(24 Jan 2015, 11:24 am)gtom wrote I'd be tempted to fully split the X12/X2 or alter the X2 in the following
Revert to the old classic X1 number and run...
Durham
Framwellgate
Pity Me
Chester Le Street
then as per X21 to Gateshead
Eldon Square.
Logic.
The X2 out of peak carries thin air between Chester and Newcastle. It's not an express between Chester and Durham really since it serves a lot of stops on the route. Between Chester and Newcastle it competes with a 7 min frequency 21 which many board by default. It has to suffer reliability issues through Birtley and Low Fell (though I acknowledge Pronto seems to be constantly running Durham Rd routing)
Problem is would missing stops Birtley and Low Fell cause a decrease in passenger numbers on the service, I know you don't get a large amount from these areas but I think it will have an impact on the passenger numbers and you'd have to hope the faster journey time would look more attractive and attract people connecting from other Arriva routes in Durham otherwise it will have lower passenger numbers.