1 slip road to avoid the doubling back through the village.
I do question if there was an abandoned plan for the X16 to serve Stannington in some form as the interior branding on at least one of 1408/1411 has a map showing it serving Stannington but then other maps on board don't show Stannington.