(05 Sep 2014, 8:22 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Wonder if Go North East are acting on the Email I sent them a few weeks ago in regards to these Services
And a Question for Dan or Anyone else who may know.
Can Go North East not put there Vehicle Orders into The Go-Ahead Group bit by bit?
For example lets say an Order for 8 Enviro 400MMC's for the X21, Which are Expected before the End of November has already been Submitted, But as Go North East are Pondering what Vehicles to Purchase for other Services i.e. Lime/Toonlink and X66, Those Orders have yet to be Submitted, Meaning said Vehicles won't be due to be Delivered until early 2015.
It would be unusual for this to happen, and I highly doubt it has happened. Like I say, I think we'll see the orders confirmed next month when Go North East have a clearer idea of what may be happening in the future...
(05 Sep 2014, 8:25 pm)aureolin wrote 9th October to be exact - at the next NECA Transport meeting.
Just to link this in with speculation in the "Latest" threads, which I have said is true, planned investment for the "Pronto" could quite easily coincide with the rumoured plans to move National Express operations to Riverside Depot.
Moving Coaching operations to Riverside delivers cost savings from the perspective of light mileage, and I'd imagine would also allow for slightly shorter duties, and hence could deliver cost savings here too? If these coaches move out of Chester-le-Street, there's going to be a gap to fill at said depot.
This part is speculation from me, and not to be taken as concrete. If there's a gap to fill at Chester-le-Street, this could easily be filled by Crook's operations. It's unlikely that Go North East is going to want to house brand new vehicles at an outstation which mightn't have the facilities available at a normal company-owned depot. Although light mileage would increase for the likes of service 18, service X21 could easily undergo service changes so that Crook's operations could move to Chester-le-Street with little to no light mileage. The savings from closing Crook would probably outweigh the light mileage costs, and I'd imagine this would provide Group with a greater incentive to accept the capital expenditure 'bids'. This post suggested that something similar has happened in the past, and it's entirely possible it could happen again...
Timeframe? Well, the New Year would be a good start. Assuming it takes approximately two months to manufacture new buses, and the bid is put in soon after the date quoted above, why not..?