(26 Oct 2021, 5:59 pm)Wybus wrote The fact the only GNE bus between Newcastle and Sunderland is all stops is a bit rubbish, but haven’t they tried various things in the past that have never worked?
FastCats X36 wasn’t it? And wasn’t there a Red Arrows X2 or X3 at some point before that?
Presumably most people just catch the Metro
Certainly was with X2 being the more successful but was then withdrawn in 2008 following the introduction of what was then the "Silver Arrows 2A/2C" which now the "Sunderland District Berries", I personally feel an X2 could still work if Go North East were to withdraw the 2A as not many use the service between Washington Galleries and Fatfield in it's current format after it stopped serving Fallowfield Way a few years back, I would then make the 2 a standalone service operating Every 20 Minutes with the X2 operating Every 30 Minutes giving a service between Sunderland and Washington via Chester Road up to Every 12 Minutes.
As for the X3/X36 they operated through core of the Stagecoach Sunderland Network so were never going to be successful however I do think if the shoe was on the other foot and latter were operated by Stagecoach then they'd be potentially still around today.