(04 Jan 2022, 1:52 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote Extend the 29 to the Metrocentre. Make a 29A to Allendene & Wrekenton and a 29B to Washington
Is Metrocentre still a destination where people want to go?
If you're a teenager meeting friends; or if it raining and want to spend somewhere indoors; or if you're going to for something to eat then the cinema then yes, perhaps it is somewhere people still want to go, on occasion. However, the amount of boarded up shops and the introduction of things like Jobcentres, Eye Clinics and Community Hubs into empty units suggest Metrocentre is struggling for tenants and will be for years to come. I think the future of Metrocentre will be, at best, an out-of-town version of Jarrow, Wallsend, West Denton, or Stanley only with shops which are slightly more upmarket than your B&Ms or Shoezones (both of which are present at the Metrocentre) unless drastically changes soon. The main anchors have largely disappeared leaving only M&S, Next, and Primark in the centre itself, and IKEA in the Retail Parks, and only IKEA offers something which isn't found in any other town/city centre in the North East area.
So is it really a good move to extend the 29 to the Metrocentre? I'd argue probably not, especially in a climate where bus operators are seeking to cut costs wherever possible. Plus, in the past, there was a bus between Kibblesworth and Metrocentre which, presumably, wasn't massively popular otherwise it would still exist in some form.
The 29A seems like it would be a reintroduction of the 1/24/25... lineage of bus routes. Not necessarily against that idea, however it is unlikely it would be implemented as within the last year or so GNE have merged this into what was once the 25/X25/725 service between Langley Park and Newcastle. Presumably this was done to save a bus or two so unless there are major reliability issues further south on the route, it's probably nt happening.