(23 May 2022, 8:19 am)Andreos1 wrote Thing with trams, is that you can't really change the route. You're restricted as to which way they go and where they go to and from. They can't go in to estates, may miss out places of employment or retail etc.

Any big changes or extensions have huge capital investment whilst roads are ripped up and tracks laid.

With buses, you have a big advantage in being able to make a change, create a new route or have a variation at essentially a moments notice to suit changing demands or flows.

Bearing all that in mind, I wonder if the powers that be within certain operators actually realise they are playing with buses and not trams?

I get what your saying about routing but generally the idea would be to not having the buses all running through in tandem towards Newcastle and the local hump services (let's call them that) connecting to a frequent tram instead so effectively half the route is removed.

https://i.ibb.co/QYwn2Hb/trams.png - If you had a network like that, as that's arguably the corridors which would be best served by trams, then you could make small connecting networks in Birtley (28/82), Wrekenton (23/24/25/51/52), Low Fell (28A/29/93/94), Chester Le Street (25/34/71), Blaydon (R1, R3, R4) to connect local communities further out to Newcastle / Gateshead with routes like the 10, 21 (reduced frequency) etc still running through.

Plus you get desirable P&T sites which are situated at the 3 corners where they really should be covering the A69, A1(M) and Derwentside / Tyne Valley

(The light pink isn't at the bottom left is also the Consett Line if they ever opened that, could be an option for it to be Tram / Train connecting at Birtley)