(27 May 2023, 2:00 pm)mb134 wrote Let's be honest, if people in Bedlington Station are getting the bus to Ashington it's for a specific reason. It's also not 50/50, there's 5 buses per hour between Bedlington Station and Ashington, which serve multiple areas of both places, versus the 2 trains per hour that then require a walk to get to where people want to go. Anyone who currently goes to Ashington from Bedlington Station and will suddenly hop on a train to Newcastle are in an incredibly small minority. 

I can't speak massively for the Blyth routes, but the X21 does very well from local hops that I detailed earlier that won't be impacted at all by the train. The X20 is similar - not a single person from North Seaton is going to choose the train over the X20, nor are people from Lynemouth or Ellington. 

Nobody will truly know how this will impact Arriva Northumbria until the line opens and settles in, but having a pretty good idea of how passenger flows are on the routes that are likely to be impacted, I personally don't see the impact being anywhere near as bad as what people are making it out to be.

Yeah some points. See personally I'd always take a train even if it meant walk for 10 - 15 minutes because of the reliability. 

If a train is scheduled to get in at 8.35 and I needed to go to Monument it's a pretty safe bet but a bus that got in at 8.32 isn't so you'd have to go one earlier at 8.05. Add the fact the bus takes another 35 minutes on top of that your looking at leaving let's say Cowpen Percy Arms at 6.57am in the morning vs 8.10am with a 15 minute walk. 

Personally I know which option I'd be taking there. Duplicate that to every station and you'll start making big impacts. 

(That's using the X9 times currently)

The X7 is the same around here so can see similar movement, evening buses are even worse with delays of over 30 - 40 minutes not being uncommon lately.

I can't comment on Ashington as much though it's not an area I know too well loadings wise but I wouldn't be surprised to see the X21 and X22 down to every 30 Minutes and then work with the 1/2/57 etc to give 15 minute service on the local corridors.

You're right though that we won't see the real impact until it opens, one of us will be right though.r