(08 Mar 2015, 8:18 pm)aureolin wrote It's the old Tyne Valley question though isn't it. You'd have thought there was next to no potential there, until GNE stuck their size 12s in with the X84/X85. Similarly, the risk of competition between Bishop and Darlington, caused Arriva to get their act together with the X1.
I'd say the A177 corridor has the same potential. Arriva would sharp up their game at the slightest smell of competition. They know that there are capacity issues (emails from depot confirm that), but it's never not going to be a careful balance between supply and demand.
And what has happened before when operators have tried pushing their way into well-developed corridors - Arriva's 153/154 attempt in Saltwell Park failed, as did Go North East's D4 in Durham.
No denying the X12 and 56/57/57a could do with better capacity but the issue is for them to get capacity improvements, someone else loses out (and for the X12, many millions will have to be spent and Stockton depot would have problems for months while it was being rebuilt) as Durham are presently destined to lose the majority of its Pulsars in the forthcoming months to replace Stockton's non-DDA Cadets.