(12 Oct 2019, 7:54 pm)ne14ne1 wrote

How come, they’ve been promoting these new buses as having NSAs?

(12 Oct 2019, 8:08 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote Any plans to put new buses on the Blue Arrow brand? I know the 11 is Little Coasters now, but maybe Toon Link or Blaydon Racer could be rebranded as Blue Arrow. Has Toon Link gone now? When are the X84/X85 going to be upgraded to Xlines? They could be rebranded as Tynedale Xlines and the 74 could become Tynedale Xlinks X74, combining express with community links to form Xlinks. Are the X84/X85 going to get TFT monitors or stick with the LED screens? Would be good to see NSAs introduced on the 74 as it runs between Hexham and Newcastle as the X84 does. I'd like GNE to run the X84 from Lemington Road Ends to Slatyford (Slatyford Lane/The Drive then Silver Lonnen/Netherby Drive) serve The Denton, then normal route. The NSAs should be updated to include serving Fenham on the X84/X85. Any plans for the Quaylink brand to be scrapped? Maybe bring Orbit back and have the 51 (instead of Q1 and Q2) and 52 (instead of Q3), or 51 and 52 instead of Q1 and Q2 and replace the Q3 with a new Xlines X3? Are there any more indiGo buses still to be repainted as Little Coasters?

What’s wrong with the Quaylink brand??

And rebranding the Q3 as X-lines is just ridiculous, it’s probably the slowest bus from Wallsend to Newcastle out of all stagecoach and GNE offerings.

Why would you rebrand the Q3 as Xlines? The limited stop section between Gosforth and Newcastle is the only express part of the route.

Also, don’t think it’s likely that 74 will be rebranded as Xlines. The current frequency is adaquete for a service like the 74 and doesn’t carry enough passengers for GNE to be putting more money into.

(12 Oct 2019, 8:11 pm)streetdeckfan wrote X21 is advertised as having NSAs but hasn't since May

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Not good at all.

NSAs shouldn’t be seen as a nice added extra like wireless charging, leather seats or blue accent lighting.

NSAs should be an essential/high priority feature to ensure is up to date and functioning correctly if you’ve advertised that route as featuring them. NSAs enable blind and partially sighted people to travel independently and with confidence. Spending money on people coming up with new route names and colours etc does not.

(12 Oct 2019, 8:36 pm)Adtrainsam wrote

Why would you rebrand the Q3 as Xlines? The limited stop section between Gosforth and Newcastle is the only express part of the route.

Also, don’t think it’s likely that 74 will be rebranded as Xlines. The current frequency is adaquete for a service like the 74 and doesn’t carry enough passengers for GNE to be putting more money into.

To clarify, the X3 would run limited stop between Regent Centre and Newcastle then limited stop from Quayside to Wallsend.

The 74 could go back to a two-hour frequency, it provides a vital service for many communities, hopefully it at least stays in existence! My Xlines logic was that it takes a similar amount of time as the X84, and it doesn't need to be frequent to be Xlines.

(12 Oct 2019, 8:38 pm)ne14ne1 wrote

Not good at all.

NSAs shouldn’t be seen as a nice added extra like wireless charging, leather seats or blue accent lighting.

NSAs should be an essential/high priority feature to ensure is up to date and functioning correctly if you’ve advertised that route as featuring them. NSAs enable blind and partially sighted people to travel independently and with confidence. Spending money on people coming up with new route names and colours etc does not.

(12 Oct 2019, 8:36 pm)Tom wrote

What’s wrong with the Quaylink brand??

And rebranding the Q3 as X-lines is just ridiculous, it’s probably the slowest bus from Wallsend to Newcastle out of all stagecoach and GNE offerings.

Nothing wrong exactly with the Quaylink brand, it just seems old (it has been yellow and Quaylink branded since it was operated by Stagecoach) and irrelevant (the services go way beyond the Quayside now, unlike when the service was launched). I would keep a reference to it serving the Quayside, but give it a more general brand.

The Q3 is the slowest bus to Wallsend from Newcastle, and from Newcastle to Wallsend, but could be made express. The X45/X46/X47 are not particularly express services either really, but are going Xlines.

(12 Oct 2019, 9:01 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote

Nothing wrong exactly with the Quaylink brand, it just seems old (it has been yellow and Quaylink branded since it was operated by Stagecoach) and irrelevant (the services go way beyond the Quayside now, unlike when the service was launched). I would keep a reference to it serving the Quayside, but give it a more general brand.

The Q3 is the slowest bus to Wallsend from Newcastle, and from Newcastle to Wallsend, but could be made express. The X45/X46/X47 are not particularly express services either really, but are going Xlines.

(12 Oct 2019, 9:01 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote

Nothing wrong exactly with the Quaylink brand, it just seems old (it has been yellow and Quaylink branded since it was operated by Stagecoach) and irrelevant (the services go way beyond the Quayside now, unlike when the service was launched). I would keep a reference to it serving the Quayside, but give it a more general brand.

The Q3 is the slowest bus to Wallsend from Newcastle, and from Newcastle to Wallsend, but could be made express. The X45/X46/X47 are not particularly express services either really, but are going Xlines.

Just, no. Quaylink can stay as Quaylink.

(12 Oct 2019, 9:01 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote

Nothing wrong exactly with the Quaylink brand, it just seems old (it has been yellow and Quaylink branded since it was operated by Stagecoach) and irrelevant (the services go way beyond the Quayside now, unlike when the service was launched). I would keep a reference to it serving the Quayside, but give it a more general brand.

The Q3 is the slowest bus to Wallsend from Newcastle, and from Newcastle to Wallsend, but could be made express. The X45/X46/X47 are not particularly express services either really, but are going Xlines.

Why on earth would you want to make the Q3 limited stop / express between Wallsend
and the Quayside. It's not designed for people going from Wallsend to
Newcastle... There's also enough express buses between the Regent Centre
and Newcastle.

Xlines = Long distance bus routes where people are on over 30 minutes connecting places imo. If you start doing local bus routes like the Quaylink then it's defeats the point of it and you'll just end up with Xlines being the 'Standard Service' and everything that isn't Xlines being the 'Rump Services'. It's basically what Arriva has done in Northumberland with everything being Max and Sapphire bar the minibus routes and the 35.

(12 Oct 2019, 7:54 pm)ne14ne1 wrote

How come, they’ve been promoting these new buses as having NSAs?

(12 Oct 2019, 10:17 pm)Dan wrote They should be working on all buses apart from 5495 (or they were on Thursday afternoon, before my holidays!)

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5490 wasn't working today...

(12 Oct 2019, 9:01 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote

Nothing wrong exactly with the Quaylink brand, it just seems old (it has been yellow and Quaylink branded since it was operated by Stagecoach) and irrelevant (the services go way beyond the Quayside now, unlike when the service was launched). I would keep a reference to it serving the Quayside, but give it a more general brand.

The Q3 is the slowest bus to Wallsend from Newcastle, and from Newcastle to Wallsend, but could be made express. The X45/X46/X47 are not particularly express services either really, but are going Xlines.

Another post forgetting that bus routes are about more than the start and end points.

(12 Oct 2019, 11:26 pm)BusLoverMum wrote

Another post forgetting that bus routes are about more than the start and end points.

I feel like I am being very personally attacked here. All I was saying is the Quaylink brand is not as relevant as when it was launched and the Quayside was the end point, and the brand could be freshened up a bit, still including the iconic yellow but a new, modern base colour to really get noticed again, not that a big yellow bus is unnoticeable and certainly being instantly recognizable and having an established brand is a good thing but the services have outgrown the brand in my opinion.

I am well aware buses are more than just the start and finish points, I regularly use GNE buses and certainly don't go from end to end (I rarely get the Q3 to Wallsend for example, and even less often from Gosforth), but for me Quaylink is outdated even if still relevant as the services are still about serving the Quayside and other places on route. My suggestion of making it limited stop as the X3 was to upgrade it to Xlines, but I can see making too many services Xlines dilutes the brand and removes the point of it, so that was a mistake. Sorry.

I would personally drop the Quaylink brand and give the services a more inclusive brand to highlight the many places it serves, but keep the Q prefix to highlight the origins of the services.

I am pleased the Q3 is commercially operated, and has a positive future in Great Park. I'd love to see it extended further, maybe to Kingston Park and other parts of Wallsend.

Just because many services already exist, more can be introduced.

(12 Oct 2019, 8:55 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote

To clarify, the X3 would run limited stop between Regent Centre and Newcastle then limited stop from Quayside to Wallsend.

The 74 could go back to a two-hour frequency, it provides a vital service for many communities, hopefully it at least stays in existence! My Xlines logic was that it takes a similar amount of time as the X84, and it doesn't need to be frequent to be Xlines.

The X84 is nearly 20 minutes quicker. A low frequency route round the back roads of Matfen, Stamfordham and Ponteland hardly give rise to the notion of am Express route.

By using sections of dual carriageway on the A69 the X84 offsets the trip round Wylam, Ovingham and Ovington. Also, the X84 interworks with X85 so you have a half-hourly service from Newcastle.

The 74 is operated by GNE under contract to Northumberland County Council and they will decide the frequency of the service.

(13 Oct 2019, 8:36 am)Tyne_Traveller wrote

The X84 is nearly 20 minutes quicker. A low frequency route round the back roads of Matfen, Stamfordham and Ponteland hardly give rise to the notion of am Express route.

By using sections of dual carriageway on the A69 the X84 offsets the trip round Wylam, Ovingham and Ovington. Also, the X84 interworks with X85 so you have a half-hourly service from Newcastle.

The 74 is operated by GNE under contract to Northumberland County Council and they will decide the frequency of the service.

(13 Oct 2019, 4:11 am)Stanleyone wrote 6122, 6124, 6125 and 6138 have returned to Consett for X30 (temporary till E400s arrive) 5481-4 (iirc) have left. 9076 is still present but for driver famil only prior to the E400s arrival.

(12 Oct 2019, 10:28 pm)S830OFT wrote

5490 wasn't working today...

As much as you personally 'like' a route - doesn't mean to say it should or has justification become an X-Lines or NSA route, we've had this same discussion several times on another thread., it just doesn't warrant the amount that it would cost to do this.

(13 Oct 2019, 11:45 am)xpm wrote

As much as you personally 'like' a route - doesn't mean to say it should or has justification become an X-Lines or NSA route, we've had this same discussion several times on another thread., it just doesn't warrant the amount that it would cost to do this.

I would personally prefer individual route branding over having everything under one brand.

I thought Castles Express was an excellent brand but I can totally see why they chose to re-brand it to Xlines with it being the longest route (in terms of time, and length if you don't count the X9/X10 as one continuous route)

I'm honestly surprised that it isn't a condition of the contract that council contract routes must have NSA to make them more 'accessible'.

Plus, I'm fairly sure that advertising a bus service as having next stop announcements, but having them turned off for 6 months would technically be false advertisement, as is the case with the X21.

I wonder if the delay to putting the NSA back on the X21 has anything to do with the alleged extension to West Auckland that I've heard mentioned a few times recently

(13 Oct 2019, 11:30 am)Dan wrote 5492 definitely works, having just seen a video of it on Facebook!

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(13 Oct 2019, 12:59 pm)Michael wrote

Anymore details, interested to see where the X21 could end up.

It's just what I've overheard some staff talking about, from what I've heard the extension to Tindale hasn't made as much money as management thought it would, and drivers have been complaining about the route it takes through Woodhouse so some higher ups had a trip down, saw the absolute mess that is the route through Woodhouse and are thinking of changing it.

The route that they've been taking with the diversion this week is 10x better than the actual route, something which I've heard basically all the drivers say, plus from my experience very few people actually get on or off at the stops that have been missed out, plus it cuts the journey time by quite a bit

As it turns out, the reason that the Arriva 6 is so busy isn't because it goes to Tindale, it's because it goes to West Auckland and Cockfield, which I imagine is quite a bit of money that GNE are missing out on.

I personally think it was a mistake getting rid of the 18, as any traffic in Durham means the X21 is usually running 15-20 minutes late, and quite a few times they've just turned it around in Bishop and missed out Tindale to get it back on time. As much as I like having a direct bus to Newcastle, I would prefer having a bus that will turn up!

(13 Oct 2019, 1:14 pm)streetdeckfan wrote

It's just what I've overheard some staff talking about, from what I've heard the extension to Tindale hasn't made as much money as management thought it would, and drivers have been complaining about the route it takes through Woodhouse so some higher ups had a trip down, saw the absolute mess that is the route through Woodhouse and are thinking of changing it.

The route that they've been taking with the diversion this week is 10x better than the actual route, something which I've heard basically all the drivers say, plus from my experience very few people actually get on or off at the stops that have been missed out, plus it cuts the journey time by quite a bit

As it turns out, the reason that the Arriva 6 is so busy isn't because it goes to Tindale, it's because it goes to West Auckland and Cockfield, which I imagine is quite a bit of money that GNE are missing out on.

I personally think it was a mistake getting rid of the 18, as any traffic in Durham means the X21 is usually running 15-20 minutes late, and quite a few times they've just turned it around in Bishop and missed out Tindale to get it back on time. As much as I like having a direct bus to Newcastle, I would prefer having a bus that will turn up!

They could always extend the X22 through at the same time, then they could extend it to Cockfield...

(13 Oct 2019, 11:30 am)Dan wrote 5492 definitely works, having just seen a video of it on Facebook!

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It was alot better than others for next stop ! However to hill part of the 12 the bus was struggling..

(13 Oct 2019, 1:26 pm)S830OFT wrote

They could always extend the X22 through at the same time, then they could extend it to Cockfield...

I would actually prefer that, a direct bus to Metrocentre would be quite handy, but I don't see them doing it as they'd have to upgrade X22 to new buses or it would cost them a fortune in fuel

(13 Oct 2019, 1:42 pm)S830OFT wrote How long will 9073 be allocated to Consett for?

It only does the 826am and 823pm, in theory with the omnidekkas now been allocated temporarily then that vehicle is no longer required. 826 will run onto the 8:49am X30 and run off the X30 at 14:31 onto 823 then back on the X30 from Stanley about 16:15 (if memory serves). Will of course be allocated a Xlines E400 when they are allocated if that’s still the plan.

(13 Oct 2019, 2:44 pm)Stanleyone wrote

It only does the 826am and 823pm, in theory with the omnidekkas now been allocated temporarily then that vehicle is no longer required. 826 will run onto the 8:49am X30 and run off the X30 at 14:31 onto 823 then back on the X30 from Stanley about 16:15 (if memory serves). Will of course be allocated a Xlines E400 when they are allocated if that’s still the plan.

(13 Oct 2019, 4:16 pm)Dan wrote Indeed, still the case.

The issues Wrightbus have had has also had an impact on ADL (parts supply, cash flow issues with their suppliers, etc). This means that the original launch date of today (when changes to duties were made) was unachievable, hence the temporary week-long OmniDekka allocation on the X30.

6163-66 will be used at Saltmeadows temporarily to release these four to Consett.

9073 is now withdrawn. MOT expired on Friday.

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(13 Oct 2019, 10:04 am)Michael wrote Contracts coming up for renewal i think, sure it was mentioned a while back, be interesting to see if any changes are made to the Hexham contracts

---

Where has 5481-4 gone?


6162 - 6166, any of them been repainted yet?, i rarely get to go out and about these days so never know anything!

Any idea when the Hexham contracts are up for renewal? Are they staying with GNE, but just changes to routes and timetables are possible?

Good point from streetdeck fan, NSAs could be made a requirement for the council funded contracts to make the services more accessible. I only thought it would be a good idea for consistency to have NSAs on Tynedale Links services and Tynedale Express has them, but I can see the cost implication could be unjustifiable for contracted rather than commercial services. Nothing to do with 'liking' a service or not. Likewise I explained the same logic for making the 74 an Xlinks (not Xlines) X74, to align it with the X84/X85 more closely, but I can see it would be unsuitable for rebranding/upgrading due to frequency and passenger numbers - have to say rural communities get a bad deal sometimes, for example the 74 being the only bus service for many customers in Medburn, Stamfordham, Matfen, Great Whittington etc.