(10 Nov 2022, 3:27 pm)L469 YVK wrote Probably a daft suggestion this one.

If GNE's driver numbers eventually recover but Arriva are still struggling, would extending the 58 north of Newcastle to Cramlington to plug the 43/44/45 gap not be an option? Could create a combined frequency through Gosforth with the Q3.

(10 Nov 2022, 3:27 pm)L469 YVK wrote Probably a daft suggestion this one.

If GNE's driver numbers eventually recover but Arriva are still struggling, would extending the 58 north of Newcastle to Cramlington to plug the 43/44/45 gap not be an option? Could create a combined frequency through Gosforth with the Q3.

(12 Nov 2022, 3:09 pm)Unber43 wrote X30 extended to Consett, this would allow the X45 to go Standalone which is desperately needed. 

X30 Newcastle - X31 Stanley - X31 Newcastle - X30 Consett. 

Increase X45 to every 20 mins, it will still interwork with the X30, however using 3 StreetDecks which would make that part of the service Standalone, giving it around 20 mins layover either end to make up any delayed time.

This would leave a PVR 4 so if an X56 was going to be tempted you could make up the PVR 5 with 6331/2.

(12 Nov 2022, 4:23 pm)Dan wrote This feels like an incredibly costly solution to a reliability problem.

If the X45 is impacting on the reliability of the X30/X31, then the cheapest and most cost-effective solution would be to terminante the X45 at Consett Bus Station. That saves c.20 minutes, which could be used for layover (15 min to be split between both ends of the route) and extra running time (no more than 5 min).

(12 Nov 2022, 4:23 pm)Dan wrote This feels like an incredibly costly solution to a reliability problem.

If the X45 is impacting on the reliability of the X30/X31, then the cheapest and most cost-effective solution would be to terminante the X45 at Consett Bus Station. That saves c.20 minutes, which could be used for layover (15 min to be split between both ends of the route) and extra running time (no more than 5 min).

(12 Nov 2022, 4:55 pm)Unber43 wrote There was an X72 arrived into newcastle 20 mins late, then went NIS even tho X71 has like a 40 mins in Consett.

(13 Nov 2022, 11:00 am)L469 YVK wrote Taking engineering into account and given that the 6 is now operated by Consett meaning remote reliefs at Lanchester and probably Stanley, would it not make sense to have the X30/X31 standalone using 6338-40 with 6336 & 6337 as Consett's 'low height' spares?

And then with other interworking patterns changed or made standalone, move 6341-51 to Riverside?

What that would mean is if all of 6341-55 were generic 'X-Lines', rather than 6352-55 getting a daily hammering on the X10, it could be spread out more evenly on a 4 day rolling rota:

- 8x X21 >> this could give the option to increase back to 9x with the long layover re-introduced
- 4x X10

Day 1 X10 - 6341-44
Day 2 X10 - 6345-48
Day 3 X10 - 6349-52
Day 4 X10 - 6353-55 & 6341

(13 Nov 2022, 10:05 pm)lxbical wrote 6337 isn't low height I believe, what would happen with x45/71/72 unless you are suggesting they also move to Riverside

(20 Oct 2022, 3:06 pm)V514DFT wrote I was thinking last night, would there be any sense in doing this
1-revised to operate Gateshead-North Shields
310- revised to operate Newcastle- Whitley Bay via North Shields effectively swapping with the 1

(15 Nov 2022, 11:17 pm)Unber43 wrote X9 - Newcastle - Gateshead - Heworth - Dalton Park - Peterlee - Hartlepool - Billingham - Middlesbrough (it woueld not go to Stockton)

Only reason I suggest this is because the X10 is currently going via Hartlepool due to the closure of the A19, and it seems to be adding 10 mins onto to the journey, so roughly 20 mins during the day time, this could potentially help GNE get back into hartlepool offereing a link that many dont have who wouldn't use the train.

(15 Nov 2022, 11:17 pm)Unber43 wrote X9 - Newcastle - Gateshead - Heworth - Dalton Park - Peterlee - Hartlepool - Billingham - Middlesbrough (it woueld not go to Stockton)

Only reason I suggest this is because the X10 is currently going via Hartlepool due to the closure of the A19, and it seems to be adding 10 mins onto to the journey, so roughly 20 mins during the day time, this could potentially help GNE get back into hartlepool offereing a link that many dont have who wouldn't use the train.

(16 Nov 2022, 10:40 am)Storx wrote If you're going to do that might aswell terminate it at Hartlepool, running this https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.7597479,-1.3361656/54.7596303,-1.3359499/@54.7191104,-1.2580641,24491m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m10!3m4!1m2!1d-1.2089072!2d54.6910187!3s0x487ef38830ffd743:0x3f35f0c8ec89cbde!3m4!1m2!1d-1.2167432!2d54.6837594!3s0x487ef3846cbe0967:0xba4dd2bf9340daa4!1m0!3e0

and running limited stop Peterlee - Horden Aldi - Blackhall Co-op - Crimdon Dene - Army Reserve Centre (Hartlepool, there's currently no bus service here - for hospital) - Powlett Road, May Street (Hartlepool, there's currently no bus service here) - ASDA / National Museum of the Royal Navy (Hartlepool) - Hartlepool and that's it.

Every Hour - Mon to Sat
Every 2 Hours - Sunday (extend Peterlee shorts)

Newcastle - Peterlee is the busiest part of the route so trying 30 minutes with maybe a few extra punters picked up from beyond there might make it sustainable. The part from Hartlepool to Middlesbrough is just competing against Stagecoach and is too long winded from Peterlee so pointless.

(16 Nov 2022, 12:24 pm)54APhotography wrote No point trotting the same route as the 23/24, better out of Peterlee, A19 to Castle Eden, A19 to Elwick and in via High Tunstall

(16 Nov 2022, 12:34 pm)Storx wrote It's longer that way from the centre of Peterlee so no real gain going onto the A19 especially at rush hour where you get stuck heading towards the A19 from Hartlepool. I was trying to keep it under an hour so it would be just an extra bus tbh doing the extension.

(16 Nov 2022, 1:44 pm)54APhotography wrote Perhaps skip Peterlee altogether, there's enough services from two operators already, stick to the A19 after Dalton Park

(16 Nov 2022, 2:04 pm)Storx wrote Aye possibly like but then you'd lose the 30 minute Peterlee to Newcastle which I think would be more popular. Not sure that many would really use it from Hartlepool on it's own it's a bit operationally out the way really. Would mean the local passengers who connect to other buses using the 6xx buses in Peterlee could connect on a single ticket rather than no doubt an explorer ticket so you'd gain the lost Peterlee -> Hartlepool link, similar for those travelling from Houghton etc could get the X1 and change onto it.

(16 Nov 2022, 2:11 pm)54APhotography wrote Difficult option choices, having travelled on the bus between Peterlee and Hartlepool, and cycled the route many times the numbers along the coast route just don't seem to be picking up.. See less and less people overall..

(13 Nov 2022, 10:05 pm)lxbical wrote 6337 isn't low height I believe, what would happen with x45/71/72 unless you are suggesting they also move to Riverside

(20 Nov 2022, 12:58 pm)L469 YVK wrote Only the X30/X31 need low height deckers. The rest of Consett's X routes don't.

(20 Nov 2022, 2:57 pm)streetdeckfan wrote The rest of the E400s should never have been ordered with the low height IMO. It would have made them so much nicer.