Ha!

The remaining Darts will probably go when Darlington get the Solos off the Durham Park and Ride and the Streetlites arrive for the X1.

Is the new 62/64 commercial?

(24 Sep 2014, 4:47 pm)Roland Pratt wrote 4648-50 repainted for the 3rd? time yet 4651 still untouched since new!

Hold your horses - 4651 will be released to get done eventually, likely once 1582-9 enter service and 4504/7/10-12/4 transfer from Jesmond.

(24 Sep 2014, 6:05 pm)Tom wrote Is the new 62/64 commercial?

No idea about the new 61/62 whether they are commerical or whether Arriva have won the tender off Scarlet Band.

(24 Sep 2014, 6:34 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Hold your horses - 4651 will be released to get done eventually, likely once 1582-9 enter service and 4504/7/10-12/4 transfer from Jesmond.

At least Stockton sent 4659 rather than 4652 as they realised it needed doing.

(24 Sep 2014, 5:01 pm)JoshP wrote When do the refurbished EcoCity's enter service in Darlo?

Must be sometime soon as they are now on our fleetlist all be it reserve, my guess is the same day as the 21/X21 starts 

(24 Sep 2014, 11:30 pm)Stuart Phin wrote Must be sometime soon as they are now on our fleetlist all be it reserve, my guess is the same day as the 21/X21 starts 

Do you reckon the 3 refurbs will be used exclusively on 21/X21 or mixed in on town work too with 4801-11? I preferred the interior of the Demo version to the now standard EcoCity so would make a nice change on the 2 home every day 

(25 Sep 2014, 6:20 am)JoshP wrote Do you reckon the 3 refurbs will be used exclusively on 21/X21 or mixed in on town work too with 4801-11? I preferred the interior of the Demo version to the now standard EcoCity so would make a nice change on the 2 home every day 

Maybe they will be used on the town work as well meaning it will be the same refurbishment inside, but who knows they might not be going on the 21/X21 there's loads of rumours going about 

Had a look through the DCC timetables and come up with the following... Hopefully they'll release the 22 one soon!

1/1B/X1
0535 Faverdale - Darlington (Mon-Fri) - withdrawn

8/8A
0551 Newton Aycliffe - Spennymoor 8 (Mon-Fri) - withdrawn
0640 Spennymoor - Ferryhill 8A (Mon-Fri) - withdrawn
0648 Darlington - Spennymoor (Sat) - runs 5 mins earlier throughout
0750 Spennymoor - Ferryhill 8A (Sat) - withdrawn

21
0617 Sedgefield - Darlington (Mon-Fri) - withdrawn
Minor timing changes - 21's leave Peterlee 2 mins later through the day
Service diverted from Wingate via Pennine Drive in Peterlee instead of Shotton

21A
1716 Peterlee - Middlesbrough (Mon-Sat) - terminates at Stockton
0634 Deaf Hill - Peterlee (Mon-Fri) - withdrawn
0717 Sedgefield - Peterlee (Mon-Fri) - withdrawn
0757 Stockton - Peterlee (Sat) - now starts at Sedgefield (0826)
Minor timing changes - 21A's leave Peterlee 2 mins later through the day
Service diverted from Wingate via Pennine Drive in Peterlee instead of Shotton

22
New timetable not yet available

23
All services leave Sunderland 15 mins earlier (at xx22/xx52) & Hartlepool 15 mins earlier (at xx07/xx37)
New early journey at 0609 Easington - Hartlepool (arr 0650) (Mon-Fri)
New 1832 Sunderland - Peterlee (Mon-Fri)
1747 (current 1801) from Hartlepool terminates at Peterlee (Mon-Fri, 10 mins earlier on Sat)

24
Service re-routed from Peterlee to Hartlepool via Horden and Blackhall replacing 22
New earlier journey at 0641 Hartlepool - Durham (arr 0801) compared to current 22
New later journey from Peterlee to Hartlepool at 2003 (arr 2031) compared to current 22 (Mon-Sat)
0812 Durham - Peterlee (Sun) - withdrawn
1923 Peterlee - Durham (Sun) - withdrawn

24X
Return journey departs Framwellgate Moor 10 mins later at 1615

62
Renumbered 42
Extended service times on Saturdays (last journey from Durham at 1712, currently 1408)

X21
New hourly express (Mon-Sat) between Peterlee & Sunderland with additional journeys at peak times (Mon-Fri)
Runs from Peterlee via Essington Way, A19 and Ryhope Village, offering journey times of just 26 minutes in both directions

When connecting to 7507's WiFi today it displayed a Sapphire login screen rather than the Icomera one, looks much smarter. Are all Sapphire buses displaying this now?

When connecting to 7507's WiFi today it displayed a Sapphire login screen rather than the Icomera one, looks much smarter. Are all Sapphire buses displaying this now?

I think the Sapphire Streetlites have the Icomera login screen. The 7 has a Sapphire login page.

(01 Aug 2014, 8:27 am)Jimmi wrote You can't believe everything drivers tell you, one driver said last year that service 7 was getting double deckers, which of course we knew wasn't the case.

You were saying....

(24 Sep 2014, 6:34 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Hold your horses - 4651 will be released to get done eventually, likely once 1582-9 enter service and 4504/7/10-12/4 transfer from Jesmond.

Still would have done 4651 first. in case there's another change of plan and they end up not all getting done!

(25 Sep 2014, 4:31 pm)Roland Pratt wrote You were saying....

It wasn't the case - single decker Pulsar vehicles were ordered instead of double deckers...
Of course, unexpected growth levels exceeding all expectations means that double deckers will have to be sourced in the future, as we discussed a few weeks ago.

You were saying....

Seriously you've gone back nearly two months for that.
This statement was made months before the Pulsars first arrived and it was well know that the service was getting brand new single deckers and I imagine the confusion of getting double deckers was because a Sapphire Enviro 400 from another Arriva devision to show some important people about the features the Pulsars would have when they arrived.

Since then passenger numbers have grown so Arriva seem to be having a rethink about single deckers on this service and my be replacing them with double deckers.

(25 Sep 2014, 4:32 pm)Roland Pratt wrote Still would have done 4651 first. in case there's another change of plan and they end up not all getting done!

There will be no change to the plan - all of Redcar's will be going for refurbishment, considering the X26/X27/X66 launch isn't until December they have plenty of time to do all of them.

(25 Sep 2014, 4:45 pm)Jimmi wrote Seriously you've gone back nearly two months for that.
This statement was made months before the Pulsars first arrived and it was well know that the service was getting brand new single deckers and I imagine the confusion of getting double deckers was because a Sapphire Enviro 400 from another Arriva devision to show some important people about the features the Pulsars would have when they arrived.

Since then passenger numbers have grown so Arriva seem to be having a rethink about single deckers on this service and my be replacing them with double deckers.

I just came across it by chance when reading posts about the EcoCities.

Anyone know what the feeling is like within Arriva, of whether the changes to the M'bro - Durham X1 has actually improved anything? My opinion is that it hasn't, with the additional journey at 1715 to M'bro often leaving just behind a late running 1700.

Back to the drawing board?

(25 Sep 2014, 7:32 pm)aureolin wrote Anyone know what the feeling is like within Arriva, of whether the changes to the M'bro - Durham X1 has actually improved anything? My opinion is that it hasn't, with the additional journey at 1715 to M'bro often leaving just behind a late running 1700.

Back to the drawing board?

The on-going roadworks in Chester-le-Street doesn't help that 1700 out of Durham south - however that is where the 1715 comes into its own, if the 1700 is seriously delayed then the 1715 means people aren't hanging around until the 1700 (and likely the 1730) arrives.

The issues of roadworks or accidents at peak time - you only had to see the choas a broken down van on the A19 between the Wolviston and north Hartlepool junction northbound caused in Middlesbrough on Tuesday - to keep it to Arriva, the 1658 arrival on the 5 to depart as the 1715 5a arrived in the bus station at 1732 (34 minutes late, having been 20 minutes late all the way from Guisborough towards Easington) leaving on that 5a about 1735-1740, behind the 1730 5 which was 5 minutes late. The 1740 X5 was then 10 minutes late, leaving with the 1750 5 behind it. The 1735 X4/4 to Loftus/Whitby, the 1750 X4 to Easington (off an X3a) and the 1805 X4 to Saltburn all left Middlesbrough within a 10 minutes window (1735 at 1755, 1750 at 1802, 1805 at 1807). Stagecoach had it just as bad - it was taking 1/13/34/36/37/38 a minimum 40 minutes to get from the Bus Station to Newport Road, then the 1/13/34 had to fight over the flyover to get to Portrack, they even had 4 36s at Hartlepool Marina at one time - 3 of which left light (2 were regulated, the other one actually finished there anyway).

Sorry if its already been noted but i've just realised something about the Redcar streetlites:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98641142@N08/15163983430/

They say "making your everyday services to (place names) sparkle" rather than just "making your everyday journey sparkle" like the rest of the sapphire services (minus 12 in Wales which has it in English on nearside and Welsh on offside.

(25 Sep 2014, 8:15 pm)Robert wrote Sorry if its already been noted but i've just realised something about the Redcar streetlites:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98641142@N08/15163983430/

They say "making your everyday services to (place names) sparkle" rather than just "making your everyday journey sparkle" like the rest of the sapphire services (minus 12 in Wales which has it in English on nearside and Welsh on offside.

Hmmm, think I prefer that if I'm honest, not sure why

Just noticed that they have fleetnumbers inside of them as well, which should be pretty helpful 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nebp2/15146322148/

On a slightly different note, above the two front right seats on the X21/22 E400's (I think only the new ones) there looks like there's some writing in a different language (maybe Welsh?), I'll try and check tomorrow 

(25 Sep 2014, 8:27 pm)mb134 wrote Hmmm, think I prefer that if I'm honest, not sure why

Just noticed that they have fleetnumbers inside of them as well, which should be pretty helpful 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nebp2/15146322148/

On a slightly different note, above the two front right seats on the X21/22 E400's (I think only the new ones) there looks like there's some writing in a different language (maybe Welsh?), I'll try and check tomorrow 

I can confirm that it is Welsh, possibly Arriva forgot to remove the Welsh from that sign.

This was mentioned a few weeks back, but it does appear that there is a duplicate working on Sapphire service 7 on weekday mornings to Durham (and probably Framwellgate Moor too) and apparently both buses are busy.

1498 now has next stop announcement screen, although it wasn't working and the screen was dark blue.

4647 is currently in Faverdale looking a bit sorry for itself, after two RTC's over the past few days. Top of the list for a refurb?

Arriva are operating extra journeys on Darlington Service 11 this Sunday, for the annual Festival of Thrift at Lingfield Point.

 There will be a 10 minute frequency in operation between Darlington and Lingfield Point on Saturday and a 15 minute frequency running on Sunday.

Just seen the below on Facebook...
https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho...e=54C4BF14

4653 at Ashington after MAX refurbishment. I'm not too sure on the livery but I think it'll grow on me
Now, just for 4660-4...

(27 Sep 2014, 5:43 pm)northern156 wrote Just seen the below on Facebook...
https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho...e=54C4BF14

4653 at Ashington after MAX refurbishment. I'm not too sure on the livery but I think it'll grow on me
Now, just for 4660-4...

Think you'll find it's 4659 (and the photo doesn't seem to be showing - see attached below)



As for 4660-4, think you'll be waiting a while for them to be done................

(27 Sep 2014, 6:29 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Think you'll find it's 4659 (and the photo doesn't seem to be showing - see attached below)



As for 4660-4, think you'll be waiting a while for them to be done................

Oh sh*t yeah! Never noticed the registration!

Yeah, knew it was going to be a while - just wishful thinking.