Anyone bother with the National? I'm not a fan of horse racing at all, but always end up putting a few quid on each year, not to mention the usual office sweepstakes.

Skybet and a few others are offering payout on first five places, so I've stuck £5 each way on Double Seven, and Long Run. Both are priced at 12/1.

Gas bus on the 4 today

Whilst surfing the web yesterday I came across this old news item - first published in The Journal on 29th January 2007.

[Source: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Gone+-+the...0158535040 ]

Byline: By Chloe Griffiths

A CONTROVERSIAL bus interchange built despite the protests of villagers has been demolished after less than five years - because too few passengers were using it.

The Ryton Transport Interchange was officially opened in April 2002 at a cost of pounds 600,000 - despite a fierce battle by nearby residents.

But the transport hub - which was designed to improve public transport links throughout west Gateshead - was closed last October because it simply wasn't being used enough.

Demolishers moved in last Monday and the facility, which was built on a green area despite the anger of villagers, has now been destroyed.

Tyneside transport operators Nexus say landscaping over the next two weeks will return the site to its former glory, but they have been slammed by campaigners, who insist the project was always doomed.

The Barmoor Action Group fought the interchange for more than two years - raising a 1,400-name petition, lobbying Gateshead Council which owned the site and attempting to register the land so it could not be developed.

When all that failed, they took their fight to the Government - sending more than 850 letters, hiring a legal team and lobbying for a public inquiry. They also urged Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to block the project.

Ryton councillor and former campaign co-ordinator Sally Danys said: "It has been a failure and a lot of money has been wasted. We felt very strongly that it was not going to work and we fought very hard to stop it and, unfortunately, what we said has now come to fruition. I just hope if anything can be learnt from this it is that local people should be listened to."

But a Nexus spokesman defended the project. He insisted the interchange, which was built next to the rugby ground, had been an "experiment", with many elements proving a success.

The interchange was the flagship of the Western Links project which was designed to improve rural transport and was part of a pounds 1.25m scheme funded by the Government's Rural Bus Challenge.

He said the interchange had only been built because they had received the Government grant and the decision had been taken to close it rather than waste money subsiding the facility.

He said: "The hub did not attract the number of passengers that we had hoped for. Demolishing the hub provided the best value for local tax payers, as it was a one-off payment, rather than continuing to subsidise the interchange."

Nexus have recouped about half the cost of building the interchange by recycling materials or by moving equipment to others areas of the network.

If I recall correctly, Nexus' original plan was to build two 'transport hubs' - one in Ryton and another one in Rowlands Gill. The hub in Rowlands Gill never materialised while the one in Ryton was eventually built. In my opinion, they were both ideas were ill-conceived. While a few buses terminated in either Ryton and/or Rowlands Gill, the majority of services ran through the length of each village offering connections to destinations located at the end of each route. If one can get a service to Newcastle or Metrocentre from Runhead or Crookhill then why would anyone get a bus to Barmoor, only to come back through the way from whence they came in order to reach their destination? Why would someone from Crawcrook get a bus to the hub (then on to Newcastle) when they could, quite simply, get a bus to Newcastle from Crawcrook? - It was never going to work!

Anyway, this is just one example of transport blunder despite Nexus' insistence that the experiment proved partially successful.

Can anyone list other examples of transport blunders in the North East? - It doesn't have to be a transport hub or anything big; it could be something quite simple like a stupidly-placed bus stop or the removal of a bus shelter.

(31 Mar 2014, 7:43 pm)Richard Smiles wrote As you mentioned a few days back, they are only buses, I was having to follow strict instructions as regards to the New Stuff for Teesside, but the Press release today takes us a step closer to what is coming.
I do also now know the proposed Fleet No. s for the New Teesside vehicles, but again have been told to keep quiet.

Basically so no one gets in bother, not that it is a National Security Issue of course.

Just a subtle hint though, the full block of E300 Fleet Numbers for the 2014/2015 orders run from 27101 - 27186.

Oh damn, I was wishing for a few E400's in Teesside but any new buses will do!

I think some people are missing the point to the post by Arriva... people need to check the date haha

Arriva North East
Important update: From Wednesday 2nd April all passengers travelling with mobile phones will be required to turn them to ‘airplane mode’ or completely off to enable our latest traffic light change technology to work correctly on all buses. Thank you for your cooperation.


Georgina Chelsea Sansom Whos ridiculous idea was that?! Who would do that if they are on a short journey? Not to mention that you need a signal to enable your m-ticket?!? #pointless
Like · Reply · about a minute ago

Lizzie Ormerod Hutchinson Is this on all buses or in certain area's of the country.

(31 Mar 2014, 9:12 pm)Tom wrote Yeah, I know of three, and that's it.

I beg your Pardon, there's actually 5, another one on my morning CC to work.

(31 Mar 2014, 5:36 pm)robisdave15 wrote Irregardless of who operates it something like that (4041) shouldn't be running an x4/4! What they (Redcar) gonna do when they go Sapphire?

I passed 1102 on an X4 this afternoon too!

I have been meaning to have a look at the depot for a while and seeing as I was heading home that way via Success Road, thought it worth a neb.

As well as having two Tommys Travel coaches parked up, an ex Arriva Rxxx MNU Olympian was parked up.
Didn't get full reg due to a lorry needing to be past.

Hello. Rather than clogging up other threads with this stuff I thought it would be a good idea to start another thread which has all this information separate and the other threats can be used for what they are designed for. Basically, any fleet movements before the Go North East fleet archive started on 6th January 2003 is welcome. Thank you.

Driving through Gilesgate Moor just now, noticed a nice looking 53 reg (CU53 AEG) coach in TM Travel livery.
On the dash, it had a note stating it was 'on hire to Griersons'.

However, bearing in mind the location of the TM Travel depot and where I saw it, not sure if this is still the case...