(15 Sep 2013, 12:10 pm)aureolin wrote There's more than enough congestion on the 56 already, especially along Old Durham Road. which tells me that the 57 is needed at least at it's current frequency. Maybe this will change when the 56 gets it's supposed deckers - who knows.
The 56 probably does need deckers because of the loadings. It's timetable also needs to be seriously looked at, because the reliability is very poor. I would suggest that splitting the route in some way could help, as its long route from Newcastle to Sunderland leaves it vulnerable to all sorts of timing issues. I've seen three at once on the 56 on a few occasions, meaning there's potentially been a half hour wait for passengers.