Bishop Auckland Bus Station

[Jimmi]

While there is technically plenty of parking in Bishop, a lot of it isn't really practical for the reasons I mentioned above.

Regarding the train station, it's pointless! You might as well just take the X1, it's almost as fast and more convenient!

It depends what your use for the train service is really, if you want to travel between Bishop and Darlington Town Centre's then you're better off with the X1 when you factor in the times for walking to/from the stations, but if you're connecting with a Mainline service at Darlington, then you're better off with the train, it's also much quicker and more convenient to get to other areas along the line, for example on the first Saltburn bound train from Bishop Auckland on weekday mornings, you often get people who work on Aycliffe Industrial Estate and the UTC students alighting at Heighington Station.

[Storx]

It depends what your use for the train service is really, if you want to travel between Bishop and Darlington Town Centre's then you're better off with the X1 when you factor in the times for walking to/from the stations, but if you're connecting with a Mainline service at Darlington, then you're better off with the train, it's also much quicker and more convenient to get to other areas along the line, for example on the first Saltburn bound train from Bishop Auckland on weekday mornings, you often get people who work on Aycliffe Industrial Estate and the UTC students alighting at Heighington Station.

Yeah totally agreed. It's also something that's been discussed on another forum lately but if you connected the ECML / Bishop Auckland lines together at Newton Aycliffe you could give a direct service upto Newcastle in around 40 minutes aswell from both places which would be a massive benefit.

It's a piss easy one to do aswell in comparison to other bonker ideas lately (Consett Line). It's the sort of connectivity the region needs, not to mention linking the work places at Aycliffe. It's bonkers the ECML just passes Newton Aycliffe the size of the place.

See:

  ecml-bishop.png (Size 5.09 MB / Downloads 26)

It's a really underutilised line imo, could even open an extra station right in the heart of the town.

[streetdeckfan]

It depends what your use for the train service is really, if you want to travel between Bishop and Darlington Town Centre's then you're better off with the X1 when you factor in the times for walking to/from the stations, but if you're connecting with a Mainline service at Darlington, then you're better off with the train, it's also much quicker and more convenient to get to other areas along the line, for example on the first Saltburn bound train from Bishop Auckland on weekday mornings, you often get people who work on Aycliffe Industrial Estate and the UTC students alighting at Heighington Station.

It depends, if you live right next to the train station then maybe.
For me personally it's 10 minutes faster to just take the X1 to Darlington then walk to the station than taking the train from Bishop because I'm 1.5 miles from the station, so have to spend 7 minutes on the bus to get there (ironically the fastest bus is the X1!)

[Jimmi]

Yeah totally agreed. It's also something that's been discussed on another forum lately but if you connected the ECML / Bishop Auckland lines together at Newton Aycliffe you could give a direct service upto Newcastle in around 40 minutes aswell from both places which would be a massive benefit.

It's a piss easy one to do aswell in comparison to other bonker ideas lately (Consett Line). It's the sort of connectivity the region needs, not to mention linking the work places at Aycliffe. It's bonkers the ECML just passes Newton Aycliffe the size of the place.

See:


It's a really underutilised line imo, could even open an extra station right in the heart of the town.

Would be nice but we're never that lucky, up until 2017, the service between Darlington and Bishop Auckland was every 2 hours which was hopelessly impracticable. In 2021 there was supposedly plans to try and up the service to half hourly in 2023 but doubt that's going to materialise any time soon...

The orange line above was actually originally a railway line in the past, now its essentially just somewhere to walk along.
  nz2520-aycliffe.jpg (Size 60.96 KB / Downloads 17)

[NEbushopper]

Would be nice but we're never that lucky, up until 2017, the service between Darlington and Bishop Auckland was every 2 hours which was hopelessly impracticable. In 2021 there was supposedly plans to try and up the service to half hourly in 2023 but doubt that's going to materialise any time soon...

The orange line above was actually originally a railway line in the past, now its essentially just somewhere to walk along.

imo the bishop line should have been half hourly for a long time. Also pre 2017 it was every 2 hours! that was attrocious.

Does anyone know about the plans for the bishop auckland bus station and its timescales or is that to be realeased soon?

[V514DFT]

Yeah totally agreed, like I could understand if it's actually places you could interchange with other models but like Newton Aycliffe is anyone really going to be changing there most services are direct now.

North Shields bus station is questionable aswell, I'm not really sure who's going to use that. I know they'll use the Metro reference but I can't think of anyone where it would actually make sense to interchange there for it without doubling back or using a bus to do the whole journey instead and no-one goes to North Shields as there's nothing there either.

Didn't realise the rents were that bad at Aycliffe, but it isn't half dead that place aswell tbh. Sad sight all of them really. Mind I'm not sure Bishop Auckland needs parking either, there's plenty of it and most of it carries fresh air. I know it would be quite a walk to the centre but it's a shame no-one though it might have been a good idea to have the interchange with the railway so it actually has a purpose but then again buses and rail aren't meant to be used together in England.

Personally i thought Wallsend would of been the better choice to build the bus station, not North Shields

[Storx]

Would be nice but we're never that lucky, up until 2017, the service between Darlington and Bishop Auckland was every 2 hours which was hopelessly impracticable. In 2021 there was supposedly plans to try and up the service to half hourly in 2023 but doubt that's going to materialise any time soon...

The orange line above was actually originally a railway line in the past, now its essentially just somewhere to walk along.

Aye I guessed it was by all the existing bridges etc which all exist. Newton Aycliffe and Bishop Auckland when it comes to transport always seem to be the two forgotten places. Apart from this bus station I can't remember any decent investment in either of them for years all the while the 21 has had two ZEBRA or equivalent bids now.

The 6 and 7 in particular are the sorts of the route that is crying out for something, much worthy than the Q3 imo and the sort of routes which aren't at their potential either.

[Andreos1]

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2...n-parking/

Bus station redevelopment moves closer.

[RMF1254]

Personally i thought Wallsend would of been the better choice to build the bus station, not North Shields

Wallsend already has a bus station.

[omnicity4659]

Wallsend Interchange also isn't the most well used either. majority of our passengers board at the forum.

[Storx]

Wallsend already has a bus station.

There's no need for a bus station at Bishop Auckland, Wallsend or North Shields imo. 

Just put some bus stops at both ends of the main street instead then you can get off at one end, do your shopping and get on at the other end.

Bus stations should only exist where a lot of people interchange to another method of transport ie. Gateshead or a major city connected to a major shopping centre etc where bus stops wouldn't work ie. Eldon Square or Metro Centre.

As I said earlier NECA councils are obsessed with them. Darlington isn't exactly dying because it doesn't have one infact it's one of the strongest areas for buses.

[RMF1254]

Wallsend Interchange also isn't the most well used either. majority of our passengers board at the forum.

But that hasn’t always been the case. When Metro Integration was in full swing, almost all buses called at the bus station, I think the 301 was the one that didn’t. The PTE, if I remember correctly had the 21/22/34/35/49 and Northern 312/313/314/318/319/320/321/329/330/331/340/341. Mainly double deckers for use of local passengers to the Forum as well as longer distance passengers changing to the Metro. The bus station was built for that reason but of course that has all changed. For many reasons sadly, that has all changed, GNE only running the 41/41a daytimes plus GCT 342 and Stagecoach 12 and 40.

[busmanT]

But that hasn’t always been the case. When Metro Integration was in full swing, almost all buses called at the bus station, I think the 301 was the one that didn’t. The PTE, if I remember correctly had the 21/22/34/35/49 and Northern 312/313/314/318/319/320/321/329/330/331/340/341. Mainly double deckers for use of local passengers to the Forum as well as longer distance passengers changing to the Metro. The bus station was built for that reason but of course that has all changed. For many reasons sadly, that has all changed, GNE only running the 41/41a daytimes plus GCT 342 and Stagecoach 12 and 40.

The election of a "Metro Mayor" for Durham/Northumberland/Tyne & Wear in 2024 might well change the dynamics of public transport provision in the North East.

[Countydurhambuses]

imo the bishop line should have been half hourly for a long time. Also pre 2017 it was every 2 hours! that was attrocious.

Does anyone know about the plans for the bishop auckland bus station and its timescales or is that to be realeased soon?

I wish that northern could do more routes between bishop, Darlington and Middlesbrough via the ecml, but the scheduling will be too full, even if someone just did Newcastle to york back and forth maybe with every 2 hours to bishop or Middlesbrough instead. It seems useless to me how the mainline trains always get blocked with people doing short journeys between york and Newcastle

[Jimmi]

Bishop Auckland Bus Station will close after last service on Sunday September 10th, services will depart from temporary stops located on Newgate Street & Tenters Street from the following day.

[Michael]

Bishop Auckland Bus Station will close after last service on Sunday September 10th, services will depart from temporary stops located on Newgate Street & Tenters Street from the following day.

Info on where the services will stop, while work is happening:


Go North East: https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/bishop-auc...dvelopment

Arriva: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/...re-sept-23

[streetdeckfan]

Info on where the services will stop, while work is happening:


Go North East: https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/bishop-auc...dvelopment

Arriva: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/...re-sept-23

Can imagine the top of Newgate Street and Newgate shopping centre dying even faster now, I certainly won't be trekking from the bottom end where the 6/X21 stop all the way up!

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[MetrolineGA1511]

I am considering postponing my next trip to Durham to coincide with the opening of the new bus station at Bishop Auckland.

Have they given an approximate timeframe as to how long it will take to build then open?

[cainebj]

First morning of the bus station being closed and none of the temporary facilities have been sorted in time. You can guess how well it's going this morning

[streetdeckfan]

First morning of the bus station being closed and none of the temporary facilities have been sorted in time. You can guess how well it's going this morning

That's Durham Council for you!

I expected nothing less

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