(09 May 2018, 6:49 pm)Jamie M wrote You're missing an important detail that the X21 route is about 10 miles longer than the 309. That's a lot of extra BSOG payment over a day since it's done by Kilometre. It wouldn't change reliability since you're just shifting vehicles around similar work. The spare bus situation wouldn't also work in reality, since you would have to replace the current spare deckers with other spare deckers.
Well for starters, the StreetDecks would only be used on 'some' 309 trips; mainly during the evenings and on Sundays. The majority of StreetDeck workings would be on service 310 and also the X39. Having a heavy duty decker being tugged around on the 310 is surely more costly compared to a Volvo B9TL being used on a route that it is suited for (i.e the X21). And GNE wouldn't have considered GKN modifications on the B9TLs if they weren't deemed too heavy duty for the Cobalt Clipper (particularly the 310).
Going back to the spares, if GNE could find something suitable to replace the 3x general use spares on top of the 10x used on the ToonLink and 15/15A, then spare vehicles shouldn't be an issue. Worst case, passengers on the Fab 56 and Cobalt Clipper would only lose NSA's and plug/USB sockets if 6099 or 6100 weren't available.
And in terms of reliability with regards to 'similar work', the only truly fast sections of route on the 309 are:
- Coast Road between Benfield Road and Station Road
- Blyth Road between Whitley Bay and Old Hartley
- Links Road between Seaton Sluice and South Beach
And as for the 310, the only fast section of route is the Coast Road between Benfield Road and Station Road.