(25 Sep 2014, 7:32 pm)aureolin wrote Anyone know what the feeling is like within Arriva, of whether the changes to the M'bro - Durham X1 has actually improved anything? My opinion is that it hasn't, with the additional journey at 1715 to M'bro often leaving just behind a late running 1700.

Back to the drawing board?

The on-going roadworks in Chester-le-Street doesn't help that 1700 out of Durham south - however that is where the 1715 comes into its own, if the 1700 is seriously delayed then the 1715 means people aren't hanging around until the 1700 (and likely the 1730) arrives.

The issues of roadworks or accidents at peak time - you only had to see the choas a broken down van on the A19 between the Wolviston and north Hartlepool junction northbound caused in Middlesbrough on Tuesday - to keep it to Arriva, the 1658 arrival on the 5 to depart as the 1715 5a arrived in the bus station at 1732 (34 minutes late, having been 20 minutes late all the way from Guisborough towards Easington) leaving on that 5a about 1735-1740, behind the 1730 5 which was 5 minutes late. The 1740 X5 was then 10 minutes late, leaving with the 1750 5 behind it. The 1735 X4/4 to Loftus/Whitby, the 1750 X4 to Easington (off an X3a) and the 1805 X4 to Saltburn all left Middlesbrough within a 10 minutes window (1735 at 1755, 1750 at 1802, 1805 at 1807). Stagecoach had it just as bad - it was taking 1/13/34/36/37/38 a minimum 40 minutes to get from the Bus Station to Newport Road, then the 1/13/34 had to fight over the flyover to get to Portrack, they even had 4 36s at Hartlepool Marina at one time - 3 of which left light (2 were regulated, the other one actually finished there anyway).