(27 Aug 2024, 9:23 pm)L469 YVK wrote Other suggestions
45/46/47 - PVR 13 and upto every 12-13 mins Rowlands Gill to Newcastle with 3 fast bph on 45 & 46 from Consett to Newcastle and MetroCentre. All limited stop between MetroCentre and Newcastle
43 & 46 would give an even headway between Burnopfield and MetroCentre too
45 (every 25-35 mins) - Same route as X45
46 (hourly) - Current X71 Consett to Burnopfield - Busty Bank - Rowlands Gill then as per 45 and 47 to Newcastle
47 (every 25-35 mins) - No change
42/43/44 - PVR 7 and upto every 20 mins
42 & 43 - 2ph via Tanfield Lea, Tantobie and Kingsway
42 & 44 - 2ph via Broom Lane and Front Street
All serving all stops between MetroCentre and Newcastle
42 (hourly) - Stanley - Tanfield Lea - Tantobie - Sleepy Village - Crookgate - Sunniside Kingsway - Broadway East - Broom Lane - Watergate Estate - Front Street - Swalwell Bank - MetroCentre - Newcastle
43* (hourly) - Stanley - same as current 6 via Burnopfield to Broadway East - Whaggs Lane - Rectory Lane / Front Street - Swalwell Bank - MetroCentre - Newcastle
* Note that there'd be an even headway between services 43 & 46 between MetroCentre and Burnopfield
44 (hourly) - Stanley - same as X73 to Filnt Hill then via Hobson to Crookgate - Fellside Road - Broadway - Broadway East - Broom Lane -
Front Street - Swalwell Bank - MetroCentre - Newcastle
X30/X31/X32 - PVR 6 and upto every 20 minutes - X29 noted in above suggestion would also give additional bus between Stanley and Newcastle
X30 (hourly) - Same as current X70
X31 (hourly) - Same as current 6 Lanchester to Stanley - Shield Row - Sunniside then as per new X30 to Newcastle (current X70)
X32 (hourly) - No change
X44 - PVR 2 (every 30 mins)
- Newcastle - Dunston - Whickham Front Street - Fellside Road - Broadway - Burnthouse Lane - Kingsway - Sunniside Road - Whaggs Lane - Rectory Lane then back to Newcastle
Current PVR = 29
- X45 - 5
- 47 - 6
- X70/X71/X72 - 7
- X30/X31/X32 - 5
- 6 - 6
New PVR = 31
- 42/43/44 - 7
- 45 & 46 - 7
- 47 - 6
- X29 - 3
- X30/X31/X32 - 6
- X44 - 2
Haven't worked out timings for X29 based of potential interworking so could be scope to further reduce PVR. Note that because the X44 does the Whickham Loop and improved 42/43/44 services and also existing service 1, 643 could be withdrawn too or subsidy used elsewhere.
By no means a perfect set of suggestions and people will have their own takes & views, but more creative and refreshing trying to focus on major points where people want to be, rather than overbussing through villages and farmers fields heavily relying on volumes in / out of Newcastle.
Services dropped if not renumbered above
- 6 > replaced by X31, 42, 43, 44
- X71 > replaced by 46 and also X30 covering in parts
- X73 > replaced by 42 & 44
Only significant link affected would be Burnopfield to Whickham reduced to hourly. The rest of the significant & relevant links would pretty much remain the same or be improved including parts of the current X71 getting a direct MetroCentre service.
See I personally find that completely confusing with far too many hourly services which are pointless.
I'd personally do the below and streamline everything in a few routes all with 30 minute combined parts so everything is connected:
10A: Extended to Consett hourly on 47 Route
45: Current X45 (Every 30 Minutes)
46: Current 47, Blackhall Mill to Newcastle only (Every 30 Minutes)
X30/X31: Stanley - Two Variants - Sunniside - Team Valley North - Gateshead - Newcastle (Hourly Each)
6: No Changes (Every 30 Minutes)
7: Current X73 (Every 30 Minutes)
X70/X71: Both via Lobley Hill (Hourly Each)
X97: Whickham Loop - Dunston - Newcastle (Every 30 Minutes)
45/46: Every 15 Minutes
6/7: Every 15 Minutes
X30/X31/X70/X71: Every 15 Minutes
It's much much tidier than what your proposing and pretty much generates the same links and isn't exactly changing much anyway as it's pretty much what the network is bar creating a new X97, scrapping the X32, swapping the 47/10A and sending all the X30/X31/X70/X71 via Gateshead.