(03 Dec 2023, 12:44 pm)Storx wrote I was thinking about the X7, but you'd lose the Arriva Cramlington to Burradon and Quorum links and they can be quite busy little flows now that the 52 has gone. Not sure it would be a wise move.

Yeah to the other 2 though.

3 addons to that above:

18 (Current 57A): Whitley Bay - Seaton Delaval - Seghill - Fern Drive - Dudley Road - Cramlington - Nelson Ind. Estate - Bedlington - Red House Farm - Stobhill - Morpeth - Northgate Hospital (Every 30 Minutes, PVR 5)
19: Current 57A from Ashington to Three Horse Shoes, 43 route into Cramlington, High Pitt - Northumberland Hospital - New Hartley - Seaton Delaval (omit. Elsdon Avenue Loop) - Seghill - current route to North Shields (Every Hour, PVR 3)
19A: Current 19 from Cramlington to North Shields (Every Hour, PVR 2)
43: Extended to East Hartford every 30 minutes (PVR 1)

57/57A/58: Replaced by 18, 19 and 43 extension.

It's the same PVR as what is being served now, but imo offers a much better service (19 - 3, 43 Extension - 2, 57/57A - 5, 58 - 1). The only loss is Annitsford to High Pitt, but it's covered by the X8 anyway.

True although Stagecoach do have the 37 covering most of the link.

The only other thing about the 18's and 19's.......the 352/354/355 will only last so long now that most other routes cover them or alternatives can be easily adapted to cover them (i.e the X63 becoming an old 356 after the Killingworth loop). 

The 353 is a fairly strong route, but would be uneconomical 'standalone' in it's current form. So one option could be for Arriva to take that back and extend it to Morpeth in place of the 18.

Then in-turn, GNE take on the 18/19 series of routes you mention as the 18 would feed quite well into the Whitley Bay tendered services (351/359) GNE currently have.