EYMS A63 Corridor Changes Announced

EYMS has released details of changes to the A63 corridor following consultation last year, coming into effect on Sunday 5th February. My first impression - complicated. Gone is the relatively simple arrangement of the hourly (Mon-Sat daytime) 155/6 between Hull and Goole serving every settlement in between, supplemented by the fast X55 Petuaria Express between Gilberdyke, Brough and Hull (hourly weekdays, 2 hourly Saturday). Now there will be the 155, X55, X56 and X57 (plus the occasional 153 as now). There are clear advantages for some in the new arrangements however, but it's not good for everyone.

Under the new arrangements on Monday to Saturday daytimes the Petuaria Express remains hourly between Hull, Brough and Elloughton. It then operates either via South and North Cave as the X56, or as the X55 via Gilberdyke before provding an hourly service to Howden and Goole. Some journeys will serve both South and North Cave and Gilberdyke, operating as the X57. The X57 also operates on Sundays, with 4 return journeys between Hull and South Cave, with 3 extending to Gilberdyke.

The 155 is a roughly two hourly service between Hull, Brough and South Cave with odd extensions to North Cave, Gilberdyke, Howden and Goole. It remains the only Monday to Saturday evening service along the corridor, but the Sunday service is axed, replaced by the X57 and changes to the 153.

Let's look in detail at what the changes mean for certain areas or links. I've not looked into peak times where things get rather complicated, including 153's to Gilberdyke, but EYMS say the Petuaria Express now has earlier and later journeys.

Boothferry Road, Hull

The Hull to Goole service has been the main bus service along Boothferry Road, between the Anlaby Park Road Junction and Darley's Roundabout for some years. Even after the doubling to half hourly of the 350 (Humber Fastcat) and the diversion of the Humber Flyer along Boothferry Road, I've still seen customers wanting to know if they could buy a ticket on a Humber Fastcat/Flyer and return on the 155. The perception seems to be that the 155 is the main bus service along this stretch of road.

Now the 155 will most certainly not be the main service here. It will be pretty token compared to the 3 buses an hour provided by the Humber Fastcat/Flyer. And an interesting side note, EYMS are effecticely giving up the stretch of road to Stagecoach, who operate all of the Humber Flyer and most of the Humber Fastcat. It's not a key stretch of road, but interesting anyway.

Hessle

Within Hessle the 155 provides the main or only bus services for a number of roads to the west of the town centre; part of Swanland Road, Barrow Lane and Ferriby Road. These roads will see their bus service halved Monday to Saturday daytimes and their Sunday service withdrawn.

North Ferriby

Currently North Ferriby has 2 buses an hour into Hull City Centre, the 153, via Swanland and Anlaby, and the 155 via Hessle. Under the new arrangements, with the 155 frequency cut, North Ferriby is left with 1.5 services an hour with EYMS into Hull City Centre Monday to Saturday daytimes. It also looses it's Sunday 155 service, but this is unlikely to be a great loss given the 153 operates hourly on Sunday daytimes.

Melton and Welton

Two more communities that loose out from the 155 cutbacks on Monday to Saturday daytimes. However they don't loose out on Sundays, with the 153 extending to these two communities every 2 hours as a replacement for the axed 155 Sunday service.

Brough and Elloughton to Hull

Currently Brough and Elloughton have 2 buses an hour into Hull on weekday daytimes, the X55 Petuaria Express and slower 155. On Saturdays the X55 is just every 2 hours. From February Mondays to Saturdays see 1.5 buses an hour into Hull City Centre from EYMS, the Petuaria Express hourly and two hourly 155. So a weekday reduction, and Saturdays the same, but with more faster Petuaria Express buses instead of slower 155's. Sundays see the current 4 services into Hull City Centre, but now on the faster X57, rather than the 155.

Of course prior to the launch of the Petuaria Express, Brough only had one EYMS service an hour into Hull. And it what impact could the proposed BAe redundancies have on demand for bus travel?

Brough and Elloughton to North and South Cave

Ignoring the 3 day a week 144, currently Brough and Elloughton are linked to North and South Cave by 155 every hour Monday to Saturday daytimes. From February this link will be maintained by a combination of the 155 (mostly just to South Cave), an extended X4 Wictsun Express (just to South Cave) and the X56, with some rather uneven interval timings. Let's take an example from Elloughton:

1000 (X4) 1003 (155) 1051 (X56) 1216 (155), 1249 (X56), 1300 (X4), 1431 (155), 1449 (X56)

From South Cave:

0933 (X56) 0938 (X4) 1020 (155) 1128 (X56) 1228 (X4) 1235 (155) 1328 (X56) 1526 (155) 1528 (X4) 1528 (X56)

Not too bad from South Cave, but still not the easiest to remember. I'm guessing Brough/Elloughton-South Cave isn't the biggest traffic flow, but equally I doubt it is non-existant.

Brantingham

Another 155 casualty, as it's hourly service becomes about every two hours Monday to Saturday, with no more Sunday services.

North and South Cave to Hull

Currently both North and South Cave have the 155 hourly into Hull. From February they both get the 2 hourly, but much faster X56. South Cave (and occasionally North Cave) still has the reduced 155 giving an approximately hourly service combined with the X56 into Hull, and 2 buses every 2 hours coming back. Simplicity sacrificed in favour of some faster services.

North Cave does gain a Sunday link into Hull on the X57, and South Cave goes from 1 to 4 Sunday services into Hull, so clear improvements one day a week.

North and South Cave to Gilberdyke

Hopefully no one makes this journey much, since the changes make doing so Monday to Saturday daytimes near impossible.

Gilberdyke to Hull

Gilberdyke looses out big time. It's hourly Petuaria Express becomes two hourly, and the 155 disappears Monday to Saturday daytimes. From 2 buses an hour on weekdays, to 0.5. Maybe Gilberdyke's train service is responsible? Sundays do see Gilberdyke gain 3 journeys to Hull however.

Newport Industrial Estate

Newport Industrial Estate gains a new link from Hull and Brough; an X55 arrives at 0743 on weekdays, with a return at 1622.

Links to Howden and Goole

Howden and Goole retain an hourly EYMS service, on the X55/6 Petuaria Express rather than the 155/6. So an hourly link between the two, and to Brough and Hull, and two hourly rather than hourly to Gilberdyke, North and South Cave. Journey times to North Cave, South Cave, Brough and Hull are significantly reduced on the Petuaria Express compared to the 156/155.

As far as I can tell the Petuaria Express will not serve Goole Hospital, as the 156 currently does.

However just to confuse things, early morning, late afternoons and evenings still see 155 journeys to Howden and Goole (and these will serve Goole Hospital). Seems very messy, especially as the 155 and Petuaria Express do not have a joint timetable. Could things have been made simplier for example by operating the 0725 Elloughton-Goole 155, the only morning 155 to Goole, as an X57 (with a diversion via Goole Hospital if needed)?

Conclusion

Faster journey times have been the priority here. The Petuaria Express has been a success. The focus is on the major settlements, and links into Hull. Frequency, and smaller settlements have suffered as a result. As has simplicity. The 155 is left to 'pick up pieces' not served by the Petuaria Express. I'll let passengers judge if EYMS have made the right decisions.

Any comments, corrections or oversights to my post welcome.