(01 May 2022, 8:48 pm)streetdeckfan wrote 95 minutes, is that all! It's 1 hr 50 for me to get to Newcastle on the X21

Couldn't be chewed with that, 35 mins is bad enough (make it > 60 mins at rush hour mind).

(01 May 2022, 9:02 pm)Jimmi wrote There is definitely people that travel through beyond Durham City Centre on the X12, I caught a run recently and a fair few boarded in CLS with Arriva Day/Weekley tickets and were still on board when I alighted in Durham.

There's definitely passenger trends that aren't picked up on by spotters especially if it's not their local route, the X12 is constantly mentioned but only ever by the fact it runs Durham to Newcastle, the 7 is another that assume much of the custom is the full journey from Darlington to Durham whereas the reality is most aren't doing the full route often.

Yeah I've noticed that before aswell. The GNE 4 and 56 are the two services which I've noticed are quite often the same. Quite see the famous X56 suggestion often on here, believe it was last week again, when reality the majority of people won't be going anywhere near Newcastle from North Sunderland. Then there was the Express 4 missing most the route between Washington and Heworth recently aswell which is the same.

Mind I'm surprised they've never tried some express down there (maybe fiddling with the 8 which is clearly the rotten apple) and just run it express from Aycliffe Village to Darlington and extend it from Spennymoor to Durham express aswell. I'm assuming Ferry Hill / Newton Aycliffe to Darlington will be one of the main flows down there. Might make the route actually useful. Would compensate for the frequency reductions on the 6 and can always remember you saying there's capacity problems with the 7 often pre Covid.