(09 Jan 2022, 11:51 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote Hence why I travel GNE. 


My point was serving part (Gateshead and North Tyneside) and Metrocentre and Wallsend make sense within that network.

Arriva running a service to Wallsend more regularly and serving Metrocentre, I would probably use Arriva sometimes for Tynemouth, North Shields, Whitley Bay, Killingworth, Wallsend, Metrocentre, Gateshead, Gosforth and Fenham etc.

Neither Metrocentre or Wallsend would make sense in that network. Wallsend to Newcastle is already served by Go North East, Stagecoach and the Tyne and Wear Metro. Where is the business case for yet another operator to do introduce a similar route?

Metrocentre hasn't had a direct Arriva service from Newcastle since around 2009/10. Admittedly, I would have pushed for an Arriva service from Newcastle to Metrocentre back then as I would have assumed some passengers might have used the 602 after alighting at the Haymarket. However 13 or 14 years have passed and Arriva haven't been in any hurry introduce a replacement suggesting that through travel was minimal at best. This left Arriva with only one service to the Metrocentre, the X24 from Durham, which was withdrawn around 6 years ago (perhaps sooner) due to low usage. To summarise, there doesn't seem to be much of a business case to serve Metrocentre either.

Fenham doesn't have much of an Arriva service either. If we are classing the West Road as Fenham, the Arriva frequency of the 685 is approximately once every two hours. Can't see many people sitting around waiting for that, can you?

(10 Jan 2022, 11:18 am)MurdnunoC wrote Neither Metrocentre or Wallsend would make sense in that network. Wallsend to Newcastle is already served by Go North East, Stagecoach and the Tyne and Wear Metro. Where is the business case for yet another operator to do introduce a similar route?

Metrocentre hasn't had a direct Arriva service from Newcastle since around 2009/10. Admittedly, I would have pushed for an Arriva service from Newcastle to Metrocentre back then as I would have assumed some passengers might have used the 602 after alighting at the Haymarket. However 13 or 14 years have passed and Arriva haven't been in any hurry introduce a replacement suggesting that through travel was minimal at best. This left Arriva with only one service to the Metrocentre, the X24 from Durham, which was withdrawn around 6 years ago (perhaps sooner) due to low usage. To summarise, there doesn't seem to be much of a business case to serve Metrocentre either.

Fenham doesn't have much of an Arriva service either. If we are classing the West Road as Fenham, the Arriva frequency of the 685 is approximately once every two hours. Can't see many people sitting around waiting for that, can you?

All I'm saying is that I travel GNE because they serve everywhere I go, whether I need a North Tyne, Purple or All Go Zones ticket it's one ticket for at most £7 (currently £6 with summer discounts still in place) cheaper than nearly £8 for just Tyne and Wear on multiple operators (which I'd nearly always need if using SNE or Arriva).

Quite surprising I haven't travelled with Arriva in 16 years! 

Arriva does kind of cover Wallsend I suppose and I guess the Metrocentre isn't too important these days. But still if using 1 operator it has to be GNE, maybe on certain occasions just Arriva or GCT. The business case is one ticket with convenient travel options for customers. 

The West Road is partially Fenham and has the 685 and the 47 serves Fenham at the old Newcastle General Hospital site. Waiting around doesn't happen, it's called planning and working around the available services.

(10 Jan 2022, 11:18 am)MurdnunoC wrote Neither Metrocentre or Wallsend would make sense in that network. Wallsend to Newcastle is already served by Go North East, Stagecoach and the Tyne and Wear Metro. Where is the business case for yet another operator to do introduce a similar route?

Metrocentre hasn't had a direct Arriva service from Newcastle since around 2009/10. Admittedly, I would have pushed for an Arriva service from Newcastle to Metrocentre back then as I would have assumed some passengers might have used the 602 after alighting at the Haymarket. However 13 or 14 years have passed and Arriva haven't been in any hurry introduce a replacement suggesting that through travel was minimal at best. This left Arriva with only one service to the Metrocentre, the X24 from Durham, which was withdrawn around 6 years ago (perhaps sooner) due to low usage. To summarise, there doesn't seem to be much of a business case to serve Metrocentre either.

Fenham doesn't have much of an Arriva service either. If we are classing the West Road as Fenham, the Arriva frequency of the 685 is approximately once every two hours. Can't see many people sitting around waiting for that, can you?

Makes no sense having a service with Arriva from up here to the Metro Centre. Anyone wanting to go there will drive otherwise it's a waste of time. The bus would run through Newcastle and there's no reason to choose the Metro Centre over Newcastle there's nothing there which you can't get in Newcastle so there's no reason to really go there. I'm sure there was a couple of special services from here direct at one point as a trial X50 rings a bell and it failed miserably but I could be making that up.

There's also a train from aswell which does the service which is much quicker if your near it at Morpeth or Cramlington.

The very few times I have done it, it's easier to get the 20 buses or whatever it is from Eldon Square and fork out the extra as it's a one off trip.

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Also no-one wants to go to Wallsend. Even people from Wallsend don't want to go to Wallsend it's not hard to change to the Metro if you really need to get there.

This is very quickly becoming service suggestions... could we leave that for the appropriate threads, and bring this discussion back to the topic: 'Future of the 'Big Three''

(11 Jan 2022, 8:44 am)Adrian wrote This is very quickly becoming service suggestions... could we leave that for the appropriate threads, and bring this discussion back to the topic: 'Future of the  'Big Three''

No prizes for guessing how that happened eh?