(26 Apr 2024, 12:44 am)logidoodah wrote See how I would change the Gateshead services to actually connect to places other than just Newcastle or Gateshead Interchange...
(if a service is not mentioned then it has not been touched - such as 21 & 27 etc...)
*My apologies for the photo quality, I have no idea how it became blurry...and when I try to remove the photos from the post it crashes*
1 Metrocentre → Whitley Bay Map5/5A Newcastle → Annfield Plain/Fines Park Map Map
- Quicker Cross-Tyne journeys to the Metrocentre
6 Newcastle → Durham Map
- New Connections from Annfield Plain to Metrocentre
- Combined frequencies 5/5A every 30 mins & 5/5A/6 every 15 mins
10/A/B Newcastle → Hexham/Prudhoe Map & Map
- New Connections from Whickham to Durham & Sacriston to Newcastle
- Combined frequencies with 6/16 to every 15 mins & 5/5A/6 every 15 mins
28/A/29 Newcastle → Chester-Le-St [20] Map Map Map
- New Connections from Rockwood Hill & Prudhoe
- New through travel on 10A/10B allowing one journey to/from Tyne Retail Park
X30/X31 Newcastle → Stanley [30]
- New Connections from Birtley, Increased combined freq.
- Combined Frequency of 10 mins with 56, until QE Hospital
45/46 Newcastle → Consett Delves [20]47 Newcastle → Blackhall Mill/Consett [30]
- New Connections from Delves to Newcastle & Metrocentre (45-46-45)
48/49 Heworth → Blackhall Mill/Winlaton [20]
- New Connections Consett to Blaydon/Winlaton
51 Gateshead | Heworth | Amazon | Wrekenton | Low Fell | Gateshead [20]
- New connections West/East Gateshead to Metrocentre & Team Valley (49-48-49)
52 Gateshead | Low Fell | Wrekenton | Amazon | Heworth | Gateshead [20]
- New Connections from across Gateshead to Amazon
53 Newcastle | Quayside | Gateshead | Saltwell Park | Newcastle [15]
- New Connections from across Gateshead to Amazon
54 Newcastle | Saltwell Park | Gateshead | Quayside | Newcastle [15]
- No Change just allocation of Q3 voltras instead
55 Newcastle → Sunderland [20] Map (Interworks with 56)
- No Change just allocation of Q3 voltras instead
56 Newcastle → Sunderland [20] (Interworks with 55)
- New Connections from Sunderland, Concord & Gateshead to Team Valley
57 Winlaton → Wardley [20] Map A | Map B
- Reduced freq to enable increased combined freq [every 10 mins] Newcastle to Wrekenton (28/28A/29/56) & Wrekenton to Sunderland (55/56)
58 Newcastle → Heworth [20]
- New cross city connections between East/West Gateshead & Newcastle Business Park
- Increased Frequency to accommodate route changes.
X71 Newcastle → Castleside (Interworks with X5/X15)
- Reduction in frequency to enable increased combined freq and route changes
97 Newcastle → Metrocentre Asda [20] (as it was for years)
Withdrawn/Changed Routes;
X72 - 5/5A/48 route replacement
16A - now 6 extension
686 - would need significantly changing (10A/10B)
34 - northern section of route either cut or changed
X45/47 - Changed into 45/46 & 47 extended once an hour to Consett
49/49A - new 47/48/49 routes encompass this route.
93/94 - rerouted 51/52 covers northern part of route. New 48/49 routes cover southern part.
96 - covered by new 48/49
51/52 - route changes now covered by rerouted 57/58
29/25 - route variation for 29 and new 55 covers northern section of route
12/57 - 12 now numbered 57 and connects to gateshead. 57 rerouted.
58 - new route
1 - route changed to run via Dunston, Western part of route covered by 97.
Some interesting ideas but the Stanley area is still much the same as now personally I'd go more radical and redo most of it so you'd end up with something like
5 (Dark Blue): Newcastle - Metrocentre - Whickham (Parts) - Burnopfield - Dipton - Stanley - 16 Route - Durham
6 (Light Blue): Newcastle - Metrocentre - Whickham (Parts) - Sunniside - Tanfield - Tanfield Lea - Stanley - 16A Route - Durham
7 (Red): Newcastle - Gateshead - Team Valley - Birtley - Ouston - Pelton - West Pelton - Beamish - Stanley
8 (Orange): Consett - `16 Route - Stanley - No Place - Beamish - High Handenhold - Pelton - Current Route - Sunderland
25 (Pink): Newcastle - QE Hospital - Wrekenton - Birtley - Portobello - Chester Le Street - Sacriston - Langley Park
26/26A (Purple): Washington - 82 Route - Birtley - Blackfell Way (26A) or Kibblesworth - Low Fell - Prince Concort Road - Gateshead - Newcastle (26)
71 (Dark Purple): Extended to Stanley via 28 Route, then direct
X70 (Green): Consett - Leadgate - Dipton - Tantobie - Burnopfield - Sunniside - Gateshead
X72: Withdrawn
X30/X31/X71: No Changes
96: Every 30 Minutes, Extended to Newcastle
97: Every 30 Minutes
7/96/97: Every 10 Minutes, Gateshead to Team Valley North
All these routes would be every 30 minutes excluding the X70 which interworks with the X71 for a 30 minute service Burnopfield <> Gateshead. It's much tidier than the mess currently around Birtley, why not actually make some connections people might want ie. Team Valley or Stanley, rather than another bus to Chester Le Street around everywhere.
The 16 from end to end is pretty useless as it is currently aswell as it does an express route on a detour, having a link to Washington or Newcastle / Metrocentre would be much more beneficial from places like Annfield Plain and it's the same number of buses running through as now pretty much taking the X72 away.
Map above
You could even make the case for merging the 1 and 7 together and giving North Tyne links to Team Valley.