(15 Jul 2023, 8:52 pm)EastCoastMXZ1751 wrote Or what they could do in Morpeth is:
X16 returns as its original route from Newcastle-Kirkhill
2 withdrawn via Kirkhill and retimed to operate every 20 minutes Between Morpeth & Blyth and could also have it interworking with the 35
Could also put the 1 every 20 minutes on the blyth-wansbeck hospital section too (obviously with the 1 trip an hour to Widdrington) so that the 1/2 are on their pre covid timetable
It's a 90 minute round trip from Blyth to Morpeth excluding any layover, so you'd need to add another bus into the 2 timetable to have it back to every 20 minutes between Blyth and Morpeth.
The 1/2 were increased in capacity (now full conventional) versus pre-Covid, which balances the frequency reduction. I believe the PVR was 10 on the old 20 minute frequency on both routes, it's now 8. Both routes are very strong in terms of passenger numbers, but I'd see the resolution to that being some boards being decker operated rather than putting more buses into the PVR.