(12 Nov 2023, 7:50 am)ifm001 wrote With the GNE strike amd the recent sale of Arriva and talk of future expansion, now would be a good time to 'dip feet in water'
How about a service from Durham depot similar to GNE 50 but possibly a version of the old X50.
Durham to South Shields
Durham to Chester all stops
Chester to Washington non stop
Washington to Boldon Asda limited stop via Follingsby Park
Boldon Asda to South Shields limited Stop via Whiteleas Bridge, South Tyneside Hospital and Westoe
(12 Nov 2023, 12:06 pm)Storx wrote Personally I'd be looking at the Sunderland to Durham network if I was going to do something like that.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.77727...?entry=ttu - Maybe something like this now that GNE ditched the 55 and there's never been a link to Durham from large chunks of Hetton.
Can't say they're competing for the sake of it, they dropped out the area. Could do it as an extension as the 64 maybe, which would also open links towards Arnison and Dragonville from those areas aswell. 50 minutes+ from Hetton to Sunderland on the 35 is unacceptable.
I would say, at present, unless the X12 turns being worked by Durham returned to Stockton, Durham have neither the staff nor the vehicles to take on any additional work (indeed, despite regaining some X12s, Durham's 7 turns are still being worked by Darlington and are likely to remain as such). Indeed, there's still days when Durham have work stood due to either no driver, no bus or even sometimes both.