(01 Dec 2024, 11:34 pm)Malarkey wrote You could easily shave 40 minutes off the journey time by not having the existing route going through every estate and instead have it run Express between Durham & CLS, CLS & Washington and Washington and Boldon to South Shields, end to end would be 60 minutes rather than a 100 as it is now.
The 82 Extension could be from Waterview Park and have it operate through onto Nissan then operate the northern section of the current 50 route into South Shields, from opposite side of the route from Birtley have it run down into CLS to pick up the western section of the route into Durham
With the X2 I agree there should be an express service, personally I would withdraw the 2A and have the 8 go through Biddick rather than Glebe or have a variation of the 4 cover this section of the route covering through to the top of Penshaw.
I think the Evening/Sunday only Service 81 should run all day 7 days a week with an extension from Gateshead into Newcastle creating a permanent direct link.
You could play the Stagecoach Express Card by having an X56 running from the City Centre via the 56 route then from Town End Farm direct into Gateeshead onto Newcastle via A19/Felling Bypass again like the 50 offering a faster service without going around the houses and shaving around 30 minutes off of the journey.
Aye the 50 is long like not sure there'd be much demand non stop though - possibly though.
The X2 was actually numbered for the other side of the route, just a complete fluke that the 2 exists in Sunderland. Just like having clean numbers and the X1/X2 both do Newcastle to Wrekenton rather than a random 25. My idea behind it was to try and get some Birtley people onto it aswell since it's quicker than the 21 aswell, like a mini Birtley express via the QE.
Don't disagree with sending that to Sunderland via the 81 route though to be fair but I do think the Wrekenton to Newcastle via Low Fell bit should be seperate. People from Birtley etc don't want to go on a magical tour of Gateshead imo with it running direct from Birtley to Wrekenton omitting the estate there aswell. Fixes the farce with the 82 to the QE aswell.
It's better than the 25 to CLS as no-one is going to CLS, so it will run empty since the vast majority of people wanting there will be on the more frequent 21 and who wants to go there anyway, it's crap.
Not sure on the X56 though, is there much demand for it? All the last attempts of it failed pretty badly.