(20 Jun 2025, 8:48 pm)citaro5284 wrote It goes to show that people are wanting a service that Northstar are going to start to operate.

It will be interesting to see now what GNE does.  Metrocentre expresses havent ran for a number of years and GNE had no intention of running them I would guess.....

Will we see the big bully boys tatics rear their ugly head to try and 'get one over on Dan' - I most certainly hope not!

After 12+ months of lapping up BSIP funding to boost the network with improved frequencies and reinstatement of services previously abandoned, it would be political suicide for Go North East to react to these new commercially operated services, especially after the public support the North East Mayor has given for SMEs.

I hope the commercial team at Go North East has more sense than to show to stakeholders that they will only react commercially because an SME has chosen to reinstate a direct link previously abandoned.

Go North East should consider these services an improvement to the network and an opportunity for local residents on the outskirts of Chester-le-Street to be more likely to use their connecting services because a fast and direct link has been (re-)created.

Any other reaction from Go North East would be purely personal, petty, and out of spite - and of course the irony is that the company only has spare resource due to the loss of a contract that Go North East must have quite fiercely bid for to win back.