Volvo B7TL 6030 out on the 58 tonight


http://www.flickr.com/photos/69217501@N07/9821851996/

Anybody got an explanation why 6013 cannot turn up on time for the PM 878 Cardinal Hume Scholars service? Got a lot of p'd off friends.

Go north east have been awarded the national express diagrams for the 425/426 & some 561 services from yourbus, 14 new volvo B9 Caetano Levante coaches are due to operate these services.

...and could this be our answer regarding 14 new buses coming to the fleet, or not? :p

(19 Sep 2013, 6:05 pm)nk55 wrote Go north east have been awarded the national express diagrams for the 425/426 & some 561 services from yourbus, 14 new volvo B9 Caetano Levante coaches are due to operate these services.

Where do they operate to

Thoughts on the new GNE destination blind?
I haven't had the chance to go through Flickr and upload it yet, so will just provide a photo here until I get the chance to put it on there.

(19 Sep 2013, 6:20 pm)Daniel wrote Thoughts on the new GNE destination blind?
I haven't had the chance to go through Flickr and upload it yet, so will just provide a photo here until I get the chance to put it on there.

I have noticed on a few vehicles now, that the number is displayed very small, compared to previously.
Not sure if this was a glitch or something which has been done deliberately.

(19 Sep 2013, 3:47 pm)nk55 wrote Some people on here are so cynical of what gne do or try to do.....X3,X36,X7,X84,X85 will all fail you say. Going to durham uni just to have a dig at arriva!!!!, you obviously need to open your eyes at arriva services X1 crook-bishop-darlington was only introduced because gne seen an opportunity to quicken the then current 1/1B, now what has arriva done when the ok1 was withdrawn from crook?, withdrew the 1/1B from crook. service 6 extended around woodhouse estate every 12mins because everybody was using the jsb9 or ok18 and from durham to framwellgate moor to get passengers off the X21 going to college. Service 51 from haymarket to take passengers off the 307. How many routes do gne have to durham?, think they maybe trying to get folk out of cars and on to buses?

Not sure about others, but the only points I have made relating to those services (as far as I can remember) re the above services are as follows:

* x3 - GNE have never been able to make a bus work along the Newcastle Road corridor between Newcastle and Sunderland. I am not sure what was going to be different with this attempt. Lo and behold, after a short while the modern vehicles are shifted off, the branding is dropped and after a brief respite, the service is reduced.

* x7 - I am still convinced this should have called at Dalton Park and missed out Seaham.
There are any amount of buses between Sunderland and Seaham. Dalton Park has excellent bus connections - if you live in Seaham.
Sending it via Doxford Park and Dalton Park prior to picking up the current route around Peterlee would have made some excellent links even better.

* x84/85 - Surely sending one of these via the Metrocentre would have worked? Another missed opportunity I feel.

Obviously the team who came up with the ideas for these services felt they would work in their current format.
As a member of this forum, all I (and others) can do is voice our opinions.

As for the Durham Uni and Arriva comment - I certainly didn't see anything specifying it was a dig at Arriva.
I commented on the fact they were going to a building which was well away from the GNE network.

I am not too sure it is being cynical either.

425 operates Newcastle to London Victoria via Durham, Darlington & Milton Keynes
1st journey serves Washington & Chester le street
2nd & 4th serve Ashington, Blyth, Whitley Bay & North shields
3rd journey serves Leeds.

426 operates Sunderland to London Victoria via Stockton & Middlesbrough
Some journeys start from South Shiels and serve Peterlee, Hartlepool, Billingham, Thirsk, York and Doncaster

Dont yet know which 561 runs gne have got but they serve Ripon, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Skipton, Bradford and Leeds to London Victoria

It is also believed that the coaching unit will move to the new super depot when it opens.

(19 Sep 2013, 7:08 pm)nk55 wrote 425 operates Newcastle to London Victoria via Durham, Darlington & Milton Keynes
1st journey serves Washington & Chester le street
2nd & 4th serve Ashington, Blyth, Whitley Bay & North shields
3rd journey serves Leeds.

426 operates Sunderland to London Victoria via Stockton & Middlesbrough
Some journeys start from South Shiels and serve Peterlee, Hartlepool, Billingham, Thirsk, York and Doncaster

Dont yet know which 561 runs gne have got but they serve Ripon, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Skipton, Bradford and Leeds to London Victoria

It is also believed that the coaching unit will move to the new super depot when it opens.

Thank's, would be better if the coach's were in the new depot, least then chester could get a few extra buses in their.

(19 Sep 2013, 7:39 pm)citaro5284 wrote Can you give me some examples and I will get them checked. Thanks

Yeah, no probs.
Will keep my eyes open and try and make a note of the vehicles.

(19 Sep 2013, 5:01 pm)Daniel wrote We did, but it messed with other elements of the forum (one example being the Q+ button).
If you'd like to code one..?

Way out of my comfort zone when it comes to technology !

(19 Sep 2013, 6:34 pm)Andreos1 wrote Not sure about others, but the only points I have made relating to those services (as far as I can remember) re the above services are as follows:

* x3 - GNE have never been able to make a bus work along the Newcastle Road corridor between Newcastle and Sunderland. I am not sure what was going to be different with this attempt. Lo and behold, after a short while the modern vehicles are shifted off, the branding is dropped and after a brief respite, the service is reduced.

* x7 - I am still convinced this should have called at Dalton Park and missed out Seaham.
There are any amount of buses between Sunderland and Seaham. Dalton Park has excellent bus connections - if you live in Seaham.
Sending it via Doxford Park and Dalton Park prior to picking up the current route around Peterlee would have made some excellent links even better.

* x84/85 - Surely sending one of these via the Metrocentre would have worked? Another missed opportunity I feel.

Obviously the team who came up with the ideas for these services felt they would work in their current format.
As a member of this forum, all I (and others) can do is voice our opinions.

As for the Durham Uni and Arriva comment - I certainly didn't see anything specifying it was a dig at Arriva.
I commented on the fact they were going to a building which was well away from the GNE network.

I am not too sure it is being cynical either.

It is funny that express routes between Sunderland and Newcastle just don't seem to get the numbers that they should. Lots of people make the journey and whilst the Metro has the frequency, it isn't exactly quick from city to city, so in theory you'd think a fast bus should do well, but.....

Lots of ifs and ands for the X7 route, but Doxford Park is a peak only kind of place & Dalton Park is an off peak kind of place.

For me, X84 or X85 via Metrocentre would be crackers - the old 684 via the Metrocentre didn't work & you've already got the 10 from Hexham to Metrocentre.

Everyone's got an opinion though

(19 Sep 2013, 8:50 pm)busman101 wrote It is funny that express routes between Sunderland and Newcastle just don't seem to get the numbers that they should. Lots of people make the journey and whilst the Metro has the frequency, it isn't exactly quick from city to city, so in theory you'd think a fast bus should do well, but.....

Maybe the frequency is what wins the day?
Or, the route isn't quick enough?

There have been endless services along Newcastle Road under on guise or another and it obviously isn't the answer.

Has the x36 fared any better?

There have been suggestions of a service going up the A19 from Sunderland or fast into Washington.
Anything has got to be better than sticking with the tried, tested and failed method.

(19 Sep 2013, 8:57 pm)Andreos1 wrote Maybe the frequency is what wins the day?
Or, the route isn't quick enough?

There have been endless services along Newcastle Road under on guise or another and it obviously isn't the answer.

Has the x36 fared any better?

There have been suggestions of a service going up the A19 from Sunderland or fast into Washington.
Anything has got to be better than sticking with the tried, tested and failed method.

The flaw in the GNE approach seems obvious to me. Look at the X3 route from Sunderland city centre (on Metro line) to Monkwearmouth (on Metro line) to Newcastle Road (on Metro line) to the Boldons (on Metro line). Metro every 15 mins (on a good day), X3 twice an hour with no evening or Sunday service.

Sorry to repeat previous rambles, but an Express bus to Newcastle from Sunderland would likely be more successful if it addressed unmet need rather than duplicating routes. There are clear alternative corridors they could use out of Sunderland: Chester Road being the obvious example. The X95 was successful for years and the X2 likewise was a well used commuter & shopper link – but they wanted the Citaros for the X1 expansion, so severed the (direct) link. Even something along the lines of whichever X it was that years ago went from Ryhope – Silksworth – Herrington – Shiney – Washington – Newcastle would be more innovative than 'how else can we run a bus parallel to the Metro'.

(19 Sep 2013, 9:17 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote The flaw in the GNE approach seems obvious to me. Look at the X3 route from Sunderland city centre (on Metro line) to Monkwearmouth (on Metro line) to Newcastle Road (on Metro line) to the Boldons (on Metro line). Metro every 15 mins (on a good day), X3 twice an hour with no evening or Sunday service.

Sorry to repeat previous rambles, but an Express bus to Newcastle from Sunderland would likely be more successful if it addressed unmet need rather than duplicating routes. There are clear alternative corridors they could use out of Sunderland: Chester Road being the obvious example. The X95 was successful for years and the X2 likewise was a well used commuter & shopper link – but they wanted the Citaros for the X1 expansion, so severed the (direct) link. Even something along the lines of whichever X it was that years ago went from Ryhope – Silksworth – Herrington – Shiney – Washington – Newcastle would be more innovative than 'how else can we run a bus parallel to the Metro'.

You have hit the nail on the head and it is something I have mentioned previously.
The only place there isn't competition from the metro with the x3 is Boldon.
Which is also where the x34 and x36 pick up/drop off passengers...
GNE even said as much in the feedback they gave following the consultation

We've had confirmation that an order has been placed for Wright Eclipse Geminis of the Volvo B9TL variety to be used on "Fab Fifty Six" service 56, and these will presumably be fitted with free Wi-Fi and plug sockets (like "TEN" and "Tyne Tees Xpress")...
Do we not think Go North East would use this to their advantage? Many people would prefer those benefits compared to a more frequent Metro that can take a shorter time.

I foresee service changes...

(19 Sep 2013, 9:26 pm)Daniel wrote We've had confirmation that an order has been placed for Wright Eclipse Geminis of the Volvo B9TL variety to be used on "Fab Fifty Six" service 56, and these will presumably be fitted with free Wi-Fi and plug sockets (like "TEN" and "Tyne Tees Xpress")...
Do we not think Go North East would use this to their advantage? Many people would prefer those benefits compared to a more frequent Metro that can take a shorter time.

I foresee service changes...

Can you forsee the lottery numbers on Saturday?

Speaking of plug sockets, can anyone explain why the X1 doesn't have them?

(19 Sep 2013, 9:30 pm)Andreos1 wrote Can you forsee the lottery numbers on Saturday?

Speaking of plug sockets, can anyone explain why the X1 doesn't have them?

If I could, you wouldn't be hearing from me again! I certainly wouldn't be wasting my time on buses, either..!

I'd assume "Angel" 21 didn't receive plug sockets because passengers don't tend to travel from A to B. I always feel that the 21 is used for shorter journeys rather than longer ones (from Newcastle to Durham). It wouldn't really fit in with the eco-friendly ethos either, would it?
The "Red Arrows" X1 not receiving plug sockets has always baffled me though. Perhaps it wasn't seen as cost-effective back then, when they were first introducing B9TLs to the fleet?

(19 Sep 2013, 9:23 pm)Andreos1 wrote You have hit the nail on the head and it is something I have mentioned previously.
The only place there isn't competition from the metro with the x3 is Boldon.
Which is also where the x34 and x36 pick up/drop off passengers...
GNE even said as much in the feedback they gave following the consultation

One of reasons why the X3 was retained was because the East Boldon Residents Association and Councillors representing the area kicked up a fuss. I don't know how well the service is used between Boldon and Newcastle (or Gateshead) but presumably it was enough to make GNE cave to political pressure. So why not curtail the service at East Boldon and scupper the Sunderland link as that part of the route is already duplicated by the 9?

I agree with Busman101 about the insanity of diverting the X84/5 via Metrocentre. It would add too much time onto the route and defeat its purpose.

(19 Sep 2013, 9:26 pm)Daniel wrote We've had confirmation that an order has been placed for Wright Eclipse Geminis of the Volvo B9TL variety to be used on "Fab Fifty Six" service 56, and these will presumably be fitted with free Wi-Fi and plug sockets (like "TEN" and "Tyne Tees Xpress")...
Do we not think Go North East would use this to their advantage? Many people would prefer those benefits compared to a more frequent Metro that can take a shorter time.

I foresee service changes...

Really? The Metro from somewhere like Millfield (nearest to Chester Road used in the example) to Monument (nearest to 56 stop) takes 35 minutes. The 56 takes precisely double that. Apart from an enthusiast who enjoys traveling on buses, would someone who needs to get from A to B really opt for doubling their journey time just for the opportunity to charge their phone and send a tweet? And of course their journey time will be considerably longer than 70 mins to use the 56 because they have to get to the Interchange, or another point along the route (which incidentally largely duplicates or runs close to the route of X36 for much of its length in Sunderland - and indeed all 3 Newcastle to Sunderland services follow pretty similar routes within Sunderland while GNE chose to entirely ignore corridors south of the river).

(19 Sep 2013, 9:40 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Really? The Metro from somewhere like Millfield (nearest to Chester Road used in the example) to Monument (nearest to 56 stop) takes 35 minutes. The 56 takes precisely double that. Apart from an enthusiast who enjoys traveling on buses, would someone who needs to get from A to B really opt for doubling their journey time just for the opportunity to charge their phone and send a tweet? And of course their journey time will be considerably longer than 70 mins to use the 56 because they have to get to the Interchange, or another point along the route (which incidentally largely duplicates or runs close to the route of X36 for much of its length in Sunderland - and indeed all 3 Newcastle to Sunderland services follow pretty similar routes within Sunderland while GNE chose to entirely ignore corridors south of the river).

"I foresee service changes".

(19 Sep 2013, 9:26 pm)Daniel wrote We've had confirmation that an order has been placed for Wright Eclipse Geminis of the Volvo B9TL variety to be used on "Fab Fifty Six" service 56, and these will presumably be fitted with free Wi-Fi and plug sockets (like "TEN" and "Tyne Tees Xpress")...
Do we not think Go North East would use this to their advantage? Many people would prefer those benefits compared to a more frequent Metro that can take a shorter time.

I foresee service changes...

, has 16 being ordered, dont think they will drop the frequancy.
When are they due?

(19 Sep 2013, 9:38 pm)AdamY wrote One of reasons why the X3 was retained was because the East Boldon Residents Association and Councillors representing the area kicked up a fuss. I don't know how well the service is used between Boldon and Newcastle (or Gateshead) but presumably it was enough to make GNE cave to political pressure. So why not curtail the service at East Boldon and scupper the Sunderland link as that part of the route is already duplicated by the 9?

The demand is obviously good enough, (despite the residents association/councillors) because they introduced the x36 to maintain the half hourly frequency between Boldon and Newcastle.

There isn't normally much joy, regardless of councillors getting involved.
When the big changes came into play 6 years ago, there were nearly riots in a certain place beginning with F.
There were quite a few meetings held in Herrington when the 194 was axed.

(19 Sep 2013, 9:42 pm)Daniel wrote "I foresee service changes".

I think it's been highlighted by others that the 56 does need sorting out - so service changes may well be afoot. But will they improve the situation by providing a fast, direct, reliable service between the two cities, or just sever another direct link by curtailing the existing service and promote connections? I know what my money would be on.

(19 Sep 2013, 9:47 pm)Andreos1 wrote There were quite a few meetings held in Herrington when the 194 was axed.

I know. I remember the campaign well.

(19 Sep 2013, 9:49 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote I think it's been highlighted by others that the 56 does need sorting out - so service changes may well be afoot. But will they improve the situation by providing a fast, direct, reliable service between the two cities, or just sever another direct link by curtailing the existing service and promote connections? I know what my money would be on.

Yeh they seem to run in 2's most of the time, hopefully this is sorted

Could we see a frequancy drop? I cant see it, its one of their busiest route

(19 Sep 2013, 9:55 pm)Michael wrote Yeh they seem to run in 2's most of the time, hopefully this is sorted

Could we see a frequancy drop? I cant see it, its one of their busiest route

Maybe a split service new brand- two services service A operating the Sunderland-Concord-Newcastle limited stop, with another service doing the more local links.

(19 Sep 2013, 9:55 pm)Michael wrote Yeh they seem to run in 2's most of the time, hopefully this is sorted

Could we see a frequancy drop? I cant see it, its one of their busiest route

By my count, the PVR of the "Cobalt Clipper" 309/310 (excluding the X39) is 15. Although there are currently 17 vehicles branded (including 4911), are 17 vehicles really required?

The PVR of the "Fab Fifty Six" 56 by my count is 14 - but there are 16 branded vehicles presently.

I therefore suggest (although I could be wrong) that the "Cobalt Clipper" 309/310 will receive 15 branded vehicles, whilst the "Fab Fifty Six" 56 will also receive 15. We have not had a specific number quoted for each brand, just 34 in total.

15 + 15 = 30.
There are now 4 B9s with plug sockets and Wi-Fi going spare... Could some sort of X56 be created and the X3/X36 (in their current form) be ditched, I wonder?
A bus service with a similar journey time to the X3 that has plug sockets and Wi-Fi will surely be quite attractive? That doubled journey time previously mentioned has disappeared!

(19 Sep 2013, 9:55 pm)Michael wrote Yeh they seem to run in 2's most of the time, hopefully this is sorted

Could we see a frequancy drop? I cant see it, its one of their busiest route

I think we may see a Frequency Drop to Every 15 Minutes on the Standard 56, then the Introduction of a Limited Stopping/Express 56 Every 30 Minutes as the Seating Capacity will be Doubled once the Geminis arrive.