It’s all very positive, metro centre is growing again post covid and has secured some really strong retailers (urban outfitters the latest biggie) and other exciting developments.

This will open up the job market in metro centre to those in the DH postcodes and benefit existing employees hugely, if you’re minimum to lower wage the time alone saved will be priceless to you.

If anything this is where BSIP should be deployed, not to a multinational operating 20 year old heaps on a heavily served corridor

(20 Jun 2025, 11:08 pm)Ambassador wrote It’s all very positive, metro centre is growing again post covid and has secured some really strong retailers (urban outfitters the latest biggie) and other exciting developments.
This will open up the job market in metro centre to those in the DH postcodes and benefit existing employees hugely, if you’re minimum to lower wage the time alone saved will be priceless to you.
If anything this is where BSIP should be deployed, not to a multinational operating 20 year old heaps on a heavily served corridor

Not sure BSIP should be spent on links to the MetroCentre mind when the links are already alright. 

It's Southern Co. Durham where the money should be spent, large villages like Coundon who currently have no service, at all, on a Sunday evening - for example or links like Sedgefield to Darlington via Newton Aycliffe which is a very vocal one and was commercially viable until quite recently - really surprised this corridor hasn't been looked at tbh.

I'm surprised an independent hasn't tried to make a go of getting some routes in that area as Arriva and GoNorthEast have pretty much packed their bags since they both shut their depots in the area.

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For this service I'd probably try and be more creative with the route even known it might make it a bit uneven hourly wise and extend the X43 to Newcastle for the first two runs and from Newcastle for the last 2 runs with it extending onto a B1 to Beamish via Gateshead Interchange which extends onto the 2 long X43 boards. The X22 then doing similar but running direct from the Metrocentre to Beamish via Birtley as a B2 then both running dead to do their respective runs to the Metrocentre after that.

Beamish is horribly served and there's potential there to get some healthy loads, it's arguably better than running empty as no-one wants a express to Stanley / CLS at 9/10am on a Saturday morning or an express to the Metrocentre at 3/4pm when there's no return route and they're ideal for Beamish punters.

(20 Jun 2025, 5:52 pm)morritt89 wrote It's great to see small operators filling gaps in the market whereas the big boys seem to be keeping with the same old rather than trying something new  (and shrinking networks as well for that matter).

I note previous comments and questions regarding Durham and Chester Le Street expresses to the Metrocentre. Wasn't there also a similar service operated by Arriva (possibly started at Bishop Auckland) ?

I don’t know if it had previously been more frequent but Arriva previously had the Saturday only and every other hour X24 from Durham.

(20 Jun 2025, 11:08 pm)Ambassador wrote It’s all very positive, metro centre is growing again post covid and has secured some really strong retailers (urban outfitters the latest biggie) and other exciting developments.

This will open up the job market in metro centre to those in the DH postcodes and benefit existing employees hugely, if you’re minimum to lower wage the time alone saved will be priceless to you.

If anything this is where BSIP should be deployed, not to a multinational operating 20 year old heaps on a heavily served corridor

Is there a reason the X22 & X43 are School Holidays only on Werkdays. Surely they could fit a couple of runs in between scholars

(21 Jun 2025, 7:49 am)ASX_Terranova wrote Is there a reason the X22 & X43 are School Holidays only on Werkdays. Surely they could fit a couple of runs in between scholars

The old metrocentre expresses were rammed when the kids were off school but I caught the X22 from Durham regularly and it was fairly quiet on weekdays when kids were in school. It's never going to compete with free parking for most adults.

(21 Jun 2025, 11:30 am)BusLoverMum wrote The old metrocentre expresses were rammed when the kids were off school but I caught the X22 from Durham regularly and it was fairly quiet on weekdays when kids were in school. It's never going to compete with free parking for most adults.

To be fair the MetroCentre is dead aswell during the week. Could drop a pin half the time.

(20 Jun 2025, 5:52 pm)morritt89 wrote It's great to see small operators filling gaps in the market whereas the big boys seem to be keeping with the same old rather than trying something new  (and shrinking networks as well for that matter).

I note previous comments and questions regarding Durham and Chester Le Street expresses to the Metrocentre. Wasn't there also a similar service operated by Arriva (possibly started at Bishop Auckland) ?

X24, this went back to OK Travel days primarily running from Bishop Auckland & Spennymoor (possibly Durham too?) with I think some journeys either extending to Cockfield or was a through connection, became GNE through takeovers then fell into Arriva operation after GNE closed their Bishop depot, continued to run to Bishop for a while but eventually got chopped to just do Durham to Metrocentre via Birtley.

(20 Jun 2025, 6:09 pm)Andreos1 wrote Theres been a few variations of the Metrocentre 'Durham' expresses with  random destinations.

Fishburn and Broomside probably being the most obscure places to appear on the blinds.

There was the X27, another old throwback like the X24, eventually passing to Arriva and started at Sedgefield. Pygalls brought it back some time after ANE binned it, think it started at Thornley and ran via Peterlee and Washington Galleries, was just one trip in each direction.

(21 Jun 2025, 3:38 pm)Jimmi wrote There was the X27, another old throwback like the X24, eventually passing to Arriva and started at Sedgefield. Pygalls brought it back some time after ANE binned it, think it started at Thornley and ran via Peterlee and Washington Galleries, was just one trip in each direction.

More recently than I remember
https://share.google/u5HzYDGDj4fZ5icgA

(21 Jun 2025, 5:19 pm)BusLoverMum wrote More recently than I remember
https://share.google/u5HzYDGDj4fZ5icgA

Shame the website with the timetable is long gone.

(22 Jun 2025, 9:43 am)alexanderdennis0312933 wrote Shame the website with the timetable is long gone.

This is a good random one, presumably run by Arriva. Bishop Middleham! 
X27BishopMiddlehamNewcastleMetroCentreSeptember2002.pdf https://share.google/9WCWuiK1SsrnouHdu

A article about a later, more limited iteration 
Subsidised shoppers' bus to be extended | The Northern Echo https://share.google/DdQVbxfRaGRjDFobp

There was a 2008 timetable in the bygone era section, here but the jpg image of it has gone. That looks to have been Go Ahead Northern.

(22 Jun 2025, 12:04 pm)BusLoverMum wrote This is a good random one, presumably run by Arriva. Bishop Middleham! 
X27BishopMiddlehamNewcastleMetroCentreSeptember2002.pdf https://share.google/9WCWuiK1SsrnouHdu

A article about a later, more limited iteration 
Subsidised shoppers' bus to be extended | The Northern Echo https://share.google/DdQVbxfRaGRjDFobp

There was a 2008 timetable in the bygone era section, here but the jpg image of it has gone.

I believe the X27 was run by OK .

(22 Jun 2025, 1:21 pm)Retro Nero wrote I believe the X27 was run by OK .

Not in 2002. Go Ahead bought them in 1995.

wasnt there another stab at an X27 , must have been around 2012, once again went to Fishburn

(22 Jun 2025, 3:13 pm)V514DFT wrote wasnt there another stab at an X27 , must have been around 2012, once again went to Fishburn

That was the Pygalls one.

(21 Jun 2025, 6:35 am)Storx wrote For this service I'd probably try and be more creative with the route even known it might make it a bit uneven hourly wise and extend the X43 to Newcastle for the first two runs and from Newcastle for the last 2 runs with it extending onto a B1 to Beamish via Gateshead Interchange which extends onto the 2 long X43 boards. The X22 then doing similar but running direct from the Metrocentre to Beamish via Birtley as a B2 then both running dead to do their respective runs to the Metrocentre after that.

Beamish is horribly served and there's potential there to get some healthy loads, it's arguably better than running empty as no-one wants a express to Stanley / CLS at 9/10am on a Saturday morning or an express to the Metrocentre at 3/4pm when there's no return route and they're ideal for Beamish punters.

I don't think the network is ready for creativity. 

I do see your point but I think making it easier for large swathes of the population to get to a centre of employment or make a day out a little more affordable (both in terms of money and time poor) is a good thing and a positive use of BSIP 

On Beamish, I don't think it'll ever take off as a public transport option. During its peak, buses can't get near it and they end up diverting past it anyway. The current provision seems to cope ok, I imagine if commercial demand was there it would have happened by now - the fact they're looking at investigating expanding the car park tells us all we need to know.

(23 Jun 2025, 2:53 pm)Ambassador wrote I don't think the network is ready for creativity. 

I do see your point but I think making it easier for large swathes of the population to get to a centre of employment or make a day out a little more affordable (both in terms of money and time poor) is a good thing and a positive use of BSIP 

On Beamish, I don't think it'll ever take off as a public transport option. During its peak, buses can't get near it and they end up diverting past it anyway. The current provision seems to cope ok, I imagine if commercial demand was there it would have happened by now - the fact they're looking at investigating expanding the car park tells us all we need to know.

Yeah, and I don't disagree either just in Durham, in particular, not sure it's ethically right when some areas have a genuinely dire service.  

The 8, 8A, 56 and 35A in the Southern areas seriously need sorting out and it's where I'd love to see the money spent, even if it meant creating new routes to other places (hello Sedgefield from Aycliffe) to compliment them. The places down there are pretty poor communities and more most of them it's the only service they get.

Leadgate and Meadomsley to Newcastle is another one - maybe this could be a Metrocentre service?

Firstly would like to say good luck to Dan and everyone at North Star and hope the Metrocentre express are successful.

As for the point of Beamish I actually agree it would be good to get easier public transport there but I think like a few other locations in the North East ( those been diggerland, Lightwater Valley, Flamingoland ) it’s one for the coach companies to up there game with by offering cheap day trips to these places as I don’t see it been viable for buses as you generally go early and come back around mid to late afternoon so not really places people generally go to thoughout the day.

One other service to Metrocentre was the X99 that terminated at Seaton Carew and survived quite a few years into Stagecoach ownership think it only ended around 2003/2004

If the company is successful then ai hope Dan will consider Hartlepool and Teesside some day as they plenty of gaps that need filling here.

(23 Jun 2025, 7:43 pm)col87 wrote As for the point of Beamish I actually agree it would be good to get easier public transport there but I think like a few other locations in the North East ( those been diggerland, Lightwater Valley, Flamingoland ) it’s one for the coach companies to up there game with by offering cheap day trips to these places as I don’t see it been viable for buses as you generally go early and come back around mid to late afternoon so not really places people generally go to thoughout the day.  

Aye agree with you there, and it's why I kind of think this is the route that might just work as buses to the Metrocentre have the same problem in a way as who wants to go to the Stanley or CLS from the Metrocentre at 9am in the morning on a Saturday. 

Beamish is just along the road from Stanley so instead of a dead bus from the Metrocentre to Stanley, why not run a bus to Beamish instead, then run it dead back to Stanley to do the next Metrocentre bus which then reverses later in the day as there's the same issue where no-one wants to go to the Metrocentre at 4pm when there's no return bus so why not pop along to Beamish instead and run direct to Newcastle / Gateshead / Metrocentre or wherever you wanted to run it to.

(23 Jun 2025, 7:30 pm)Storx wrote Yeah, and I don't disagree either just in Durham, in particular, not sure it's ethically right when some areas have a genuinely dire service.  

The 8, 8A, 56 and 35A in the Southern areas seriously need sorting out and it's where I'd love to see the money spent, even if it meant creating new routes to other places (hello Sedgefield from Aycliffe) to compliment them. The places down there are pretty poor communities and more most of them it's the only service they get.

Leadgate and Meadomsley to Newcastle is another one - maybe this could be a Metrocentre service?

Don't want to go off on a tangent as your last point is more of a GNE issue.....but Derwentside is an area that could benefit from some "easy peasy" usable services (i.e every 30 minutes) that could create growth and simplify the network rather than a myriad of routes / variations like now. Featham did that in Blyth & Ashington under his tenure at Arriva and it mostly worked. Effectively, the ones you mentioned in another GNE thread.

I don't think Leadgate & Medomsley via the MetroCentre is one for Northstar, as that's effectively just a variation of the X45/47 which is a GNE stronghold and effectively mirroring the same common corridor not offering a great deal different.

But......if you look at the number of workers along Scotswood Road and Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle College etc and the lack of a fast service from Prudhoe, Crawcrook, Ryton and Stella, a resurrection of the old 604 could be a shout.

Heck, I don't know how W.Bay to West Allotment would work in terms of commercial viability / funding, but the 350/351 between West Allotment and Newcastle has potential as a commercial operation if run properly!

(23 Jun 2025, 8:16 pm)L469 YVK wrote Don't want to go off on a tangent as your last point is more of a GNE issue.....but Derwentside is an area that could benefit from some "easy peasy" usable services (i.e every 30 minutes) that could create growth and simplify the network rather than a myriad of routes / variations like now. Featham did that in Blyth & Ashington under his tenure at Arriva and it mostly worked. Effectively, the ones you mentioned in another GNE thread.

I don't think Leadgate & Medomsley via the MetroCentre is one for Northstar, as that's effectively just a variation of the X45/47 which is a GNE stronghold and effectively mirroring the same common corridor not offering a great deal different.

But......if you look at the number of workers along Scotswood Road and Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle College etc and the lack of a fast service from Prudhoe, Crawcrook, Ryton and Stella, a resurrection of the old 604 could be a shout.

Heck, I don't know how W.Bay to West Allotment would work in terms of commercial viability / funding, but the 350/351 between West Allotment and Newcastle has potential as a commercial operation if run properly!

See if I was them I'd probably continue with the Metrocentre link and look North of the water. The links to the inner West are non-existent to the Metrocentre without doubling back via Newcastle which is now expensive thanks to the 100 being binned (need multi operator). 

Like something like an Airport to Metrocentre with 2 buses running via the West End imo could do well like so: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/55.03675...50!1m0!3e0

There's enough on the route where people might want to go aswell, ie. General Hospital, West Road, Benwell, Kingston Park and St. James Retail Park which have their own little demands aswell.

It's the sort of route where Newcastle's BSIP money would be well used imo since both the airport and Metrocentre are major employment sites and both are a bit of a struggle from the West End (unless you work overnight ironically).

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, we really don't need a Northstar Service Suggestions, so please don't turn this into one. The discussion is about the X22/X43, not fantasy booking in the Derwent Valley.