(09 Jan 2013, 7:51 pm)Brandon wrote Brilliant work with the fleet list! Very helpful!

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What a palava at Heworth though. Been a couple of years since I've been at Heworth to catch a bus, and didn't even know which side to come out of when I climbed up from the Metro. Got outside, it was dark and I didn't have a clue which stand was mine and by the looks of it all the stands have been changed and refurbished. There was an almighty queue just to the left at Stand D, so I asked a guy at the end if the X3 stopped here (I didn't fancy or have time to check all the stands). He said it used to but couldn't say for certain. An M1 pulled him and the queue went down a fair bit. Turns out the X3 does stop there, but I just couldn't believe how many people were queuing at this stand, when Stand C just further up was completely empty. It was just chaos.

(09 Jan 2013, 8:00 pm)Brandon wrote Cheers I didn't know that, would have hated to have seen it before the changes then! The queue for Stand D was almost into the metro station!

Stand C was empty when I was there; but in fairness, an X9 is timed there at 16:48 and I arrived a couple of minutes later or so.

Service 557 hasn't operated in years!

(09 Jan 2013, 9:28 pm)Brandon wrote Cheers for that Tom! I really wish Nexus would do a stand map for every Tyne and Wear Bus Station/Interchange. That would make it so much easier!

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Passengers can no longer take advantage of the pre-existing hail-and-ride arrangement on Castle Road, Prudhoe; due to new bus stops now in place for the Tynedale Links 686 bus. But this seems to have caused problems for residents living in the area -

http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/news-at-a-glance/oaps-pay-the-price-for-confusion-over-hail-and-ride-1.1026142?referrerPath=home/2.3307

I can't quite believe it costs £700 for a new bus stop!

(10 Jan 2013, 7:08 am)Daniel wrote

(09 Jan 2013, 9:28 pm)Brandon wrote Cheers for that Tom! I really wish Nexus would do a stand map for every Tyne and Wear Bus Station/Interchange. That would make it so much easier!

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Passengers can no longer take advantage of the pre-existing hail-and-ride arrangement on Castle Road, Prudhoe; due to new bus stops now in place for the Tynedale Links 686 bus. But this seems to have caused problems for residents living in the area -

http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/news-at-a-glance/oaps-pay-the-price-for-confusion-over-hail-and-ride-1.1026142?referrerPath=home/2.3307

I can't quite believe it costs £700 for a new bus stop!

Just think how many times a year bus stops need to be repaired too! I'm thinking on a Tyne & Wear basis too, and not the full North East.
Countless times now I've passed bus shelters and they've had their glass smashed through - perhaps won't cost quite as much as £700 what with the structure already being there and the work being done, but the glass must be quite costly each time!
Can't believe there are only two new stops on the route though... It should continue to run Hail & Ride if they're not to implement a third one too. Elderly folk rely on this service being H&R now and they've gotten used to it. Suggesting they walk an additional 5-10 minutes is a ludicrous thought.

(09 Jan 2013, 9:28 pm)Brandon wrote Cheers for that Tom! I really wish Nexus would do a stand map for every Tyne and Wear Bus Station/Interchange. That would make it so much easier!

(10 Jan 2013, 6:51 pm)W179SCU wrote Omni galore on the 17/307 today!

(10 Jan 2013, 10:03 pm)busmanT wrote X9 and X10 pick up at Heworth going to Newcastle, they aren't set down only.

(11 Jan 2013, 12:43 pm)dans_bus_photos wrote 574 is on the X3 today aswell. 502 was on there yesterday

(11 Jan 2013, 4:04 pm)Wellsey18 wrote I think go north east really need a service that connects to four lane ends!! Only operator that doesn't and I've never understood why they've never introduced a link to that area (I know the 17 is the same,sort of area)

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And obviously they have the 353 but that isn't really their own service

(11 Jan 2013, 5:53 pm)Daniel wrote Good luck to anyone who entered Go North East's New Year competition...

Somehow doubt the winner will be announced within the next 8 minutes, so it will be early next week instead!

Daniel Graham ‏@danielgrahamm
To set out five minutes earlier than I did in 2012 for the buses I need to catch so I don't miss them! #hardwork #GNENewYearComp

(11 Jan 2013, 5:04 pm)citaro5284 wrote

(11 Jan 2013, 4:04 pm)Wellsey18 wrote I think go north east really need a service that connects to four lane ends!! Only operator that doesn't and I've never understood why they've never introduced a link to that area (I know the 17 is the same,sort of area)

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And obviously they have the 353 but that isn't really their own service

A number of years ago, they did with service 314 which operated from the North Shields area, but if I remember, but really did not carry many passengers.

(13 Jan 2013, 5:22 pm)Brandon wrote I really like that idea! Langley Park used to have its own hourly service to Sunderland on the X6.



The journey time back in 2003 was around an hour but this will have increased now. Four minutes from Sunderland Interchange to Royal Hospital? No way these days; even on the quicker route omitting the University! But there could be scope for the X25 & X26 to interwork at Langley Park.