(24 Jul 2026, 9:58 pm)col87 wrote So in that case then does the NECA have the power to say it has to be 3-4 carriages as at the moment they is usually only 2 which can already be quite full by the time it gets to Hartlepool.  An express bus service could mean a more comfortable ride.

Simple answer is no… but maybe if rail revolution kicks off then maybe? You’re looking at the far future there though.

As for longer distance bus services from Hartlepool. There’s a reason they don’t exist already. The ones that did in the past have gradually disappeared. There’s probably a reason for that.

I have to say at Coatham we started doing a bit of work from Hartlepool when the coach operators there disappeared. There wasn’t a huge amount though… and the lack of decent operators in East Durham (Peterlee etc) area tells you there is limited demand other than home to school.

People just don’t travel long distance, and what demand there is - is swept up by the train these days, especially since they doubled the service up the coast it’s covering the demand most of the time.