(12 Apr 2021, 11:03 pm)omnicity4659 wrote X14 ran into Stannington (then Hepscott Park and Stobhill) at peak times as late as 2014 if I remember correctly, so long after the new junctions were put in.
As others have said, heading towards Newcastle the bus would need to double back on itself adding almost 10 minutes to its journey which would be unlikely without a major overhaul of the timetables, whilst heading towards Morpeth it's already covered by Rural Link services.
44 was always dead heading in both directions, not sure if the southbound 44 served the village itself or just stopped on the A1 sliproad.
Cheers, I was getting mixed up with the new junction for Stannington and the new one at Morpeth, which was a lot more recent.
As for the other comments. That's a barrier which needs to be overcome. I've said it elsewhere with other operators, that they need to think creatively. Storx mentioned one idea, which would also involve opening up new links. I'm not saying that would be the answer or solution, but it's more creative than saying it would need the timetable re-working or it would end up doubling back on itself.
I think operators really need to get out of that mindset and look for solutions, so that public transport is more attractive - regardless of class or social standing.
On a slightly different note, it would be interesting to see what ANE said and what pressure they put on Highways England when the plans for the Stannington improvements were first made public. Specifically the impact the changes could have on their passengers in the Stannington area and how cut off they're likely to be.