I hope that whatever endurance / express orders that Arriva place are Scania E400MMCs if they become proven. Stagecoach did it for their express and endurance services with the Euro 5 version and they most likely probably will for Euro 6 too. This is what the Arriva orders should look like for Northumberland in the future taking vehicle type and revenue into account:
- Quorum Express and Coastliner 308 get the ADL / Cummins chassis on the E400 MMC body as they aren't too demanding routes.
- 20/X20 and X13 get the same chassis as the above due to the revenue not being high enough to justify a heavyweight chassis. If growth continues, then it could be revisited in the near future. However, the Volvo B8RLE on either the MCV bodywork or Wright Eclipse bodywork would be a good shout with the X20 increased to operating half hourly between Ashington and Newcastle and the other hourly service past Ashington operating as service 21 between Ashington and Newbiggin but only to the Cresswell Arms or Secrest Road via the X21 route to Newbiggin Front Street
- X10/X11, X21/X22, X15 and X18 get the Scania chassis on the E400 MMC body. These routes justify a heavyweight chassis owing to financial and route related reasons. Despite the X10 / X11 not being too demanding, it is a very intense express operation.
- 14/X14 despite being in the same category as the 20/X20 is a route that requires power between Morpeth and Thropton. Therefore, a heavyweight chassis would be justified due to route related reasons with growth hopefully occurring in the future.
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