(11 Oct 2025, 8:38 am)L469 YVK wrote Your ideas are pretty good. I'm not sure the X40 could sustain an 'all day' operation although could run at peak times and maybe take advantage of CentreLink. I'd also be tempted to look at putting Medomsley into the 45 corridor.
Express services:
X30 - Every 30 mins Mon-Sat daytime | Evenings & Sunday daytime every 60 mins
Consett - Leadgate - Dipton - Burnopfield - Sunniside - Team Valley North - Gateshead - Newcastle
Note: X30 is basically a re-numbered X70 to keep in-line with the X31 & X32 below
X31 - Hourly Mon-Sat all day & Sunday daytime
**Stanley - Shield Row - Sunniside - Lobley Hill Estate - Team Valley North - Gateshead - Newcastle
** 2 hourly Sunday extension to Lanchester via X32 route below after Stanley
X32 - Hourly Mon-Sat daytime
Lanchester - Maiden Law - Burnhope - Quaking Houses & South Moor - Stanley - East Stanley - Sunniside - Team Valley North - Gateshead - Newcastle
X44 - Every 20 mins Mon-Sat daytime | Hourly evenings & Sundays - Basically the X301 suggestion but less of a 'mouthful' of a number
Newcastle - Central Station - Teams A184 - Dunston - Whickham Front Street - Fellside Park - Broadway - Whickham Front Street then back to Newcastle
Other services:
43 - Every 30 mins Mon-Sat daytime | Hourly evenings & Sundays
Stanley - New Kyo - Annfield Plain - Catchgate - Harelaw - Dipton - Tantobie - Burnopfield - Fellside Road - MetroCentre - Teams & Askew Road West - Newcastle
44 - Hourly all day daily
Stanley - Tanfield Lea - Tantobie - Tanfield - Crookgate Bank - Sunniside Kingsway - Broadway - Broom Lane - Watergate Crescent - Whickham Front Street - MetroCentre - Teams & Askew Road West - Newcastle
44A - Every 60 mins Mon-Sat daytime
Stanley - Tanfield Lea - Tantobie - Hobson - Sunniside Kingsway - Broadway - Broom Lane - Watergate Crescent - Whickham Front Street - MetroCentre - Teams & Askew Road West - Newcastle
45 - Every 30 mins Mon-Sat daytime | Hourly evenings & Sundays
Same as X45 and still limited stop MetroCentre to Newcastle
46 - Every 30 mins Mon-Sat daytime | Hourly Mon-Sat evenings & Sunday daytime
Consett - Leadgate - Medomsley - Hamsterley Mill then as 45 to Newcastle
47 - Same as now but Consett to Blackhall Mill reduced to hourly during Mon-Sat daytime
Note that the 43, 44, 44A would run double back via Tyne Street and Centrelink during AM peaks.
Not a great deal of difference other than the X40, and also the X30 & X31 running more frequent during evenings & Sundays.
Also, if the 45/46/47 was re-introduced to a 10 minute frequency Rowlands Gill to Newcastle - is there a need for so many deckers including on the X30's? A batch of new B8RLE's mixed in with some of the existing E400MMC would be perfect for all of the above.....offering the right capacity and frequency with a reliable allocation. Not forgetting that the B8RLE is actually quite a good performer on the fuel considering it's more heavy-duty than a StreetLite/E200MMC. Worst case if growth comes and more deckers are needed, hoy the B8RLEs on the 8/78.
Interesting ideas but quite a big PVR increase there.
Personally if I was going back up to the 6 buses through Rowlands Gill, I'd redo the whole Western side so it's something like:
which would end up with:
45: Red (Every 30 Minutes, Hourly Evenings / Sundays)
46: Orange (Every 30 Minutes, Hourly Evenings / Sundays)
47: Purple (Every Hour All Day / Sunday)
47A: Pink (Every Hour Daytimes)
V5: Withdrawn
X70: No Changes (Every 30 Minutes Daytimes)
X71: Withdrawn
It gives most places a decent bus service during day, at least 30 minutes bar the pots of houses here and there, and everyone an hourly service in the evening with those in the Blackhill area not having to go on a magical mystery tour with journey times which are pretty unacceptable right now really.
It's technically no extra buses between Meadomsley / Ebchester and Consett either since it's utilising the existing V5 and X71.