(24 Oct 2021, 9:42 am)RMF1254 wrote I didn’t think the 309/310/311 were that even a head way now. Besides Battle Hill have 13 buses an hour to Newcastle (306/309/310/311), Wiltshire Drive currently have one (51). Anyway, it was only a thought.
It's a shame they didn't go for a train station at Wiltshire Drive as part of the Blyth and Tyne railway scheme. Similar with reopening the old Heaton station. Could've been 3 TPH easily aswell if the Morpeth trains stopped there. Could see both of them being quite popular aswell especially if they were part of the Network One / possibly Metro ticketing with students using them.
(24 Oct 2021, 2:12 pm)L469 YVK wrote At the minute, there's 13ph (12ph on Saturdays). That's down from 15ph before Jan 2020.
The way things are going, it's only a matter of time before Arriva streamline the 306 & 308 to include more efficient interworking patterns and a similar capacity but with a reduced PVR (every 10 combined Billy Mill to Newcastle using deckers). That will no doubt see off the 306 from Battle Hill Drive to maintain reliability and keep an even service on the Coast Road with the 308.
If Arriva do streamline, it will mean:
- GNE = Main operator between Newcastle & Station Road and also to High Farm & Battle Hill.
- ANE = Still the dominant operator for Willington Sqaure, Silverlink, parts of West Chirton / Norham Road and Billy Mill.
The 306/308 won't be decreasing in frequency. The fact they've went back to every 15 minutes pretty much straight away whereas numerous other routes including the X10/X11 and 55 have stayed down in the frequency and are allocated deckers over the X7/X8/X9 shows how important they are to Arriva.
The 306/308 has other purposes than the Coast Road, they just happen to run along there. It's like saying the 43 should be cut in frequency because the Q3, 44, 45, 46, X10, X11, X21, X22, X15, X18, 30, 31 and so on serve Gosforth.