(06 Oct 2025, 9:35 pm)DaveFromUpNorth wrote see I still think a Tyne and Wear Superloop bus service would work under the similar remit as a trial perhaps it basically to make it easier it follows the metro route but stops at all stops on route towards a metro station.
To make it easier
SL1 St James - North Shields Via Wallsend
SL2 North Shields to Newcastle City Centre (but terminate at St James)
SL3 Airport - Newcastle City Centre (but terminate at St James)
SL4 (Start St James) Newcastle City Centre to Heworth
SL5 Heworth to South Shields
SL6 Heworth to South Hylton
Now if you think north of the tyne this would allow you to make little diversions on the route.
The whole purpose is to feed the metro system and to feed off it so for example people could get the metro to Four Lane Ends or South Gosforth jump on the SL (super loop service) which will go directly to the front door of the Freeman Hospital
little tweaks like this or certain services will pop via the HMRC on Whitley Road you could even make it so it does a quick loop round Cobalt before going to Northumberland Park
The aim is for this service to be slower but serve all the bis stops metro replacement misses but can add extra value
Metro reliability is going to be fantastic with new metros in a few years time
Although I have used North Shields as a changing hub
Heworth as a changing Hub meaning there is more flexibility for changing bus services to fit a drivers timetable etc...
Now although I said Newcastle City Centre and St James as a terminating point that is just as a visual for a metro map I would actually extend this to terminate at the RVI Accident and emergency area. The same would apply as it would allow flexibility to change SL routes to better fit with driving hours etc...
if each route operated a 20 min service and even 30 min on an evening it also has scope for an hourly service through the night say 0000-0600
This would also save money in the long run as Nexus secured services could be curtailed and force people back onto metro and superloop buses.
eg x46 Featherstone to Regent Centre and Great Park to Regent Centre creates a 30min round trip each ish feeding nexus secured services into the network.
removing unnecessary tax payer funded services on works services to HMRC buildings like the 69 service FLEnds to HMRC Benton
removal of 350 and 351 to Newcastle City Centre and link it to Northumberland Park to Wallsend
The W1 used as a feeder to Metro Stations it allows tax payer money to explore new areas to serve a route
In Killingworth 335 was removed from going over the level crossing to save time because the barrier sorry trains was using the crossing... this is a good example of pushing that money to give them a service even if it is FLE Quarom Killi loop and back a 30 min service allows it to do another 30min loop to somewhere else
nexus secured services should really be feeder services if the infrastructure is there.
look at the 350 or 351 on a evening and sunday 2 minutes behind or sometimes 1 minute it follows a 307 or 309 along the coast Road to Haymarket
it is a waste of our money.
Honestly don't disagree with that, and fairness most of it kind of already exists to an extent ie:
301 is the SL1/part of the SL2
27 is the SL4/SL5
9 is partially the SL6
It's an interesting concept.
Btw since you mentioned the Coast Road, maybe you could look at making new bus hubs aswell in tactical places, like this bit of grass here would be ideal:
If you curtailed the 350/351 short there, you could double the frequency by doing nothing, with other services like the 41/41A already existing, it would open up new connections. The added bonus being the 306/7/8/9 being so frequent it would be effectively just be the same as waiting in Haymarket for your bus since they're pretty much turn up and go anyway and effectively creating a new rapid transport line.
Extra bonus if you can create some form of Glider service like in Belfast along the Coast Road filling in the gaps where the Metro will never be, which I'm sure there's many other corridors which would also fit the criteria ie. 21/39/40/62/63 just quickly plucking some routes and that's Newcastle alone. Whether you use bendies or not, is open for discussion.