(23 Feb 2024, 2:49 pm)L469 YVK wrote As for Bedlington Station......if Arriva re-routed the X21 back via Hartford Road (40 mins instead of 45 via Nedderton), would only be 8 minutes slower than the train.

Also, could there be scope for the X9 route to do the X10 route between Shankhouse & Newcastle? Again, could make it competitive from Bebside.

Only issue with both of the above is which secondary services could pick up the slack

Personally I'd be looking at getting arid of the X9 or X10 completely between Blyth and Cramlington, if things really did go Pete Tong.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/55.12792...?entry=ttu - You could easily merge things together like that if need be.

With then the X9 running the X11 route into Blyth. You could even make the case of having short X10's aswell just running between Cramlington and Horton Drive so Cramlington isn't punished since there's no reason why demand will decrease there. With that new route there, your prioritising the areas which are furthest away from Bebside rather than those closest to it. Bebside station being served by the 1 or 2 to give links from the station to Blyth.

You'd also have the bonus of this new route giving pretty much all of Blyth a link to Newsham station for those who want it.

God help me for mentioning this corridor, you could even make the case for the fast Blyth to Newcastle bus to go via Whitley Bay instead, it's only actually a mile longer and the A193 comes in the direction furthest away from both train stations, Blyth to Cramlington is overbussed imo and if you lose a chunk of the Newcastle traffic there's a debate it's all needed.