Sunday 15 May 2011

Cleethorpes-Barton-Hull Bus-Rail connections

To update my previous post on bus-rail connections at Barton from 22nd May (next Sunday), the first Summer Sunday train from Cleethorpes will be at 0958, not 1005 as stated in my previous post, based on the new pdf timetable available on the Northern Rail website. So no issue with the bus connection to Hull as feared.

However the last evening train from Cleethorpes Monday to Saturday does have a 2 minute connection at Barton for Hull as expected, arriving at Barton at 2151 for a bus departing at 2153. I did email EYMS, operator of the 2153 bus, a few weeks ago about operating the service slightly later and I got a reply saying it had been passed onto the relevant person. For the sake of a slightly later departure, surely this can be done? A retiming of the bus to say 2155 would give a comfortable 4 minute connection.

One connection I had not picked up on however is out of the 0700 from Cleethorpes Monday to Saturday. This arrives in Barton at 0748. Northern Rail are advertising the bus connection as the 0820 Humber Fastcat. This is actually not new, just something I had not spotted before. There is a 0750 Humber Fastcat from Barton Interchange; while the 2 minute connection time is tight, probably too tight to advertise, in reality the 0750 Fastcat doesn't always leave exactly on time and from my journeys on the 0750, the connection can normally be made. Again though a slight retiming, say a 0752 departure, would resolve the issue, and there is enough waiting time at Hull between journeys to accomodate this.

If this is not possible, then why not advertise the connecting bus as the 0810 Humber Flyer from Barton. A 22 minute wait looks a lot better than the 32 minute wait advertised?

There are a couple of 'quick wins' for integrated transport to be had here. EYMS and Stagecoach - go for the win. It's not like an entire timetable recast is needed.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do many people actualy use the interchange ffrom train to bus and vice versa?

Humber Transport said...

From my observations, not many. But every passenger helps both the bus and the train

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more!