(23 Jun 2025, 7:30 pm)Storx wrote Yeah, and I don't disagree either just in Durham, in particular, not sure it's ethically right when some areas have a genuinely dire service.  

The 8, 8A, 56 and 35A in the Southern areas seriously need sorting out and it's where I'd love to see the money spent, even if it meant creating new routes to other places (hello Sedgefield from Aycliffe) to compliment them. The places down there are pretty poor communities and more most of them it's the only service they get.

Leadgate and Meadomsley to Newcastle is another one - maybe this could be a Metrocentre service?

Don't want to go off on a tangent as your last point is more of a GNE issue.....but Derwentside is an area that could benefit from some "easy peasy" usable services (i.e every 30 minutes) that could create growth and simplify the network rather than a myriad of routes / variations like now. Featham did that in Blyth & Ashington under his tenure at Arriva and it mostly worked. Effectively, the ones you mentioned in another GNE thread.

I don't think Leadgate & Medomsley via the MetroCentre is one for Northstar, as that's effectively just a variation of the X45/47 which is a GNE stronghold and effectively mirroring the same common corridor not offering a great deal different.

But......if you look at the number of workers along Scotswood Road and Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle College etc and the lack of a fast service from Prudhoe, Crawcrook, Ryton and Stella, a resurrection of the old 604 could be a shout.

Heck, I don't know how W.Bay to West Allotment would work in terms of commercial viability / funding, but the 350/351 between West Allotment and Newcastle has potential as a commercial operation if run properly!