https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/share-your...ce-changes

Idk what to say but

Really 

There's absolutely nothing here to mention bar the fact they want to withdraw the 644

(18 May 2026, 10:28 am)Nerd4321 wrote https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/share-your...ce-changes

Idk what to say but

Really 

There's absolutely nothing here to mention bar the fact they want to withdraw the 644

Doesn't the 691 exist as the X81? It did a couple of years ago, for sure.

(18 May 2026, 10:28 am)Nerd4321 wrote https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/share-your...ce-changes

(18 May 2026, 10:59 am)MurdnunoC wrote Doesn't the 691 exist as the X81? It did a couple of years ago, for sure.

Wonder if there's some further changes planned or if there's some errors in that timetable as currently there seems to be a bit of a gap before the 1900 departure out of Alston, on weekdays I think the bus ends the day in Haltwhistle.

Yes it was the X81 before, was withdrawn on July 24th 2022 as the description on a Flickr photo I uploaded a few weeks prior shows when I rode the Iveco Daily Ilesbus i-City MAX demonstrator:

Seems the morning times are different too, as it didn't get to Alston until just before 0900 after looking at the EXIF of the photo I took of the Mercedes Benz Sprinter City demo GNE had used on hte X81/681 circuit in 2017.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...4897620482

(18 May 2026, 10:28 am)Nerd4321 wrote https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/share-your...ce-changes

Idk what to say but

Really 

There's absolutely nothing here to mention bar the fact they want to withdraw the 644

Agreed, 

While this new day and age where GNE consult on changes before they go ahead with them is admirable, personally I think it only really needs to apply for more substantive changes or significant reductions. I guess mentioning potential improvements is useful too (the X1 to Haswell Plough may not have happened cause ultimately nobody cared), although I think people are more likely to respond and say don't do something than they are to write-in and say yes go ahead.

Having said all that, asking people about retiming journeys by a couple minutes is a bit of an overkill - in the grand scheme of things its not going to have that significant of a change on people's lives.

(18 May 2026, 10:34 pm)peter wrote Agreed, 

While this new day and age where GNE consult on changes before they go ahead with them is admirable, personally I think it only really needs to apply for more substantive changes or significant reductions. I guess mentioning potential improvements is useful too (the X1 to Haswell Plough may not have happened cause ultimately nobody cared), although I think people are more likely to respond and say don't do something than they are to write-in and say yes go ahead.

Having said all that, asking people about retiming journeys by a couple minutes is a bit of an overkill - in the grand scheme of things its not going to have that significant of a change on people's lives.

GNE consulting on ‘proposed’ changes is not a meeting, in the 00s and early 10s they regularly had consultations out for potential service and even allocation changes, they seemed to disappear once major service changes became a quarterly event for the company.

(19 May 2026, 9:29 am)pbjd wrote GNE consulting on ‘proposed’ changes is not a meeting, in the 00s and early 10s they regularly had consultations out for potential service and even allocation changes, they seemed to disappear once major service changes became a quarterly event for the company.

Tbf those things used to be a complete con.

Just a tick box exercise but written in a way that they'll always be accepted.

ie. asking whether it should serve a hospital on a route for people in Ashington (who don't use the bus) by cutting the core of the route down to hourly sort of stuff. Then when the hourly part moans they can go, 'well people agreed, so stfu'.

The old, not serve somewhere to make it more reliable was quite common aswell. Yeah of course everyone outside the small hamlet your cutting out is going to agree... It caused a lot of the crap network we've got nowadays imo.

(19 May 2026, 12:06 pm)Storx wrote Tbf those things used to be a complete con.

Just a tick box exercise but written in a way that they'll always be accepted.

ie. asking whether it should serve a hospital on a route for people in Ashington (who don't use the bus) by cutting the core of the route down to hourly sort of stuff. Then when the hourly part moans they can go, 'well people agreed, so stfu'.

The old, not serve somewhere to make it more reliable was quite common aswell. Yeah of course everyone outside the small hamlet your cutting out is going to agree... It caused a lot of the crap network we've got nowadays imo.

You know what springs to mind when you say this?, Arriva's great axing of 2010, i moved away, granted only for 6 months, when i left the network was as i remembered it for years before that, 343, 355, M55 etc, i came back and it was X this, X that, 355 to Whitley Bay had gone, M55 was now the 55

Go North East 19th July
Revised timetables are 58/74/96/680/683/AD122/689/56/4/57/Q3/688
Revised service numbers are AD122
Revised routes are 681/53/54
New service 681
Cancelled services are 643/644/96

(08 Jun 2026, 7:10 am)Nerd4321 wrote Go North East 19th July
Revised timetables are 58/74/96/680/683/AD122/689/56/4/57/Q3/688
Revised service numbers are AD122
Revised routes are 681/53/54
New service 681
Cancelled services are 643/644/96

New service 691?

(09 Jun 2026, 7:23 pm)DH9 wrote New service 691?

Its the one they proposed in the consultations

Yup, 691 Hexham to Alston.

682 extended Hexham to Otterburn on the same date.

Anyone know what the new timetable is for the 74?

Some more changes have appeared:

PB0003954/1198
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 684 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1469
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X70 Consett Newcastle

PB0003954/1263
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X85 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/689
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 74 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1102
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X31 (X30, X32) Consett / Stanley

(11 Jun 2026, 4:38 pm)Michael wrote Some more changes have appeared:

PB0003954/1198
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 684 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1469
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X70 Consett Newcastle

PB0003954/1263
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X85 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/689
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 74 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1102
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X31 (X30, X32) Consett / Stanley

Any info on the 74/684/X85 changes? Just timetable changes?

(11 Jun 2026, 8:06 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote Any info on the 74/684/X85 changes? Just timetable changes?

74 has a timetable change


684/X85 isn't on bustimes yet

https://bustimes.org/licences/PB0003954

Could GNE make changes to the routes not mentioned as part of the passenger consultation if they were for a positive reason? I.e the evening & Sunday X72 serving the Lobley Hill South Estate.

New 681 and 682 timetables:
https://images-gonortheast.passenger-web...able_0.pdf
https://images-gonortheast.passenger-web...able_0.pdf

(13 Jun 2026, 2:07 pm)Ex-conductor wrote New 681 and 682 timetables:
https://images-gonortheast.passenger-web...able_0.pdf
https://images-gonortheast.passenger-web...able_0.pdf

I think they're the timetables from the consultation?

(14 Jun 2026, 3:57 am)DH9 wrote I think they're the timetables from the consultation?

I never knew there was a consultation. Perhaps I missed it whilst on holiday.

(14 Jun 2026, 5:47 pm)Ex-conductor wrote I never knew there was a consultation. Perhaps I missed it whilst on holiday.

The 682 consultation came out for the May changes when they were being consulted on yet nothing was said or mentioned

PB0003954/1198
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 684 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1221
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 301 (301A) Whitley Bay Metrocentre

PB0003954/689
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 74 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1469
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X70 Consett Newcastle

PB0003954/1263
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X85 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1102
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X31 (X30, X32) Consett / Stanley

(15 Jun 2026, 7:05 pm)Michael wrote PB0003954/1198
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 684 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1221
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 301 (301A) Whitley Bay Metrocentre

PB0003954/689
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 74 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1469
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X70 Consett Newcastle

PB0003954/1263
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X85 Hexham Newcastle

PB0003954/1102
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X31 (X30, X32) Consett / Stanley

I cant think what the 301 change will be

It'll be them going back on what the change was originally. Gne have this habit of changing a service when a different operator gets the contract (IE Northstar with the 643 & Stagecoach with the 317)

The 301 will change will no doubt be sending it back to the Asda all the time since the 644 is withdrawn and they have lost the 643 so they HAVE to send something to Metrocentre Asda cause god forbid Northstar have won the 643

Ironic that the 301 was cut from Asda on Monday to Saturday when they won the 643 & introduced the 644

In the case of GNE doing this is in the past with the 317 when it got awarded to Stagecoach. They sent the 340/341 to Howdon for absolutely no reason but to try take passengers on that section of the route (no sure why that part but hey ho)

(15 Jun 2026, 9:24 pm)Nerd4321 wrote I cant think what the 301 change will be

The 301 will change will no doubt be sending it back to the Asda all the time since the 644 is withdrawn and they have lost the 643 so they HAVE to send something to Metrocentre Asda cause god forbid Northstar have won the 643

Ironic that the 301 was cut from Asda on Monday to Saturday when they won the 643 & introduced the 644

It seems like a pointless extension for Metrocentre Asda. Would It not be more beneficial to trial up the X66 extension again or rerun the S1? That way they can reconnect the Red Car Park and M&S Bus Stops. The ADLs might suit the route well in that case given their Middle Size spec 

Go North East should just let Northstar crack on with the Asda & Ikea end.

Shouldn't of binned the 97/97A/98, then there would be no need for the 301 to the Metrocentre

(16 Jun 2026, 11:44 am)V514DFT wrote Shouldn't of binned the 97/97A/98, then there would be no need for the 301 to the Metrocentre

The whole network around Whickham is a mess imo.

imo be better to up the 301 to every 15 minutes and merge it with the 96 and do a 30 minute loop around the whole thing. Then bring in an X97'esque express which covers whichever of the X30/X31/X70/X71/X72/X73 is going through there right now doing the whickham loop. Those all going via Gateshead where people actually want to be. 



Something like the above, much better than the mess right now imo. Gives you options to split the 301 into 2 at the Eastern side and do some other stuff aswell, especially between Wallsend and Tynemouth.

Well i have had an idea for a while

Would it not be better to Cut the 301 alltogether and change the route...

301 from Whitley to Byker as normal

Then Market street down to central station then express (like a 91) to team valley omiting Gateshead) out of team valley at Sainsbury up A1 to Metrocentre then to Marriott / Ikea then Asda into Metrocentre (create a dwell time )

Remove the whickham link and save 30 mins

New timetables are on Go North East website.

(16 Jun 2026, 6:14 pm)DaveFromUpNorth wrote Would it not be better to Cut the 301 alltogether  and change the route...

301 from Whitley to Byker as normal

Then Market street  down to central station then express (like a 91) to team valley omiting Gateshead)  out of team valley at Sainsbury up A1 to Metrocentre then to Marriott / Ikea then  Asda into Metrocentre (create a dwell time )

Remove the whickham link and save 30 mins

Not sure there'd be much demand tbh, it was only merged imo to reduce the number of buses between Newcastle and Gateshead (down from 6 to 3). 

In an ideal world you'd probably merge the 12(GNE)/22/301 into one corridor really.

ie:
22: Throckley - Cobalt (Every 15 Minutes)
23/23A: Winlaton - Whitley Bay/North Shields (Every 15 Minutes | Every 30 Minutes CW/ACW in Winlaton)
22/23/23A: Scotswood Bridge - Howdon (Every 7.5 Minutes)

Obviously not possible with multiple operators though.