(12 Aug 2022, 11:28 pm)peter wrote It will be very interesting to see what plays out. Obviously it seems all the other routes were destined for Blyth or Ashington anyway. With the small local depot for the city work using the new E200 MMC's plus the 685. 

Now that the new depot is no longer viable perhaps they do plan on ditching the city work, certainly the 46 and 55 are largely covered by other services, I'm sure Nexus would step in and divert another service for the handful of stops not served.

The hospital bus 47 could be incorporated into another service I suppose. Not sure what they'd do with the 553/555 tho. 

51/51A I could see surviving, possibly interworking with the 57 out of Whitley Bay. 

The 685 is the big one, personally I think it would make much more sense for Stagecoach to operate it in full, whether Arriva would just give it up like that I don't know.

I agree. The 685 is a very intresting situation.

I've thought for some time it would sit better with Busways from the Newcastle end. But then I think It won't work unless it's Slatyford and they break drivers at West Denton!

But with passenger numbers not as they were, I wonder once all the dominos fall it leads to a situation where the 685 is split at Hexham. Stagecoach running every hour Carlisle to Haltwhistle with an extension every two hours to Hexham. With GNE then resurrecting the X85 between Hexham to Newcastle.