(21 Sep 2024, 10:13 pm)PH - BQA wrote Didn't see this before editing my later post with the E400 MMC bit. The post I saw on Facebook was of a 17-plate example, but they only appear to have 4 of that age and one of those is in a heritage livery, so the 16-plates would make a bit more sense.
Pulsars in for the E300s would make some sense, but you feel like all it is doing is putting off a large order for another year or so. There are 25 Temsas and 50-odd 09/10 plate Pulsars which you feel will need replacing over the next couple of years, as well as the 6 E300s. If all of those vehicles were being used on relatively mundane work you could understand them putting it off a while longer, but an awful lot are in daily use on express services or the likes of the 1 and 5 at Darlington.
It's a bit odd that 7401-6 aren't heading to Durham and the ex-Kent MMCs to Redcar for the X93/4 with the other MMCs to standardise it. 7401-6 seem to have seen far better days, I don't think there were many days when 5 (already excluding 7401 for obvious reasons) were all on the X93/4 this year? Outside of that, you'd think 7510-2 will need to be going the distance soon - 7511/2 were absolute dogs by the end at Ashington. 7514-21 can't be far behind either.
Thought it was! Some investment for new vehicles on them would surely help to continue the growth it has had by all accounts over recent years. Realistically you could probably argue the X12 needs a batch too.
To be fair on that, it would've probably made more sense to send them down to Kent in return for even more MMC's.
Probably a fair trade really, some brand new buses + the B9's to join their existing fleet replacing their B7's, rather than having 2 microfleet of B9's at both areas.
Could've then done something like:
12x MMC to Ashington
2x 72 Plate to Whitby
6x Enviro 400 to Durham
4x Enviro 400 to Blyth with an IOU next Summer to Whitby
Would hopefully help Blyth sort it out it's issues which it's having with the DB300's before next summer if they're not being run to the ground since they've got no choice bar cancelling services.
If you didn't swap the B9's with Gillingham I'd say still do the same but with the B9's going to Durham instead of Ashington's E400's.