Nexus have today launched a consultation on planned changes to secured services in Newcastle and North Tyneside.

Further details available at www.nexus.org.uk/consultation

(19 Nov 2025, 7:37 pm)Bob wrote Nexus have today launched a consultation on planned changes to secured services in Newcastle and North Tyneside.

Further details available at www.nexus.org.uk/consultation

Good to see Nexus/NCC as always, don't seem to have the ability to check the timings of commercial bus services which their subsidised route duplicates in parts.

It's all good extending the 19 through to Cramlington on a Sunday but running 3 minutes apart from the 57A is just complete incompetence imo, especially when it's quicker to Seghill aswell.

Then they'll moan when Arriva drop the Sunday service...

(19 Nov 2025, 7:55 pm)Storx wrote Good to see Nexus/NCC as always, don't seem to have the ability to check the timings of commercial bus services which their subsidised route duplicates in parts.

It's all good extending the 19 through to Cramlington on a Sunday but running 3 minutes apart from the 57A is just complete incompetence imo, especially when it's quicker to Seghill aswell.

Then they'll moan when Arriva drop the Sunday service...

Seems ridiculous to have three separate bus services for the Ferry Landing too. Surely easier for the 19 to omit the Ferry Landing?

It's a good idea to have a direct link between Tynemouth and North Shields Fish Quay/Ferry. A positive change, especially for summer.

(19 Nov 2025, 8:07 pm)NEtransport wrote Seems ridiculous to have three separate bus services for the Ferry Landing too.  Surely easier for the 19 to omit the Ferry Landing?

It's a good idea to have a direct link between Tynemouth and North Shields Fish Quay/Ferry. A positive change, especially for summer.

Don't think the 333 serves North Shields does it? Seems to be the Ferry Landing to Tynemouth only, if I'm looking at it right which seems even more crackers.

Truthfully, I don't really understand the 19/19A. They serve absolutely nothing between Northumberland Park and Killingworth/Cramlington pretty much now which isn't already done by an existing service (57/57A/354) and the rest of has nothing there bar Silverlink which is too far to be useful.

If they want to serve the hospital better, then the service needs to actually penetrate some houses imo ie. something like this for hospital links would be 100x better:


People round here are always asking for links to Rake Lane and Killingworth, people from New Hartley want a link to Cramlington. Not to mention the Killingworth to Northumbria links aswell. Don't believe Tynemouth or Marden currently have a bus to Rake Lane either so it's more links and makes the 333 actually useful?

(19 Nov 2025, 7:55 pm)Storx wrote Good to see Nexus/NCC as always, don't seem to have the ability to check the timings of commercial bus services which their subsidised route duplicates in parts.

It's all good extending the 19 through to Cramlington on a Sunday but running 3 minutes apart from the 57A is just complete incompetence imo, especially when it's quicker to Seghill aswell.

Then they'll moan when Arriva drop the Sunday service...

Isn't that just one of those things though? The bus had to connect with the Ferry and one assumes trains at Northumberland Park?

(19 Nov 2025, 9:35 pm)Kimlfixit wrote Isn't that just one of those things though? The bus had to connect with the Ferry and one assumes trains at Northumberland Park?

Unsure on Northumberland Park train links, since it's not open but ferry should be easily fixable, it's every 30 minutes so could just work off the other ferry. If it's purely for East Cramlington to Seaton Delaval train times, then they'd be better subsidising the 57 instead imo, and use the timings from the most utterly pointless extension from Whitley Bay to North Shields from when it used to go down there 10 year ago or so.

(19 Nov 2025, 8:07 pm)NEtransport wrote Seems ridiculous to have three separate bus services for the Ferry Landing too.  Surely easier for the 19 to omit the Ferry Landing?

It's a good idea to have a direct link between Tynemouth and North Shields Fish Quay/Ferry. A positive change, especially for summer.

4 if you want to include the 317

The main draw of the 19 when I used it was as a peak time service from Cramlington, Deleval and Seghill to Cobalt. It is still very useful for that. It covers more of Cramlington than the 353, plus direct from Deleval and Seghill and also goes all the way through Cobalt (that said, if the 353 was not at the same time, that would be better!)

The hospital link definitely makes sense so I am all for that. Going direct from Seaton Deleval to Seghill also makes sense since the high school closed, that was the main draw for the diversion through the estate, to go right outisde the school.

It is a pretty quiet service outside peaks, and I guess that is due to the 57A being around the same time at the Cramlington end for short journeys. There is very small demand end to end.

I kind of found the link Cramlington - Percy Main metro useful as a good way to do the Cramlington - Wallsend journey since they dropped the direct bus that way. I don't really use the 19 much now, but am happy with the changes, although don't know much about the North Shields town centre end of it.

As for the 342 if GNE have given it up again comercially, they should not be eligible to bid to run it again under Nexus. This is the 2nd time in about 3 years they have given up commercially on that route, and it seems they only took it on to avoid someone else getting the service. The Nexus timetable is better I think as when GNE delayed the departure from Wallsend from 3:50 until 4:01, a small change in theory, the 4:01 is often impacted much worse by traffic than when it left earlier. 10 minutes makes a big difference in traffic. I still use that section of route, so is no real major change, but the Kingston Park end changes look sensible I would say.

(20 Nov 2025, 2:54 pm)Arriva7446 wrote The main draw of the 19 when I used it was as a peak time service from Cramlington, Deleval and Seghill to Cobalt. It is still very useful for that. It covers more of Cramlington than the 353, plus direct from Deleval and Seghill and also goes all the way through Cobalt (that said, if the 353 was not at the same time, that would be better!)

The hospital link definitely makes sense so I am all for that. Going direct from Seaton Deleval to Seghill also makes sense since the high school closed, that was the main draw for the diversion through the estate, to go right outisde the school.

It is a pretty quiet service outside peaks, and I guess that is due to the 57A being around the same time at the Cramlington end for short journeys. There is very small demand end to end. 

The problem is though everything you've described there is literally the purpose of the 57, which is a commercial bus service, the other links across Seaton Delaval / Seghill being covered by the X7, another commercial service.

Beyond that is does absolutely nothing of note and is using tax payers money to fund it aswell when people are openly asking for a link to Killingworth, Rake Lane, New Hartley to Cramlington and so on, yet we get this and the rubbish 58 aswell while we're at it twice a day. Both not what people want.

I know you're saying it's not about end to end, but there is literally nothing between North Shields and Northumberland Park where people will get on because it avoids everywhere, and the North Shields to each bit is covered mostly by the Metro/301/306/317/310/353/354 depending which bit it is anyway.

Using fare data is useless aswell, because it'll look good on paper - but it's just people using it because they're pissed off that the 57A is 20 minutes late - again not what subsidised services are about.

Unless I'm missing something, Nexus are claiming the M71 is being withdrawn to improve services in the rest of Newcastle. Unless they are counting being burdened with the 342 again, which serves a very small corner of Newcastle, I don't see any other new services being consulted on within the city council area.

(20 Nov 2025, 2:54 pm)Arriva7446 wrote The main draw of the 19 when I used it was as a peak time service from Cramlington, Deleval and Seghill to Cobalt. It is still very useful for that. It covers more of Cramlington than the 353, plus direct from Deleval and Seghill and also goes all the way through Cobalt (that said, if the 353 was not at the same time, that would be better!)

The hospital link definitely makes sense so I am all for that. Going direct from Seaton Deleval to Seghill also makes sense since the high school closed, that was the main draw for the diversion through the estate, to go right outisde the school.

It is a pretty quiet service outside peaks, and I guess that is due to the 57A being around the same time at the Cramlington end for short journeys. There is very small demand end to end.

I kind of found the link Cramlington - Percy Main metro useful as a good way to do the Cramlington - Wallsend journey since they dropped the direct bus that way. I don't really use the 19 much now, but am happy with the changes, although don't know much about the North Shields town centre end of it.

As for the 342 if GNE have given it up again comercially, they should not be eligible to bid to run it again under Nexus. This is the 2nd time in about 3 years they have given up commercially on that route, and it seems they only took it on to avoid someone else getting the service. The Nexus timetable is better I think as when GNE delayed the departure from Wallsend from 3:50 until 4:01, a small change in theory, the 4:01 is often impacted much worse by traffic than when it left earlier. 10 minutes makes a big difference in traffic. I still use that section of route, so is no real major change, but the Kingston Park end changes look sensible I would say.

Agree with this.

(20 Nov 2025, 6:19 pm)Michael wrote Agree with this.

In fairness half the service is ex Arriva (3/101 from Annitsford to Kingston Park via Dinnington). 

They just binned it off a long time ago. That section, as far as I'm aware, was never commercial with GoNorthEast before this time.

(20 Nov 2025, 4:11 pm)Storx wrote The problem is though everything you've described there is literally the purpose of the 57, which is a commercial bus service, the other links across Seaton Delaval / Seghill being covered by the X7, another commercial service.

Beyond that is does absolutely nothing of note and is using tax payers money to fund it aswell when people are openly asking for a link to Killingworth, Rake Lane, New Hartley to Cramlington and so on, yet we get this and the rubbish 58 aswell while we're at it twice a day. Both not what people want.

I know you're saying it's not about end to end, but there is literally nothing between North Shields and Northumberland Park where people will get on because it avoids everywhere, and the North Shields to each bit is covered mostly by the Metro/301/306/317/310/353/354 depending which bit it is anyway.

Using fare data is useless aswell, because it'll look good on paper - but it's just people using it because they're pissed off that the 57A is 20 minutes late - again not what subsidised services are about.

I think the main USP of the 19 is the direct link to Cobalt from parts of Cramlington and Seaton Deleval / Seghill, which is not covered by the X7 or 57 services. I think that is a useful direct link, but I absolutely do agree there is some other links which could probably be more useful for more people, like as you say to Killingworth and Seaton Sluice / New Hartley to Cramlington. If they tried a link from Deleval / Seghill to Killingworth and timed it well, that could work as a connection for those Cobalt users, maybe keeping the direct service in morning and afternoon peak, but something else other times. I would be open to see these new changes and new suggestions that you say.

I also agree a lot of the current non Cobalt users would be on the 57A otherwise, just whichever turns up first and as you say, that is not really the purpose of a subsidised route. Agreed also on the North shields end.

So overall I think the Cobalt direct link is the main advantage of this route, without having to change buses in Whitley bay to the 309, but I am sure there could be things done in better ways for more people and I would be open to that being consulted on.

(20 Nov 2025, 6:19 pm)Michael wrote Agree with this.

I do have some sympathy with this. I believe the 342 evening and Sunday service is tendered anyway, so GNE must have taken on the daytime service on as they thought daytime patronage and revenue was high enough. One assumes they would have seen data to back that up.

So GNE are either taking the pee at the tax payers expense or they don't know how to read passenger and revenue data, and now the tax payer has to foot the bill because they got thier sums wrong!

Be interesting to see who gets the 342. I’d guess Gateshead Central and the 35 could go back to Stagecoach but if it was Stagecoach who gets it would it be Slatyford or Walkergate. Walkergate could change drivers at Wallsend, Slatyford at Kingston Park.

(20 Nov 2025, 7:43 pm)Arriva7446 wrote I think the main USP of the 19 is the direct link to Cobalt from parts of Cramlington and Seaton Deleval / Seghill, which is not covered by the X7 or 57 services. I think that is a useful direct link, but I absolutely do agree there is some other links which could probably be more useful for more people, like as you say to Killingworth and Seaton Sluice / New Hartley to Cramlington. If they tried a link from Deleval / Seghill to Killingworth and timed it well, that could work as a connection for those Cobalt users, maybe keeping the direct service in morning and afternoon peak, but something else other times. I would be open to see these new changes and new suggestions that you say.

I also agree a lot of the current non Cobalt users would be on the 57A otherwise, just whichever turns up first and as you say, that is not really the purpose of a subsidised route. Agreed also on the North shields end.

So overall I think the Cobalt direct link is the main advantage of this route, without having to change buses in Whitley bay to the 309, but I am sure there could be things done in better ways for more people and I would be open to that being consulted on.

Yeah can't disagree, truthfully - if they're keeping things the way they are I'd rather they just turned it into a decent works service and extend it North from Cramlington so more people have access to Cobalt like the old 318 did before GoNorthEast bought over Northumbria Coaches.

The 2 buses then could be used elsewhere, and create something actually useful. 3 if you want to do something with the 58 as that route is a joke of a route aswell with the Killingworth to North Shields route staying since something needs to work with the 335, hourly is more than enough for that corridor as they're pretty quiet most the time.

What you do with the 2/3 buses, I'm sure everyone can come with all sorts of ideas and missing links you could create which actually are useful and if Nexus/Northumberland Council actually consulted with residents I'm sure they'd find out aswell, rather than subsidising the same failing services over and over again.

The 335/342/W1/W2, arguably are routes which fits this aswell, as they're questionable whether they should exist at all (W2) or just take dog leg routes. There's quite a few buses there which if you sat down, believe the PVR is like 11 (including the 19 and 58), and actually had a think you could do something actually decent with.

IMO - the secondary & subsidied services in North Tyneside need a complete reset. Operators doing their own thing with Nexus papering over the cracks funding "mickey mouse" subsidised services at the taxpayers expense!

The big three and Nexus need to bang their heads together (incluuding Stagecoach who did a good job with the 317) and go from there - and use BSIP funds to help keep a balnced and stable network, albeit primarily commercial with some support. It's do-able, and just needs some thought. Remove all duplication where possible!