(15 Nov 2015, 5:01 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Arriva could easily run these services on boxing day from their Blyth Depot between 9am and 7pm:
- 306 every 30 minutes.
- 308 every 30 minutes.
(PVR of 306/308 = 8)
- Sunday timetable as used every Sunday and Bank Holiday would in force on these services
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- X10 / X11 up to every 30 minutes serving their retrospective routes from Blyth to Cramlington then same route as 43 from there to Newcastle.
- X14 every 60 minutes between Morpeth and Newcastle.
- X21 every 60 minutes serving same route between Newbiggin and Red Lion then same route as X22 from there to Newcastle.
- 35 every 60 minutes between Newbiggin and Morpeth.
(PVR of X10/X11/X14/X21/35 = 9)
- Sunday timetable would be in force for all of the above services with minor adjustments.
This is the way that the above board would work operating anti-clockwise via Ashington and Newbiggin:
- 00:00 Blyth (X11)
- 01:00 Newcastle (X11) - including 1 minute layover at Manor Walks
- 01:04 Newcastle (X21)
- 02:12 Newbiggin (X21) - Note that layover at Ashington would only be 1 minute
- 02:14 Newbiggin (35)
- 02:50 Morpeth (35) - Note that layover at Ashington would not exist
- 02:53 Morpeth (X14)
- 03:26 Newcastle (X14)
- 03:30 Newcastle (X10)
- 04:28 Blyth (X10) - including 1 minute layover at Manor Walks
And anti-clockwise via Newbiggin and Ashington:
- 04:31 Blyth (X10)
- 05:29 Newcastle (X10) - including 1 minute layover at Manor Walks
- 05:33 Newcastle (X14)
- 06:06 Morpeth (X14)
- 06:08 Morpeth (35)
- 06:43 Newbiggin (35) - Note that layover at Ashington would not exist
- 06:45 Newbiggin (X21)
- 07:53 Newcastle (X21) - Note that layover at Ashington would only be 1 minute
- 07:57 Newcastle (X11)
- 08:57 Blyth (X11) - including 1 minute layover at Manor Walks
Do note that although times could be tight given that the Toon are playing Everton and that a VDL DB300 would have to endure a full bus on the X10/X11/X21 and perhaps the X14 as well as coping with Whorral Bank, the times after 2pm could be adjusted by a few minutes later to accommodate for the footy. Also, Arriva could allow through fares to be purchased on the 35 / X14 meaning that from Newbiggin and Ashington, passengers would have a bus approximately every 30 minutes from those points to and from Newcastle.
As an alternative, you open Ashington and Blyth, and operate the following:
Blyth:
X10/11 on a Sunday service. Last journey 19:40 X10 from Newcastle.
1 on a two hourly Sunday service.
2 on a two hourly Sunday service, operating current evening/Sunday route. Last journey 18:27 from Morpeth.
Ashington:
X21/22 on a Sunday service, withdrawing from 19:00. Last journey 19:45 X21 from Newcastle to Ashington.
35 on a Sunday service, carrying on until around 21:00. (Delay 20:45 departure from Morpeth until X18 arrives, and passengers transfer if need be.)
X18 on a Sunday service (between Newcastle and Alnwick only), last journey 20:13 from Newcastle.
Keep one driver and bus back at each depot from services withdrawn at around 7, in case duplicates of the last buses are needed.