(07 Mar 2021, 4:13 pm)mb134 wrote The flipside of that is that, to realistically compete with the X93 you'd need to look at an hourly frequency, especially if we bear in mind that over the summer they pump up the Whitby-Scarborough leg to every 20 minutes. That would be a PVR of approximately 7, assuming a journey time of around 3 hours and layover at both ends and some time at M'Boro to soak up any delays.
A PVR of 7 vehicles (and they'd need to be decent vehicles at that) on a brand new service which would compete with an established and good quality service for half it's route just isn't justifiable in the current climate. (I understand there are folks who think the X93 could be better, and I agree it could, but for the seasonal route it is I think ANE on the whole do a pretty good job with it and the B9s are of a reasonably good spec).
I don't think it needs to compete at all with the X93. I think there would probably be enough demand to operate the X93 as it is and have the X11 run it's 2/3 full return trips.
PVR to cover 60 min frequency between Newcastle and Boro, with 3 or 4 p/d extending between Boro and Scarborough. Split between two depots, surely that's not too much of a strain on resources?
To get back to the main point of the thread, if operators are trying to stop the decline in passenger numbers, then they need to be more creative than they are currently - such as creating a network which works for passengers in 2021, not 1987.
I'm not saying this X11 would be the solution, but it would have definitely been a start.