(20 Jun 2023, 11:36 pm)Storx wrote The trains got increased to 3 trains per hour at the same time. There's just no demand for 3 buses and 3 trains doing the same journey. 

I know some will say they wouldn't walk to the train station but anyone with that mindset would use the 685 as it stops closer to people's doors. The bus station is in the middle of nowhere aswell.

Trains increased by 30k people at Hexham in 2019/20. The new buses were very much a fightback against them but failed miserable as anyone with sense wouldn't choose a bus that takes twice as long, not to mention on the trains you get an added bonus with the Metro Centre aswell.

Also the Pacers got withdrawn so all those 'benefits' of using the bus ie tables etc were gone as Class 156 and Class 158's both have them aswell with much more space.

Whilst at the same time, the X85 was removed from Heddon-on-the-Wall to speed up the journey and save a bus from the PVR but the numbers wanting to go direct between the two places just didn't materialise for them to keep the X85 going (with X84 revised slightly to revert back to the 684).

May be wrong but I think the E400MMCs may not have been intended for the X84/X85 originally, think they were ordered for other routes but changes and cuts during COVID left them free to be deployed elsewhere, so think they made the best of a bad situation with them at the time by upgrading the X84/X85 and bringing it into the Xlines brand in the process.