Arriva North East

[kuyoyo]

RE: Arriva North East
The future of 4663 is currently a topic for discussion - the latest fleetlist has it listed as 'Under Repair'.

Ex-Yorkshire B7TL 659 (W659 CWX) has now entered service at Durham depot ahead of the start of the East Durham College contract.

[kuyoyo]

RE: Arriva North East
Blyth-based Geminis 7601-7 and Pulsars 1493/1501-5 are in the process of being refurbished to MAX specification for the X7/X8/X9 (presently X4/X5/X13) which will all be upgraded in the near future. As part of the upgrading of these Blyth Express, X10/X11 branded Geminis 7608/11-7/21-5 are all to be rebranded to enable more flexibe allocations at Blyth. Blyth are also due to swap Commanders 1401-3 for 3 further Pulsars to be MAX'd as spares.

Presently Stockton-based OmniCitys 4652/4/8 are also to be MAX'd and transferred to Darlington for the X75/X76, allowing 3 Pulsars to transfer to Stockton for the 21a (these are likely to be 1404/5/7).

[kuyoyo]

RE: Arriva North East

(24/08/2015 12:53)kuyoyo Wrote:  Blyth-based Geminis 7601-7 and Pulsars 1493/1501-5 are in the process of being refurbished to MAX specification for the X7/X8/X9 (presently X4/X5/X13) which will all be upgraded in the near future. As part of the upgrading of these Blyth Express, X10/X11 branded Geminis 7608/11-7/21-5 are all to be rebranded to enable more flexibe allocations at Blyth. Blyth are also due to swap Commanders 1401-3 for 3 further Pulsars to be MAX'd as spares.

Presently Stockton-based OmniCitys 4652/4/8 are also to be MAX'd and transferred to Darlington for the X75/X76, allowing 3 Pulsars to transfer to Stockton for the 21a (these are likely to be 1404/5/7).

Further to the last point - 2 of 1404/5/7 will now certainly be getting MAX refurbishments. From 25th October, the Darlington-Middlesbrough corridor is being upgraded as followed:

[*]X66 revised to operate every 30 minutes Monday-Saturday (presently every 20), following the same route at these times between Darlington and Stockton. Between Stockton and Middlesbrough, it will operate the same route as the 21a via Thornaby Station.
[*]New service X67 will be introduced, at the same frequency Monday to Saturday. This will leaving Darlington Tubwell Row and operate via Darlington College and the Transport Corridor to the A66. It then leaves the A66 at Elton and serves Hartburn (replacing the 6 which is withdrawn). From Stockton, it follows the same route as the X66
[*]Sunday X66 journeys will also serve Hartburn, restoring a Sunday link to the village for the first time since Viva Tees Valley in 2006 (when the X14/X66 replaced the 98/99 as the Darlington-Teesside link)
[*]Journeys also extended to late - last journeys from both ends leaving about 2030 during the week

As part of this, Stockton depot are picking up 2 turns hence the refurbishment of 2 Pulsars. 1415 will be remaining at Stockton from this weekend (when the X12 reverts to normal timetable) as a spare for both routes.

[Metroline1511]

RE: Arriva North East

(24/08/2015 12:53)kuyoyo Wrote:  Blyth-based Geminis 7601-7 and Pulsars 1493/1501-5 are in the process of being refurbished to MAX specification for the X7/X8/X9 (presently X4/X5/X13) which will all be upgraded in the near future. As part of the upgrading of these Blyth Express, X10/X11 branded Geminis 7608/11-7/21-5 are all to be rebranded to enable more flexibe allocations at Blyth. Blyth are also due to swap Commanders 1401-3 for 3 further Pulsars to be MAX'd as spares.

Presently Stockton-based OmniCitys 4652/4/8 are also to be MAX'd and transferred to Darlington for the X75/X76, allowing 3 Pulsars to transfer to Stockton for the 21a (these are likely to be 1404/5/7).

At this rate, most buses linking Newcastle and Blyth, apart from Volvo B5LHs, will be MAX Geminis. I may well be riding one on Wednesday.

I thought the X75/76s had already been MAXed, but from what you say this is only just about to start.

[kuyoyo]

RE: Arriva North East

(31/08/2015 03:11)Metroline1511 Wrote:  At this rate, most buses linking Newcastle and Blyth, apart from Volvo B5LHs, will be MAX Geminis. I may well be riding one on Wednesday.

I thought the X75/76s had already been MAXed, but from what you say this is only just about to start.

All daytime services between Blyth and Newcastle bar the 308 will be MAX services by the end of the year. Not all will be Gemini operated - at least 2 turns on the X7/X8 (X4/X5) and all 4 workings on the X9 (X13) will be Pulsar operated.

The X75/X76 was supposed to be MAX'd at some point this year but the allocation keep changing - originally 1404-7 were to be done once they had been replaced on the X1, then it was going to be Stockton's 1441-3 along with 1415 if the X12 had gone completely to decker operation (instead it's going back to limited stop between Durham and Middlesbrough) and now it will be those 3 OmniCitys as the engineering Manager at HQ wants the OmniCitys concertated on one depot. 2 of 1404/5/7 will still be going MAX for Stockton's share of the X66/X67 for which 1415 will be a spare for along with the X12 (and it has already lost the X12 branding).

[Metroline1511]

RE: Arriva North East
When I came to the North East for a late August Bank Holiday visit at the beginning of September (!), the area I covered in the end was bounded by Durham, Peterlee, Whitley Bay and Newcastle. My Arriva bus rides were:-

MAX Gemini 7618 (X12)
Volvo B5LH-Gemini 7807 (308)
Sapphire Enviro400 7538 (24)
Sapphire Streetlite 1600 (22)

[kuyoyo]

RE: Arriva North East
4652 has transferred from Stockton to Darlington. 4654 may have already joined it, but 4658 was still in service at Stockton today. 1405 has already gone to Thorntons for refurbishment for the X66/X67.

Cadet 1920 has been modified to DDA specification (losing a tip-up seat), with sister 1915 taking its place at Thorntons.

[kuyoyo]

RE: Arriva North East
4654/8 have also transferred to Darlington depot.

[kuyoyo]

RE: Arriva North East
The first two of the latest batch of ex-London Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclispe Gemini are now ready at Thorntons. They are 7410/1 (LG52 DDJ/K) and are refurbished to 'MAX' standard. One will be allocated to Blyth to allow 7609 (NK59 DMO) to transfer to Durham to give them a MAX spare for the X12.

[N391OTY]

RE: Arriva North East
Forgot to mention this before, but I observed withdrawn Ikarus 4075 (T75 AUA) being towed away from Jesmond last Friday by an Alpha towtruck, presumably on a one-way trip to Weetslade.