(19 Nov 2023, 12:00 am)mb134 wrote Don't quite understand the fascination with rerouting two of the best performing routes within Arriva Northumbria? 

They've operated, very successfully, in their current form for around a decade, and in that time have had more sets of new vehicles (7522-8, then 7541-52) than any other routes in the region in that time bar the 7.  Lots of that success, I think, is likely down to the stability of the routes and them going to places where people want to travel to. 

This current proposal doesn't really alter the routes at all, obviously the X22 is untouched. The only difference to the X21 is that you're swapping which part of Newbiggin gets the quicker journey times.

I agree, but the train, regardless to what people think, is going to have an impact on the X20 and X21 so it was about moving the benefits from the train station areas to the further areas. It's why imo, the Bedlington section shouldn't be touched as it's fine.

With those changes, the X19/X20 (X20) would become more useful for people in the South side of Ashington and offer more people an express to Newcastle in the Milbourne Road area rather than having to go via Nedderton and around the world, the time between the two routes is neglible anyway as the X20 goes on a tour around Ashington, and if interworking with the 1 could give a 15 minute service between Bedlington Station and Ashington so no loss for local journeys and quicker journey times to Newcastle albeit slightly less frequent.

For the X21 it opens up new connections at the top end of Ashington by looping around the new estate at the top near the hospital, need to work with the council for some new stops, but for people in Newbiggin substantial time reductions towards Newcastle by running direct to Bedlington Station without having to go around the doors of Ashington. It's the only area which won't be affected by the train and imo it's way too slow and always has been, this would knock off about 20 minutes and that's a big time difference. 

Newbiggin has always had a quite poor service to Newcastle really for the benefit for Ashington who has the fast train aswell, swapping it around surely has it benefits now where there's still the X19/X20/X22 for quicker buses to Newcastle for who actually wants them.