(25 Jul 2026, 4:20 am)tyresmoke wrote 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.

I think the issue is not demand but that in the past it was mostly Go North East doing the services, and it didn’t really suite them to do Hartlepool - Newcastle.  
When Stagecoach did the X55 it was hardly promoted and only running every few hours on a Saturday with the timing completely wrong so it was never going to really work.   
I think if more services were tried and they were promoted they could actually work. 
The train has the issue of often been full by the time it gets to Hartlepool and the express ones stop at Newcastle so no good for Metrocentre really.  If a limited stop Express service was tried I really do think it would work.