(05 Oct 2025, 7:48 pm)Malarkey wrote X-lines X72, X-lines X73
Newcastle to Stanley and Lanchester
via Metrocentre (X73), Whickham (X73), Gateshead (X72), Lobley Hill (X72), Tanfield Village (X73), Burnopfield (X72), Flint Hill, Dipton, Annfield Plain. Stanley, South Moor and Burnhope.
- Service 6 Withdrawn between Stanley and Lanchester and replaced by X-Lines X72/X73 providing quicker connections to MetroCentre, Gateshead and Newcastle Every 30 Minutes Combined.
6
Newcastle to Langley Park
via Metrocentre, Whickham, Watergate Estate, Sunniside, Flint Hill, Burnopfield, Tanfield Lea, Stanley, Craghead, Edmondsley, Sacriston and Witton Gilbert
- Revised route from Stanley offering New Connections from Langley Park to MetroCentre and Newcastle Every 30 Minutes
Durham Diamond 16, Durham Diamond 16A, Durham Diamond 16B
Durham to Consett
via University Hospital of North Durham, Sacriston, Craghead, South Stanley (16 & 16B) or South Moor (16A & 16B), Stanley, Annfield Plain, Flint Hill, Dipton and Leadgate
- Services terminate at Consett Bus Station
- Connections to Shotley Bridge Hospital provide by "SBH Shuttle Service"
imo, if you wanted to do that sort of stuff I'd just resurrect the 43/44 and Diamond in full personally. They used to be absolutely packed whenever I used them to the Metrocentre and are much superior to the 50 versions which have come after imo with stuff like the X72/X73 just not existing, at all, especially since the Metrocentre locals which replaced them were binned off.
There also should be an X97 (or whatever number) doing a Whickham express looping around the 301 loop so the X30/X31/X70/X71 can all go via Gateshead where people might want to be, not via Whickham where people don't want to be and I'd have it running every 20 minutes aswell, and really push it.
From that you could resurrect the 97 and terminate it short at Gateshead interworking with the 96 every 15 minutes since the 43/44/X97 would be creating the Newcastle links in Whickham instead, creating less duplication which there is right now. Could even maybe make them into a loop possibly with the 96/97 running through the Metrocentre opening new links.
It's all pretty much PVR neutral last time I checked, all this stuff, even possibly less if you binned off the X32 - maybe could do an hourly proper express from Newcastle to Stanley running direct after Lobley Hill via the A184/Redheugh Bridge.
Personally I'd rather have a 30 minute service which takes 10 minutes longer than an hourly service which is completely useless for most people.