(11 Sep 2016, 9:17 pm)G-CPTN wrote Except that, between Newcastle and Hexham (due to the inconsistent performance of Arriva 685) GNE introduced their own service - by extending a previous service 684 that ran part-way from Hexham to Horsley(?) and this now runs 'faster' than the original Arriva 685 service as X84/X85.
Passengers now have the choice of three services per hour instead of the one (not including the TEN - which was the 602).
I agree in some cases, competition will benefit the passenger's along the route. The example you have provided is a clear case of an operator spotting a gap and trying to fill it.
Were those decisions to fill the gap short-term though?
In the case of Spirit, they have cited the extension of the X20, the re-routing of the X15 and a change to the X14 as factors.
This sort of thing may be short-term (or permanent), either way it is having an impact on the likes of Spirit.