45/46/150/250/450 Changes in Full

From next Monday (April 2nd) Stagecoach are making various alterations to services 45/46/150/250/450.

The main pattern to the Grimsby to Immingham corridor shall remain a 45 every 30 minutes between Grimsby and Immingham Monday to Saturday daytimes. This half hourly frequency shall continue as far as South Killingholme for most of the day; one service shall continue as a 45 to South Killingholme every hour while another shall become a 150 or 450 at Immingham before continuing to South Killingholme and beyond. This is welcome news as Stagecoach had originally proposed withdrawing South Killingholme's off peak 45's.

The weekday 45M extensions to the MIC Plant at Immingham also continues - it too had originally been proposed for withdrawal - though the early morning journeys starting in Cleethorpes will now start at Grimsby Bus Station.

Peak time frequencies on the 45 are reduced from every 20 minutes to half hourly. Evening services on the 46, starting in Cleethorpes and operating via the Willows Estate continue as at present, operating every hour. Late evening services had been proposed for withdrawal.

Likewise the hourly Sunday 46's continue operating hourly, but will now extend beyond North Sea Lane in Cleethorpes to Waltham, operating via New Waltham. This replaces the Sunday service on service 8, and 46's will continue from Waltham back into Grimsby as a 9 or 9A. It also introduces a direct Sunday Waltham to Cleethorpes link, avoiding Grimsby Town Centre.

Now for the service beyond Immingham, which seems to be getting named as 'Humber Connect'. As noted above once an hour the 45 becomes a 150 or 450 at Immingham, replacing the current arrangement of service 150 and 250 (to Barton) running from Grimsby. The 150 extends to East Halton via Habrough and South Killingholme 3 times a day, as noted here. The 450 extends to Barton and Brigg and in part replaces the 250. As noted here the 450 continues to provide 4 journeys a day between Barton and Brigg Monday to Saturday, and will provide 5 between Barton and Immingham, roughly two hourly - a slight increase on the current 3 plus Barton-Ulceby short workings provided by the 250.

The current morning peak 45 from Ulceby now starts from Barton as a 450, and now also operates on Saturdays. I presume on weekdays this will use the vehicle from the early morning Grimsby-Barton Humber Flyer. Habrough is now served by a separate 45 journey in the morning peak, and again this now seems to also operate on Saturdays. In the evening 2 journeys continue to extend beyond South Killingholme to Ulceby via Habrough, and these too now operate on Saturdays as well as weekdays.

The new operating pattern to the 45/150/450 removes the 150 and old 250 between Grimsby and Immingham, which should deliver some useful mileage reductions while still providing a half hourly service. It has also introduced standard pattern timetables between Immingham, Barton and Brigg, and brought Saturday services to Habrough and East Halton. Good news all round! One oddity I have noticed on the 450 is a near 2 hour layover in Brigg on Saturdays and school holidays.

Stagecoach have the timetables for the 45/46 and 150/450 on their website (though sadly a few 45/46 journeys to South Killingholme are omitted from the 150/450 timetable that is meant to show all South Killingholme services).