(06 Jul 2021, 9:28 pm)L469 YVK wrote Arriva choosing to run deckers in limp mode chasing each other through Cramlington or a tarted up B7TL will only provide a short term gain. In fact, Arriva in Blyth & Ashington will be in serious trouble if they don't improve their offering and adapt to customer expectations before BTR goes live.

Not sure what the relevance of this is in a GNE pay thread like.

I highly doubt they will be in "serious trouble" - as has been pointed out more times than I can remember, there are other passenger flows that those depots serve other than to Newcastle (and even then, folk will still use the bus given the somewhat limited nature of the train for some areas). The line, to me, is very much targeting car users over bus passengers. 

You also seem to have an issue with "tarted up" B7s - yet never seen to have a response when it's pointed out that companies such as Transdev are "tarting up" similarly aged B7s. They also aren't really "choosing" to do so, the hand is somewhat forced by the lack of cash from DB.