(23 Oct 2024, 6:45 pm)ReDemPTiion wrote So slight update with regards to the electric buses going to Slatyford. Speaking to a shunter today work is booked in for March 2025 to demolish and rebuild Slatyford depot. The plan is to turn the whole depot around so vehicles will most likely face the other direction this way it is classed as industrial rather than residential (don’t ask how I have no idea) but this way they can keep the roof off. But Slatyford are unlikely to get electric buses until late 2025 early 2026. It’s unclear as to what will happen to the ones for Slatyford but seems Stockton will still only receive the 40 and keep the 262’s.
As discussed previously, if Stagecoach want to keep the funding for those buses, then they can’t just send them somewhere else, at least not permanently. So they will either have to ask Yutong to delay the build, or, should they already be built, switch around delivery schedules or at worst, locate them temporarily at somewhere with pre-existing infrastructure. However they wouldn’t be able to keep them there permanently as the money was awarded for a specific number of buses for the 30/31/36 routes in Newcastle. It’s all in the fine print.