(06 Aug 2021, 4:24 pm)Andreos1 wrote If there was a clock-face timetable between Chester and Woodstone village, then I could see the 71 and 78 working in harmony between those points.
As it is, they not only duplicate each other, but can follow each other too. Not much headway at all.

That tweaking of the timetable, coupled with a synchronisation with trains at Seaham and promotion of the route, may have seen it succeed.
This must be the third or fourth reincarnation of the route that never has worked and it was never going to suddenly start working this time.
Their repeated insistence on doing the same thing over and over... well it reeks of that laziness I mentioned the other day.

I know it doesn't help the Western side of route but by what people are saying it seems to be rather quiet anyway and mostly duplicates the 78 anyway (bar the Houghton to Chester Le Street link). Wonder if it could be an option of working with Nexus and extending the 79 through to Seaham and just having a Barnwell - Seaham bus route additionally serving the new Tesco once it opens (if it does). Could be able to pull a few punters from Seaham who want to go to Tesco or the estates inbetween and at least it doesn't leave places without a bus route at all.

(06 Aug 2021, 4:39 pm)Keeiajs wrote Do you think 65 would ever get DD?

Used to be DD in its older life, doesn’t warrant double deckers on that service now, there’s no demand for it now


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(06 Aug 2021, 4:51 pm)Storx wrote I know it doesn't help the Western side of route but by what people are saying it seems to be rather quiet anyway and mostly duplicates the 78 anyway (bar the Houghton to Chester Le Street link). Wonder if it could be an option of working with Nexus and extending the 79 through to Seaham and just having a Barnwell - Seaham bus route additionally serving the new Tesco once it opens (if it does). Could be able to pull a few punters from Seaham who want to go to Tesco or the estates inbetween and at least it doesn't leave places without a bus route at all.

If you serve the new Tesco, you're going to end up missing a big chunk of the residential area out.
Agree that an alternative like the 79 (the 238 operated a similar route until last year) could work.
Can't be any worse than what seems like a deliberate managed decline of the 71.
That's all it can be. Surely?

(06 Aug 2021, 2:48 pm)Keeiajs wrote isn't the 26 just doing the old 88?

I'd say its a mixture of the 27 and 88

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(06 Aug 2021, 1:21 pm)cbma06 wrote I wouldn’t put the 204/204A as a 64/64A as it might confuse passengers at sherburn with Arriva 64 route, I would change the number 55 to the 60’s series so the number 55 can be used at Gateshead area


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It happens alot,eg theres 2 11's serving North Shields,there was also 3 10's and 2 11's serving Newcastle at one point,thats one thing i hope gets sorted with this bus strategy thing,duplicate bus numbers

(06 Aug 2021, 5:20 pm)V514DFT wrote I'd say its a mixture of the 27 and 88

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It happens alot,eg theres 2 11's serving North Shields,there was also 3 10's and 2 11's serving Newcastle at one point,thats one thing i hope gets sorted with this bus strategy thing,duplicate bus numbers

Just that there be 2 lots of service 64’s with the same destination each way (Durham and Sherburn) even though there go different ways, there both go to the same destination, passenger will board the GNE 64 at sherburn thinking it will go the same way as the Arriva 64 as it says Durham on the destination.

With all these duplicating service numbers , I blame GNE as there dropped a lot of 3 digit service numbers, didn’t have these problems in the pte days


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I've seen no mention of this on social media yet or have I missed it?

(06 Aug 2021, 6:28 pm)idiot wrote I've seen no mention of this on social media yet or have I missed it?

The changes?

https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/getting-bu...-september

(06 Aug 2021, 4:24 pm)Andreos1 wrote If there was a clock-face timetable between Chester and Woodstone village, then I could see the 71 and 78 working in harmony between those points.
As it is, they not only duplicate each other, but can follow each other too. Not much headway at all.

That tweaking of the timetable, coupled with a synchronisation with trains at Seaham and promotion of the route, may have seen it succeed.
This must be the third or fourth reincarnation of the route that never has worked and it was never going to suddenly start working this time.
Their repeated insistence on doing the same thing over and over... well it reeks of that laziness I mentioned the other day.

The Houghton to Seaham part of the 71 has been subsidised for most of the last 35 years - for many years it was the 148, operated from memory by JC Bell and then by Redby before Go North East. 
Of course, before 1986 it was also subsidised, but as part of the overall financial support that Durham County Council paid the bus operators under a network wide grant.

The X1 change replaces the direct link between Peterlee and washington that was broken when the old Newcastle-Hartlepool X5 was scrapped.

(06 Aug 2021, 6:28 pm)idiot wrote I've seen no mention of this on social media yet or have I missed it?

It's almost as if they don't want to publicise it, it's not even that noticeable on the website either

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(06 Aug 2021, 6:48 pm)busmanT wrote The Houghton to Seaham part of the 71 has been subsidised for most of the last 35 years - for many years it was the 148, operated from memory by JC Bell and then by Redby before Go North East. 
Of course, before 1986 it was also subsidised, but as part of the overall financial support that Durham County Council paid the bus operators under a network wide grant.

Originally it was the 735 ,Seaham to Newcastle via Chester-le-street, northern chopped the Houghton to Seaham section off, and the local authority secured that section with a 148 service as you pointed out it was operated by Jc bell then Redby


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(06 Aug 2021, 5:44 pm)cbma06 wrote Just that there be 2 lots of service 64’s with the same destination each way (Durham and Sherburn) even though there go different ways, there both go to the same destination, passenger will board the GNE 64 at sherburn thinking it will go the same way as the Arriva 64 as it says Durham on the destination.

With all these duplicating service numbers , I blame GNE as there dropped a lot of 3 digit service numbers, didn’t have these problems in the pte days


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The arriva 64s have Arnison centre as their destination but yes, it would confuse some people.

(06 Aug 2021, 6:51 pm)streetdeckfan wrote It's almost as if they don't want to publicise it, it's not even that noticeable on the website either

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Given that discussions are still ongoing today, and Go North East will now be taking on more of this work commercially (as has been seen already with the 28), it isn’t being publicised yet.


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(06 Aug 2021, 6:51 pm)BusLoverMum wrote The X1 change replaces the direct link between Peterlee and washington that was broken when the old Newcastle-Hartlepool X5 was scrapped.

This isnt the first time the x1 ran to Peterlee, if I remember rightly when the x1 started up there were ran from Peterlee , and I can’t remember how many journeys started from Peterlee


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(06 Aug 2021, 6:58 pm)Dan wrote Given that discussions are still ongoing today, and Go North East will now be taking on more of this work commercially (as has been seen already with the 28), it isn’t being publicised yet.


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Dan, please renumber the bus service numbers in East Durham from the 200’s series to 60’s series for uniformity


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(06 Aug 2021, 6:48 pm)busmanT wrote The Houghton to Seaham part of the 71 has been subsidised for most of the last 35 years - for many years it was the 148, operated from memory by JC Bell and then by Redby before Go North East. 
Of course, before 1986 it was also subsidised, but as part of the overall financial support that Durham County Council paid the bus operators under a network wide grant.

I'm sure Jayline had the contract at one point too.

Edit: they did. Can remember this rocking up and not having a clue what sort of vehicle/operator it was.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...229109676/

Low n easy always made me chuckle

(06 Aug 2021, 7:14 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'm sure Jayline had the contract at one point too.

Edit: they did. Can remember this rocking up and not having a clue what sort of vehicle/operator it was.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...229109676/

Low n easy always made me chuckle

And jayline buses and services were bought by GNE


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(06 Aug 2021, 5:07 pm)Andreos1 wrote If you serve the new Tesco, you're going to end up missing a big chunk of the residential area out.
Agree that an alternative like the 79 (the 238 operated a similar route until last year) could work.
Can't be any worse than what seems like a deliberate managed decline of the 71.
That's all it can be. Surely?

Yeah I know, I was thinking about just taking a 2 minute diversion and going upto the new roundabout and turning around it and coming back, probably beneficial to do so like some buses did to Benton ASDA before they took the roundabout away - https://ab859220-37c0-4a9e-a3bf-27d784eb...3f6ace.pdf

The 20, X20, 35, 35A and the rest should do it aswell really for the 2 minutes it'll add.

(06 Aug 2021, 6:58 pm)Dan wrote Given that discussions are still ongoing today, and Go North East will now be taking on more of this work commercially (as has been seen already with the 28), it isn’t being publicised yet.


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So the 28 has gone from commercially not viable please give us money Durham CC to…oh I suppose our multi billion pound parent group can afford to support the odd run after all?

(06 Aug 2021, 6:58 pm)Dan wrote Given that discussions are still ongoing today, and Go North East will now be taking on more of this work commercially (as has been seen already with the 28), it isn’t being publicised yet.


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What services does that include?

Re Benton ASDA, the buses still do this except they go up to the next Roundabout instead at the bottom of Great Lime Road.

Re Jayline. Indeed the bus was the first Optare Excel to be built (originally registered N330EUG), was over the moon to get to have a trip on it from Houghton to Peterlee. They sold it not long after to Cumfybus.

Bit of a daft thought here but was the new X30/X31/X70/X71/X72 thought off around the time of the decision to swap the StreetDecks & MMCs between Consett & Washington? Seems ironic that 11x were earmarked for Consett and the new PVR will actually be 11x.

Noting daytime X72 is exactly as I predicted several pages back and could be a big plus for me.   Not too bothered by the loss of a direct link to the Metrocentre though others won't be happy.  It's a variation of the much varied old 705 service.  Last bus at 23.10 means an easier journey of just over 3/4 hour back to Catchgate from Newcastle rather than 1 hour 8 minutes on the 6A.   Evening service via Burnopfield should have a slightly different number (I. E. X73) to distinguish it from daytime service via Tanfield Village. 

So the 28 is suddenly back on all the way to Chester-le-Street. 

If similar is going on with the 30 between Stanley to Lanchester, then there's spare time at Stanley if it also reappears.   32 is suddenly an option rather than have a bus sit idle? 

Glaring omission is X32.  In diverting the X31 via Dunston, the two morning and two evening runs suddenly have a stronger case for not just Team Valley commuters, but also Gateshead direct commuters.  Not everyone will be happy about changing at Sunniside. 

6 via Tanfield Lea makes that service an old 43 or 706 Metrocentre variation.  Back to half-hourly along its entire route.

The PVR of the 47/47A is 6 which is perfect for the Ex lothian B9s
They can be refurbished to have NSAs & USBs fitted with the seats being retrimmed, and of course, they will be converted to euro 6. They will also be repainted into the X47s new livery, for this I choose to reincarnate an old brand used on the 47 many years ago, they will be repainted into a new livery branded as derwent rangers (an old brand from when the 47 was solars but has a nice ring to it) which will be a dark & lime green combo (basically reverse green arrows) or green & yellow

In regards to the 30, if they do take it on, i suspect it might be tagged on the end something else i.e. the 6 or the 8

Does anyone know where the rest of the B5TL's are going yet? There doesn't seem to be anywhere logical where they can actually go bar downgrading the X5/X15 to get the deckers off there so they can be used on the Newcastle routes.

The Angel doesn't have enough buses either if I'm right.

(06 Aug 2021, 4:24 pm)Andreos1 wrote If there was a clock-face timetable between Chester and Woodstone village, then I could see the 71 and 78 working in harmony between those points.
As it is, they not only duplicate each other, but can follow each other too. Not much headway at all.

That tweaking of the timetable, coupled with a synchronisation with trains at Seaham and promotion of the route, may have seen it succeed.
This must be the third or fourth reincarnation of the route that never has worked and it was never going to suddenly start working this time.
Their repeated insistence on doing the same thing over and over... well it reeks of that laziness I mentioned the other day.

Its a fair point about synchronization times to meet trains - that is an issue across the industry. I think it could be done with the 71 at Seaham based on present arrivals and departure, certainly to and from the Houghton side.  However you are then at the mercy of Network Rail and the mandarins at DaFT as if they change the train times, even by a couple of minutes it can throw your neat bus schedule out the window!

I think there has to be an acceptance that at some point you have to stop throwing good money after bad. When you've posted a loss of £4mil and other operators have just about made a minor profit in similar operating circumstances, I imagine things are rightly reexamined

(07 Aug 2021, 8:14 am)Storx wrote Does anyone know where the rest of the B5TL's are going yet? There doesn't seem to be anywhere logical where they can actually go bar downgrading the X5/X15 to get the deckers off there so they can be used on the Newcastle routes.

The Angel doesn't have enough buses either if I'm right.

If you download GNE's open data, it shows all the routes and numbers from Sep in full. I even found the 30, so it looks like thats not going.

(07 Aug 2021, 9:05 am)ASX_Terranova wrote If you download GNE's open data, it shows all the routes and numbers from Sep in full. I even found the 30, so it looks like thats not going.

I think you quoted the wrong person mate.

(07 Aug 2021, 8:14 am)Storx wrote Does anyone know where the rest of the B5TL's are going yet? There doesn't seem to be anywhere logical where they can actually go bar downgrading the X5/X15 to get the deckers off there so they can be used on the Newcastle routes.

The Angel doesn't have enough buses either if I'm right.

There's 15x Volvo B5LH so more than enough for the 16/16A and 47/47A.

StreetDecks in fact should see a small surplus so no need to remove from the X5/X15.

(07 Aug 2021, 6:34 am)GNE6312 wrote The PVR of the 47/47A is 6 which is perfect for the Ex lothian B9s
They can be refurbished to have NSAs & USBs fitted with the seats being retrimmed, and of course, they will be converted to euro 6. They will also be repainted into the X47s new livery, for this I choose to reincarnate an old brand used on the 47 many years ago, they will be repainted into a new livery branded as derwent rangers (an old brand from when the 47 was solars but has a nice ring to it) which will be a dark & lime green combo (basically reverse green arrows) or green & yellow

So the passengers from Highfield, High Spen, Chopwell and Blackhall Mill lose their Xlines high quality service and get something much older........at least they gain most from the fares reductions!
I wonder if there will be a new brand - bring back "Derwent Ranger"!