(14 Jan 2024, 10:28 pm)L469 YVK wrote Thought I'd post this given the time and year, and no about another set of changes come March. A simple idea without re-inventing the wheel, but gives a faster service to Newcastle and opens better links from the Marden Estate too including to NT Hospital. Furthermore, would also give GNE a more efficient pattern and driving hours. Will post sample times but in general, running & layover times improved.
306:
- Tynemouth to Newcastle only
- Omits Battle Hill Drive
- No change to frequency
307:
- No change including frequency
309:
- Whitley Bay Seafront to Newcastle only
- Via Marden Estate rather than Hillheads
306/307/309 Coast Road Station Road to Newcastle:
- Up to every 6-7 minutes Monday to Saturday - 9 buses per hour
- Up to every 15 minutes evenings (**including evening only 308)
- Up to every 10 minutes Sundays
307/309 Battle Hill to Newcastle:
- Up to every 7-13 minutes Monday to Saturday
- Up to every 30 minutes Evenings
- Up to every 10-20 minutes Sundays
NEW X38:
- Same as current 308 Blyth to Willington Square, then non stop to Corner House before obeserving all stops to Newcastle Haymarket
- Timed for easy connections to / from services 306 & 309 if requiring Cobalt or other stops along the Coast Road. Through fares available
- Monday to Saturday every 20 minutes
- Sundays every 30 minutes
308**:
- Evenings only running every 60 minutes. No route change
PVR's and interworking patterns
306/X38(308)
Monday to Saturday
X38 > 306 > 306 > X38
- PVR 13x
Evenings
308 > 306 > 306 > 308
- PVR 4x
Sunday daytimes
X10/X11 > 306 > 306 > X10/X11
- PVR 8x
X38
- PVR 5x
307/309
Monday to Saturday
309 > 307 > 307 > 309
- PVR 13x
Evenings
307 > 307
- PVR 2x
309 > 309
- PVR 2x
Sunday daytimes
309 > 307 > 307 > 309
- PVR 9x
Monday to Saturday total PVR would reduce by 3x. Evening total PVR would reduce by 1x. Sunday PVR would increase by 1x. Interworking the 306 with X10/X11 on Sundays and X38 standalone would be necessary to maintain connections with 306 & 309.
Disagree with these, the 306 extension is about linking Tynemouth and Morrisons, not Newcastle. The vast majority of people in Cullercoats walk the small walk to the Metro and save around 30 minutes, especially since it's pretty much 12 TPH from there as you can realistically go either way.
The X38 also doesn't make sense. Any express route should be:
Newcastle - Corner House - NON STOP - Battle Hill (Coast Road) - Tyne Met College (Embleton Avenue) - Silverlink (The Silverlink) - Cobalt - Whitley Bay - Blyth
Cobalt is a destination in it's right heading away from Newcastle, and office workers don't want to go on a magical mystery tour around Battle Hill. You now don't have the problem with people having to change buses anymore.
The 306/307/308 then all could serve Battle Hill. Lynn Road really isn't that important to warrant an express service and you'd solve the 306/308 issue at Battle Hill.