Recently repainted 4900 will be performing the next 8 back to Sunderland from Stanley.

Speaking of pointless inane competition.

Arriva's X21 on the Durham Road corridor. Made the X3 look like a thriving sustainable bus route

(12 Jul 2014, 12:35 pm)gtom wrote Speaking of pointless inane competition.

Arriva's X21 on the Durham Road corridor. Made the X3 look like a thriving sustainable bus route

Was that with the MPD'S? Total failure that idea was!

I'd recommend the drivers view footage of 5389 is checked around 1540 today. A good example of how incompetent motorists can cause accidents. A car driver coming shooting the wrong way down a one way street leaving 5380 in a box junction on a busy road.

I've also done a full run on the 310 today, and Newcastle to Heworth on the 58. This idea of removing card readers really is a bad one. There's only a handful of folk I've seen that have went straight to the top of the ticket machines. Others have looked around in confusion at the lack of the reader, and just tried to show their passes instead. I feel for those getting on a Washington bus at Heworth, only to be told off for trying to put their pass on the top of the drivers machine!

(12 Jul 2014, 2:43 pm)MilkybarKid wrote Was that with the MPD'S? Total failure that idea was!

That's the one.

If GNE did decide to withdraw the 307, they could redeploy the early evening resources onto the X39 allowing the 310 to remain every 15 minutes throughout. The mornings don't matter so much towards Shields but towards Newcastle in the afternoons and early evenings would be a great help with regards to reliability.

(12 Jul 2014, 2:43 pm)MilkybarKid wrote Was that with the MPD'S? Total failure that idea was!

Thats why they used MPD's They knew how bad the service would turn out.

(11 Jul 2014, 5:54 pm)Dan wrote 4900 has now returned to Stanley following repaint and 4976 likewise to Deptford.

Go North East: 4976 / NK53UOC by danielgrahamm, on Flickr

Go North East:4900 / V990ETN by danielgrahamm, on Flickr

Go North East:4900 / V990ETN by danielgrahamm, on Flickr

(12 Jul 2014, 3:27 pm)gtom wrote That's the one.

Didn't they put the MPDs on the X21 after their Saltwell Park service failed?

(12 Jul 2014, 8:40 pm)BJ10VUS wrote Didn't they put the MPDs on the X21 after their Saltwell Park service failed?

That rings a bell.

A stopping service would have made more sense. The X21 was in direct competition ironically with the then X1.

Classic showed there's a way to hit Go Ahead

Magic Bus 21... Nuuuuurse

Any North Tyneside changes being rumored for this year?

(12 Jul 2014, 9:44 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Any North Tyneside changes being rumored for this year?

Well if the 307 is withdrawn (which I'm not aware of any plans that this is happening), the 17 will have to change too. This in turn would allow scope for change of the North Tyne Links services too (if you're changing one, you may as well improve some of the rest while you're at it).

The 307s I seen today actually had a good load (double figures at a guess) and were running on time.

(12 Jul 2014, 10:23 pm)aureolin wrote The 307s I seen today actually had a good load (double figures at a guess) and were running on time.

Bet most of them were OAPs.
The 51 I saw was running on time, and had about fifteen passengers, and the 307 about seven or eight, both heading to ASDA. The 307 was empty coming in though.

I know this should be on the service suggestion thread but what they COULD do if they withdrew the 307 is this:

- Change 17 to midibus size vehicles.
- Increase the frequency to every 15 minutes (30 evenings and Sundays) to ASDA continuing every 30 (60 evenings and Sundays) to Cramlington.
- Introduce a new half hourly service (hourly evenings and Sundays) between Cramlington and Whitley Bay operating the same route as the 17 to ASDA but operating via Fordley then follow the old 53 route to Whitley Bay from there.
- This would result in a bus upto every 15 minutes between Cramlington and ASDA and provide competition on the Cramlington to Killingworth corridor.
- Lost links would be reinstated to Rake Lane and North Tyneside from areas that used to be served by the old 53.

Whilst I do think that GNE should have a link between Newcastle and Cramlington, I think it should be nothing more than a short express working. I can't see why you'd need a link from Cramlington to Benton Asda though? How many people would be wanting to carry a load of shopping all that way, when there's a Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons, and Aldi in Cramlington anyway?

(12 Jul 2014, 9:21 pm)gtom wrote That rings a bell.

A stopping service would have made more sense. The X21 was in direct competition ironically with the then X1.

Classic showed there's a way to hit Go Ahead

Magic Bus 21... Nuuuuurse

Bus-related pun intended?

After some online searching, the X21 was allocated 1763/4 and 1770/1. In terms of the Saltwell Park services, I can only find that 1770 was used on the 153 and 154.

However, the 153 and 154 ran from August to November 2006. I've found this picture (by plcd1) from March 2007, so I'm assuming the X21 came second?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24759744@N...5yU-iKXcnQ

(13 Jul 2014, 10:21 am)aureolin wrote Whilst I do think that GNE should have a link between Newcastle and Cramlington, I think it should be nothing more than a short express working. I can't see why you'd need a link from Cramlington to Benton Asda though? How many people would be wanting to carry a load of shopping all that way, when there's a Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons, and Aldi in Cramlington anyway?

I believe the 17 is funded between Cramlington and Benton ASDA, but I may be wrong. The passenger numbers aren't the best on the 17 to start with, so I doubt a fifteen minute frequency is needed.

I don't think a express between Newcastle and Cramlington would work for Go North East to be honest. Arriva have pretty good services along the corridor, operating to a good standard. You have the 43 every 15 minutes, X5 every 30 minutes, X10/X11 every 10 minutes and X13 every 30 minutes, along with the longer 52 every 30 minutes. The fares are decently cheap too (I think they have some sort of daysaver), so if GNE were going to operate a service every 30 minutes I don't think it would be used.

On a recent VOSA amendment notice it mentioned ser. 45, 46, 46A. To amend timetable and route.
1. There is no 46A (at present)

2. There are no alterations to route in the 27 July changes.

Can anyone shed any light?

Which Arriva Mpds were used on service 53/153 Sunderland to Peterlee? which their took over Michael franks coaches service 153 and extended the service from Easington Lane to Peterlee with one service going via shotton/Haswell and the other service via South Hetton, later the service went into GNE hands as service 151/152/153 then later became service 61.

Just an observation more than anything - followed a black Solar on the x35 yesterday.

Not sure if someone had the shakes when filling it or there had been an overheating issue - but the coolant was all over the rear of the vehicle.

Did make a note of number - but the pen washed off before I got on here (excuses) - possibly 4955 (?)

MPD 562 is the vehicle operating the Mouth of the Tyne Park and Ride service today.

The rear destination display on the Red Arrows Geminis has been updated so that the X1 being displayed matches the font on the front. Looks good!

The still unbranded yellow MPD is on the 1705 AD122 from Brampton to Hexham this evening, just passed the house.

(13 Jul 2014, 2:00 pm)Dan wrote MPD 562 is the vehicle operating the Mouth of the Tyne Park and Ride service today.

My main shot...
Go North East: 562 / NK53TLY by danielgrahamm, on Flickr


And also a slightly more 'scenic' shot - complete with a bin of some sort, given that the destination didn't come out on the one without it!
Go North East: 562 / NK53TLY by danielgrahamm, on Flickr

(13 Jul 2014, 3:29 pm)Dan wrote The rear destination display on the Red Arrows Geminis has been updated so that the X1 being displayed matches the font on the front. Looks good!

Pic attached, taken inside Washington Depot this morning, just after 6001 had been updated.

(13 Jul 2014, 8:09 pm)citaro5284 wrote Pic attached, taken inside Washington Depot this morning, just after 6001 had been updated.

Ta!

Mind, I hope aureolin's rear destination issues on the Scania L94s have been fixed too!

(13 Jul 2014, 8:09 pm)citaro5284 wrote Pic attached, taken inside Washington Depot this morning, just after 6001 had been updated.

Looks good.

I noticed the 56 now has an orange number now.. although this is a slightly different shade to the rest of the screen? I thought the white number stood out a lot more.

(13 Jul 2014, 8:22 pm)Dan wrote Ta!

Mind, I hope aureolin's rear destination issues on the Scania L94s have been fixed too!

Not yet.....