(18 Oct 2015, 8:38 am)mb134 wrote I've heard about similar complaints, especially with regards to the X5 (can't remember if that's the X7 or X8 now so I'll leave it as that), indeed the last time I was forced into using it it turned up well over 10 minutes late. 

It seems like a daily occurrence that I see quite a few very late Blyth 'express' services (how they can class the 'X5' as an express is beyond me),and I keep thinking the same, 

I think you can pretty much rule out traffic, the 43 goes through Cramlington unharmed for example (the run I see on the morning is bang on every day), and if it were traffic in Blyth it would show on the 1 & 2 as well, I've only seen a massively delayed one of these once or twice. 

I'd put it down to vehicles, I've frequently been on an X21/22 that has pulled away from a Blyth Gemini with ease, especially on the A1 stretch,

Also, as an example of timings, an X22 arrives at Newcastle in the morning at 7:12, it leaves as an X21 at 7:24, the last time I checked an X13(X9?) leaves at the same time, but arrives initially far later than the X22, meaning far less time is available especially if the service arrives 5 minutes late, and still has to get passengers on and off, of what I assume to be a busy early morning service.