(05 Sep 2014, 8:33 pm)Dan wrote 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...
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..?
Maybe that's whats happening... gonna be interesting to see whats gonna happen with these Quality Contracts... if they go ahead, what will the re-action be of the companies, will stagecoach pull out like they said they would?