A plusbus ticket wouldn't be valid though, would it?

I thought you couldn't get them if you're travelling within the region. I know they're different cities, in different counties, but they're pretty close together.

Actually, looking it up they are separate areas so it would work, but it seems you would have to buy two separate tickets, one for Durham and one for Newcastle

Also, having had the misfortune many, many times of having to travel between Newcastle and Durham at peak times, I'd say there is definitely a need for more buses. It's not uncommon for 2-3 X21s, and the 21s inbetween to be absolutely packed by the time they get to Gateshead.

Yeah they're valid at both sides as others have said. Quite cheap aswell believe the Newcastle one is only £4.15 or something.

The thing is where are the people getting on, are they getting on at the Durham end of the route or are they getting at the Low Fell end of the route (which there's probably arguments for more in the future). Like someone else said the 21 is dead after Birtley. I'm not sure they even need to be every 10 minutes to CLS tbh especially now the depot is closing.

Had a little look into it last night and supposedly the 18:xx TPE train used to be standing load when it was the 3 car Class 185's which was dead after Durham with a lot of people using CLS aswell. There's 200k people use that a year which isn't bad considering it was an hourly service (now 2 hourly during the day) which works out at about 14 people per train ignoring Sundays, holidays etc. Always thought it was a bit of a dead station tbh. Just a shame it's so infrequent, hopefully one day the Stillington Middlesbrough service could come about there's a free path now which could give it a proper service it deserves tbh.

I've just noticed on the new 21 timetable that they've added earlier morning journeys from Durham, with the first one of the day leaving Durham towards Newcastle at 4.22am. I don't understand why this isn't even mentioned in the summary of the changes, as this would actually count as a positive change. I thought anything that would be considered positive, they'd be wanting to shout from the rooftops about.

Depends if it's better or not, they already existed in theory under the N21 instead though.

X70. So is it being withdrawn or going to another operator?

It's still showing up on Traveline after 24th July.

I've just noticed on the new 21 timetable that they've added earlier morning journeys from Durham, with the first one of the day leaving Durham towards Newcastle at 4.22am.  I don't understand why this isn't even mentioned in the summary of the changes, as this would actually count as a positive change.  I thought anything that would be considered positive, they'd be wanting to shout from the rooftops about.

Yeah it's a direct replacement for the 4.17am N21.

The early morning runs which start from the Black Horse have gone now with 2 of them replaced by the through bus from Durham and the other 2 now starting at Corals.

X70.  So is it being withdrawn or going to another operator?

It's still showing up on Traveline after 24th July.

Is that not it's current times or is it what would've been the 'new' times?

Do you know this, as it seems to be presented in a fact form, also Durham to newcastle is like 3/4x what the bus is

I caught the train last week from Newcastle to Durham - £4.15 single with my railcard and the journey took 12.5 minutes. Even adding the 3 minutes to walk down to North Road it was less than 16 minutes.

I can only remember getting the train between Durham and Newcastle (actually getting on/off at Newcastle instead of just going through) twice - once when we were intending to go to Edinburgh but the line was closed after Newcastle so our journey ended up being cut short. The other time I think was when we got the X12 from Middlesbrough all the way into Newcastle (and we only had an Arriva day ticket, and we'd missed the X12 back into Durham so we just walked over to Central Station and got the train from there. I think we got refunded in the former case but I have no idea how much the ticket cost for the latter.

I don't think I've even been on a train since I got one from Thirsk to Manchester and back on a school trip five years ago.

The X12 seems almost constantly busy now on the Newcastle Durham corridor. Perhaps the reduced frequency or the much cheaper fares and reliability play it’s part.

Probably not busy enough to reinstate its pre covid service pattern but it’s a very reliable service these days.

"think we got refunded in the former case but I have no idea how much the ticket cost for the latter."

We did, after I filled out a ridiculously confusing online form. And £9.30, IIRC.

The X12 seems almost constantly busy now on the Newcastle Durham corridor. Perhaps the reduced frequency or the much cheaper fares and reliability play it’s part.

Probably not busy enough to reinstate its pre covid service pattern but it’s a very reliable service these days.

With GNE pulling out of Chester Le Street depot (although moving routes elsewhere), could this not be an opportunity for ANE to provide competition out of Belmont?

Not got the vehicles as such this year but if Blyth gets a refresh next year, that will see a tonne of DB300s displaced and they're Euro 6 too!

With GNE pulling out of Chester Le Street depot (although moving routes elsewhere), could this not be an opportunity for ANE to provide competition out of Belmont?

Not got the vehicles as such this year but if Blyth gets a refresh next year, that will see a tonne of DB300s displaced and they're Euro 6 too!

I thought competition was dead with the enhanced partnerships

I thought competition was dead with the enhanced partnerships

I’m sure there’s time for another dodgy Hexham deal to grease the GNE palms

I thought competition was dead with the enhanced partnerships

It hasn't materialised on the ground. The X58 runs from Follingsby being the latest one competing against a perfect Metro system from Heworth to Newcastle. 21 to Brandon being another one recently.

Money there or not it's opportunistic.

I’m sure there’s time for another dodgy Hexham deal to grease the GNE palms

There was nothing dodgy about Hexham!!

With the X30/X31 being hourly evenings and sundays is there an easy way to merge them both routing wise.

There was nothing dodgy about Hexham!!

The OFT disagreed

Do we know who's operating the X62 yet, and if it'll stay as X62?

Working in partnership with Durham County Council, we are pleased to confirm that once per hour, service 61 will be extended from Murton to Peterlee, replacing service 62 which will be withdrawn. These journeys will serve Wembley Estate.

61 timetable shows it not following the same route. In fact it'll follow the exact same route as the X1. What is bloody point. At that point your gonna kill the 61 to Peterlee. Why say that the 61 will replace the 62 yet won't follow the exact route and then follow the X1

Working in partnership with Durham County Council, we are pleased to confirm that once per hour, service 61 will be extended from Murton to Peterlee, replacing service 62 which will be withdrawn. These journeys will serve Wembley Estate.

61 timetable shows it not following the same route. In fact it'll follow the exact same route as the X1. What is bloody point. At that point your gonna kill the 61 to Peterlee. Why say that the 61 will replace the 62 yet won't follow the exact route and then follow the X1

Originally when the 61 timetable was on traveline the detail route was the same as the 62 as it had timing locations at Easington colliery and Horden where the 62 went, but in the past week it has been changed to run the 55 route direct from Easington village to Peterlee bus station direct via little Thorpe with connection times with service 208


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Timetable have started appearing on the nexus website. Nice to see the 35 will now take close to 2 hours trip

I have had a go at working out the current and revised PVRs of the routes mentioned in the changes. I have based it on current interworking patterns with the only exceptions being the x30/31/71/72. Please feel free to let me know if I have missed any or worked anything out incorrectly and I will update the list.

I have updated the list based on the timetables now they have been published. The predicted drop in PVR hasn't been as severe as initially expected though it is worth noting I have done this based on the monday-friday daytime timetables rather than the evening, Saturday or Sunday times where there is a greater drop in PVR.

Screenshot_20220713-134428-539.png (Size 153.29 KB Downloads 61)

I have updated the list based on the timetables now they have been published. The predicted drop in PVR hasn't been as severe as initially expected though it is worth noting I have done this based on the monday-friday daytime timetables rather than the evening, Saturday or Sunday times where there is a greater drop in PVR.

50 is stand alone

50 is stand alone

Under the new times yes but not the old, I have had to group anything that interworked in either set of times together.

Service 35A  on a Sunday from Boldon is terminating at Park Lane then 40 minutes later leaving Park Lane to Low Moorsley but does a full through service from Moorsley back to Boldon

Service 35A  on a Sunday from Boldon is terminating at Park Lane then 40 minutes later leaving Park Lane to Low Moorsley but does a full through service from Moorsley back to Boldon

I think its interworking with the 61A, but have no idea how that is meant to work, unless its a case of a 

35A Bolden, 35A Sunderland, 61 murton, break 35A Low Moorlsey 35A Bolden (changeover at Sunderland)

Service 35A  on a Sunday from Boldon is terminating at Park Lane then 40 minutes later leaving Park Lane to Low Moorsley but does a full through service from Moorsley back to Boldon

Changes to a 9 to jarrow 24 arrives and then turns to 35A to low moorsley

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61A interworks with the 9 and 24

Will the 39/39A/39B stay Solo from the day of the changes?, I take it 680 will be repainted to Graphite, if they stick to solo's?

And I take it, most of Deptford's Citaro's will be withdrawn?

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Changes to a 9 to jarrow  24 arrives and then turns to 35A to low moorsley

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61A interworks with the 9 and 24

Is that just to confuse the drivers?

Looks like after 24th July the X62 will be withdrawn

https://www.nexus.org.uk/bus/updates?ope...le-updates


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Looks like after 24th July the X62 will be withdrawn

https://www.nexus.org.uk/bus/updates?ope...le-updates


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It might still be running; Nexus don't generally show Co. Durham only services; not sure why it was listed in the first place.

Note the 725 and 208 are missing aswell.

It might still be running; Nexus don't generally show Co. Durham only services; not sure why it was listed in the first place.

Note the 725 and 208 are missing aswell.

725 and 208 operates solely in County Durham so doesn’t enter Tyne and Wear so won’t be listed on Nexus.

X62 operates in County Durham and Tyne and Wear , so will be on Nexus list


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It might still be running; Nexus don't generally show Co. Durham only services; not sure why it was listed in the first place.

Note the 725 and 208 are missing aswell.

The X62 enters Tyne & Wear for the briefest of moments, I think it's literally 4 stops, before going back into County Durham.

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In any case, the X62 seems to have disappeared from GNE's service change list.