Vastly improved Europarc services for 2012

When, earlier in the month, I saw a snippet about improved services to the Europarc industrial estate, located off the A180 west of Grimsby, I expected a few extra journeys on current service 2. However operator Stagecoach Grimsby Cleethorpes have now announced full details, and the enhancements are quite significant and interesting. Plus it is not just Europarc that benefits, but two residential roads gain regular bus services for the first time in a few years. All changes come into effect from Tuesday January 3rd and are on weekdays only.

Starting with service 2. This currently operates hourly, with some afternoon gaps from Grimsby Bus Station via Victoria Street Tesco, Corporation Road and Gilbey Road to Europarc. However from January it will start at Riby Square and operate via Victor Street and Asda en-route to Grimsby Bus Station. The frequency will be hourly, with no more afternoon gaps.

This is the first regular bus service along Victor Street in a number of years. I have a service 7 timetable from 1987 which showed services between Riby Square and Bradley Cross Roads operating via Victor Street. I know the 7 continued until at least the late 1990's, possibly the early 2000's, but whether it stil served Victor Street then I am unsure.

In terms of services to Europarc though, the big boost comes from new service 1. This operates from Grimsby Bus Station via Lord Street to Europarc before extending through Great Coates to Wybers Wood Top. I guess the purpose of this extension is to offer Wybers Wood-Europarc links as well as providing an option to connect onto Immingham buses avoiding Grimsby Town Centre. Frequency is hourly with some afternoon gaps. Together with service 2 there are two buses per hour from Grimsby to Europarc, and a half hourly service in the return direction.

Service 1 actually isn't new. I'm not sure exactly when it ended previously, but I do have a North East Lincolnshire Bus and Rail Map from 2003 which shows service 1 and it's sister service 2 operating from Riby Square via Freeman Street, Hainton Avenue, Weelsby Road, Bargate and Grimsby Town Centre to Gilbey Road. Back then the 1 operated via Alexandra Road and Corporation Road and the 2 via Lord Street. In the 2012 version the services have swapped their previous routes with the 1 now serving Lord Street and the 2 Corporation Road. The new service 1 is also the first regular (i.e. not schools related) bus service to serve Lord Street since the old service 2 was withdrawn, as far as I am aware.

Finally existing early morning and evening service 20 from Cleethorpes and Grimsby Town Centre to Europarc is extended to Wybers Wood Top, following the route of service 1.

New timetable, including route map

Services 1, 2 and 20 recieve financial support from North East Lincolnshire Council and the European Regional Development Fund.