(03 Jul 2021, 2:20 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote If you go via the A1, harlow green, low fell, saltwell park, bensham & redhugh bridge, it takes about the same time as the X1 between the galleries and eldon square. You would also give people a direct bus to central station and saltwell park.
(03 Jul 2021, 2:30 pm)JP6004 wrote And get snared up in the roadworks commencing on the A1
Even without the roadworks, the service is still likely to be delayed at the Mill House Roundabout both exiting and joining the A1 as it is currently a pinch point for traffic, especially during peak times. Once the roadworks are completed in 2025, congestion may ease slightly, but I don't think it will make any difference for those wishing to either exit or join the A1 at the Mill House Roundabout unless the entire road infrastructure in that area is revised.
Also, Low Fell can occasionally cause issues, as can Bensham Bank and the Redheugh Bridge (particularly on match days, for the latter), so taking all this into consideration, I cannot envisage where any saving of time would be significant enough to justify this suggestion.
As for the direct connections to Saltwell Park and Central Station from Washington, is there a commercial case for this? Saltwell Park is nice, but it is hardly a massive attraction for those living outside of Gateshead as parks of a similar nature are available across Tyne and Wear and the North East. Central Station, perhaps, but connections are available using other GNE buses as well as the Metro from Gateshead.