(07 Jun 2023, 3:43 pm)L469 YVK wrote But with only 12x EV's on order, Arriva will have to either....
- Curtail the 43 at Cramlington and introduce a 15 minute layover at Haymarket so that interworking can happen with the 44/45 - straight issue with stand availability waiting for 7-8 minutes before being allowed to pull in.
- Drop the 43 & 44/45 to every 20 minutes each as per current Saturday timetable to allow interworking - why would they do that if frequency has already been re-increased to every 15 minutes.
Remote reliefs to Dinnington or Regent Centre will prove costly overtime.
Other option with a Qualifying Agreement set up covering all of the 43/44/45 (except the Cramlington to Morpeth stretch).....
- Arriva keep the 43
- GNE take on the 44/45 from Riverside
It's not even that far for remote changeovers and is no further than Ashington to Morpeth which they do for numerous services.
Riverside to Haymarket will be as far (if not even further when accounting for traffic).
If they weren't profitable then they would've just kept the frequency at every 20 minutes which suggests they've recovered well.
It's not like they're dead runs like some of the County Durham services which see buses running empty from Stanhope to Darlington for example.