Has anyone heard anything more about this?

I agree mostly with what gtom has said. At a glance, it does look like a pie-in-the-sky service suggestion made to look more realistic through the creation of a website and questionnaire, however, I was quick to dismiss Spirit Buses as something similar.

Services 80/81 may attract ridership from people wishing to travel between various villages in the East Durham area. But I can't see the proposed X20 service doing any better than the established Durham to Metrocentre services at present. Granted, there may be some who'd like a direct service from Cockfield, Bishop Auckland or Spennymoor to the Metrocentre, but I see frequency as one of the main barriers to this particular service.