(10 Oct 2021, 12:06 am)Adrian wrote That was originally (and maybe still) deliberate, as it allowed for quick connections to Newcastle on the X1 with the 4 acting as a feeder. 

It just doesn't work properly in practice and ends up in a bottleneck.

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The irony being that they failed to take in to account the number of people making the change at Houghton or Shiney.
Particularly for those living on the southern portion of the route. 
It can be far quicker and you're more likely to get a seat of choice, rather than join the masses at the galleries.