Not sure if this has already been posted, but plans have been announced for the redevelopment of Bishop Auckland Bus Station.

Looks like it would be an improvement from the current bus station, which can barely be classed as one!

https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/29072/...ar-parking-

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It looks an improvement on Durham bus station's plans!

Does it really need 8 stands tho? I've only been to Bishop maybe 4-6 times however its never been that busy

Does it really need 8 stands tho? I've only been to Bishop maybe 4-6 times however its never been that busy

Lots of the comments I’ve seen are that there’s no buses to use it, through various cut backs etc. I’m surprised 6 stands wasn’t thought to be adequate, but then again Stanley and Peterlee have 8 stands so. And I suppose it’s like for like replacement. And to be fair, I don’t Bishop has done *too* bad through cuts to service when compared to some areas.

Surely better to have more stands than needed than too few. When everyone starts using the bus again sure the extra stands could be put into use then?

Don't see the point personally, they should build the bus station in the 'centre' of the town aka Tindale Crescent. No-one wants to go to Bishop Auckland as there's nothing there.

The council can't play the 'we care' card either as they've approved a cinema and bowling alley and more retail units, no doubt one B&M, at Tindale to put the final nail in the coffin.

Surely better to have more stands than needed than too few.  When everyone starts using the bus again sure the extra stands could be put into use then?

I reckon there's a bit of future planning here.
With that medieval show and the work going on with the castle, I wonder if they're banking on tourists and visitors rocking up using public transport?

Lots of the comments I’ve seen are that there’s no buses to use it, through various cut backs etc. I’m surprised 6 stands wasn’t thought to be adequate, but then again Stanley and Peterlee have 8 stands so. And I suppose it’s like for like replacement. And to be fair, I don’t Bishop has done *too* bad through cuts to service when compared to some areas.

Like the colossal waste of money the one in North Shields is gonna be

Does it really need 8 stands tho? I've only been to Bishop maybe 4-6 times however its never been that busy

I believe it forms part of the Bishop Auckland Town Masterplan to regenerate their Town Centre, so maybe they're forecasting extra footfall once regeneration is complete? Whether that happens or not, like most other regeneration projects, remains to be seen.

As with a lot of infrastructure projects like this, it becomes difficult to add capacity after completion, so you'd be daft not to future-proof it.

Like the colossal waste of money the one in North Shields is gonna be

The north shields ones is only going to have 4 I think.

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Lots of the comments I’ve seen are that there’s no buses to use it, through various cut backs etc. I’m surprised 6 stands wasn’t thought to be adequate, but then again Stanley and Peterlee have 8 stands so. And I suppose it’s like for like replacement. And to be fair, I don’t Bishop has done *too* bad through cuts to service when compared to some areas.

The only arguement I can come up with is that when Stanley & Peterlee was built there were higher frequency of buses.

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Don't see the point personally, they should build the bus station in the 'centre' of the town aka Tindale Crescent. No-one wants to go to Bishop Auckland as there's nothing there.

The council can't play the 'we care' card either as they've approved a cinema and bowling alley and more retail units, no doubt one B&M, at Tindale to put the final nail in the coffin.

Thats a good point, i've never been to bishop, but I have been to Tindale quite a few times. 

And for other comments about whether there is any future planning for maybe increased footfall, honestly I doubt it as services are becoming harder to run they will need more funding, so less funding for new services.

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I believe it forms part of the Bishop Auckland Town Masterplan to regenerate their Town Centre, so maybe they're forecasting extra footfall once regeneration is complete? Whether that happens or not, like most other regeneration projects, remains to be seen.

As with a lot of infrastructure projects like this, it becomes difficult to add capacity after completion, so you'd be daft not to future-proof it.

That is true. 

Stand A - 6
Stand B - 6/Weardale Services
Stand C - X21/X1
Stand D - X21/X1
Stand E - 7 
Stand F - 7/5/5A
Stand G - 56/86
Stand H - Weardale Services

That would be good to spread services out to stands

That is true. 

Stand A - 6
Stand B - 6/Weardale Services
Stand C - X21/X1
Stand D - X21/X1
Stand E - 7 
Stand F - 7/5/5A
Stand G - 56/86
Stand H - Weardale Services

That would be good to spread services out to stands

I imagine they would. Park Lane do similar, and that's really too big for what currently serves it.

I imagine they would. Park Lane do similar, and that's really too big for what currently serves it.

And Park Lane still as multiple stands empty all/most of the day.

Really the X20 should be moved to Stand N, as its losing loads of Doxford Park people who now get on the X1 from Park lane

Due to the timing, it's quite common to have 6 buses there at once.

It's not uncommon to have both directions of the 6 often turn up at the same time, an X21, 5, X1, and a few independents that I dont take notice of

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The new bus station with 8 stands is still a reduction of 3 stands from what's currently in place, for reference, this is the current stand breakdown:

STAND A
101 Rail Station
108/109 Willington
B66 Blackpool
STAND B
9 Woodhouse Close
81 Auckland Park
89 Escomb
STAND C
6 West Auckland & Cockfield/Barnard Castle
86 Bishop Auckland College
87 Toft Hill
104 Ramshaw
X21 West Auckland
STAND D
1/X1 Darlington
STAND E
5/5A Darlington
85 Barnard Castle
101 Stanhope
STAND F
1/X1 Crook/Tow Law
STAND G
86 Trimdon Village
STAND H
88 Hamsterley / Woodhouse Lane Schools
104 Newfield
STAND J
6 Durham
35A Ferryhill
STAND K
X21 Newcastle
STAND L
56 Durham

Stand G is virtually unserved and H is only really served by the 104 which runs every 90 minutes, with this in mind its still 9 stands in frequent use which is one more than in the new one.

Stand C could do with some stuff being moved off owing to its position as often there's a 6 on Stand and another bus which uses said Stand ends up having to pull up behind with barriers blocking a safe exit to unload/load passengers and also can block the road.

It's good to have some extra wiggle room on the off chance there's an increase in service provision in years to come and also offers more to play with should road/building works need to occur and also comes in handy when Kynryn is on when shuttles are running from the bus station.

Is it just me that finds turning half of a bus station into a car park completely absurd? Encouraging yet more private car use over public transport just shouldn't be a thing that should be happening in the 2020s, but that's what happens when you let private companies run public transport into the ground.

Is it just me that finds turning half of a bus station into a car park completely absurd? Encouraging yet more private car use over public transport just shouldn't be a thing that should be happening in the 2020s, but that's what happens when you let private companies run public transport into the ground.

I personally don't understand the obsession with bus stations either. Are they really needed? It's a waste of space or would a few bus stops like most other towns and cities have be enough. That space should've been used, including the abandoned shopping centre pretty much, for the cinema, restaurants and bowling alley but no we'll open that at Tindale instead.

It's the exact sort of thing which would revive the centre. Instead we've got a bus station serving a Saver's, Wilko and Greggs as there's really nothing else there while everyone else is driving and jamming into the car parks at Tindale.

I personally don't understand the obsession with bus stations either. Are they really needed? It's a waste of space or would a few bus stops like most other towns and cities have be enough. That space should've been used, including the abandoned shopping centre pretty much, for the cinema, restaurants and bowling alley but no we'll open that at Tindale instead.

It's the exact sort of thing which would revive the centre. Instead we've got a bus station serving a Saver's, Wilko and Greggs as there's really nothing else there while everyone else is driving and jamming into the car parks at Tindale.

Seems to be a thing local councillors and MPs seem to think we want right now, our local MP tried to get Newton Aycliffe a "Bus Interchange" in the levelling up fund but was unsuccessful, stupid idea anyway considering no-one wants to shop here and no company wants to open any shops here because the company which owns the town centre are practically charging London rates on rent and it wasn't like you could interchange between services anyway when they all run in tandem more or less to/from Darlington. Thing we actually want is more car parking as since the multistorey got condemned (which is where the "interchange" was planned to be) parking spaces have been hard to come by since.

With regards to replacing much of Bishop Auckland Bus Station with car parking, considering car usage is on the rise, may as well use the excess space as its mostly just wasted with space between some stands and others barely in use anymore.

I've always said Bishop bus station is a waste of space because of the layout. It could easily be halved without any impact.

Parking in Bishop is a nightmare if youre wanting to shop on the high street or Newgate Centre.
The multi-storey was built at a time when cars were smaller, so getting around the bend at the top of the ramp is a challenge in anything bigger than a Smart car!

There's about 15 free parking bays outside which are always full.

There's a car park behind spoons, but you have to pay for a full day so we only use it when its after 2 because it's free.

There's the big car park at North Bondgate, but it's a trek to the shops

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Seems to be a thing local councillors and MPs seem to think we want right now, our local MP tried to get Newton Aycliffe a "Bus Interchange" in the levelling up fund but was unsuccessful, stupid idea anyway considering no-one wants to shop here and no company wants to open any shops here because the company which owns the town centre are practically charging London rates on rent and it wasn't like you could interchange between services anyway when they all run in tandem more or less to/from Darlington. Thing we actually want is more car parking as since the multistorey got condemned (which is where the "interchange" was planned to be) parking spaces have been hard to come by since.

With regards to replacing much of Bishop Auckland Bus Station with car parking, considering car usage is on the rise, may as well use the excess space as its mostly just wasted with space between some stands and others barely in use anymore.

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.

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.

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!

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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.

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.

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!)

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)

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?

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

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.

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

Bus station redevelopment moves closer.

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

Wallsend already has a bus station.

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