(14 Apr 2024, 1:21 pm)Storx wrote Been watching these 2/2A ideas but imo you'd be better making a Sunderland super loop which combines the 2/8 together instead, with expresses running inbetween resulting in this.
1/1A (Sunderland Loop): Sunderland - Royal Hospital - Penshaw - Rickleton - Ayton - Washington - HMRC - Castletown - Southwark - Sunderland
X2: Washington - Fatfield - Penshaw - [LIMITED STOP] - Royal Hospital - [LIMITED STOP] - Sunderland - Silksworth
X2A: Pennywell - [NON STOP] - Royal Hospital - [LIMITED STOP] - Sunderland - Silksworth
39A/B: All terminate at Sunderland
The Washington side as a result would look like this
(1/1A - Purple, 8 - Green, X2 - Pink, 50 - Blue)
and the Sunderland side looking like this:
(1/1A - Purple, X2/X2A - Pink, 35/35A - Yellow, 16 - Green, Combined - Black)
It would clean up both sides imo, with the 1/1A/16/35 all working together to give a 7.5 minute service (16 dropped in frequency) at the Sunderland side and a much much cleaner service in Washington with the 50 sped up and no real lost links on the 8 as they're mostly covered by the 78 anyway. We might aswell assume it's all franchising soon pretty much.
It's bonkers there's no bus service between Washington and the Stadium of Light, this would now cover it and a new express service with the X2 between Washington and Sunderland. There's way too many stopping buses along Chester Road currently. 7.5 mins is more than enough, with the 78 and 8 (SNE) running there aswell.
They did something similar between getting rid of the X4, 185, 186 & 638 and introducing the 2.
Was only short lived mind. I think it was numbered something like the 773 and 774.