The return of GNER

One of the first posts ever made on this blog, back in June last year, was titled 'The race to link South Humber with London'. It examined four proposals to link Grimsby, Cleethorpes, and in one case Scunthorpe as well, to London.

Since then the National Express East Coast proposal to provide a single daily return Cleethorpes to London service by extending a Lincoln to London service to start/finish up in North East Lincolnshire has been confirmed - even though by the time it starts National Express will no longer be running the franchise.

Meanwhile nothing has been heard about the other proposals from Humber Coast and City Railway, First Hull Trains and Grand Union. Either these proposals have been dropped, or put on the 'long term' pile. The Humber Coast and City proposal is no longer listed on it's promoters website (Renaissance Trains).

Just reminding you off that Grand Union proposal - it was for a Cleethorpes to Kings Cross service calling at Grimsby Town, Habrough, Scunthorpe, Thorne South and Doncaster. And the Managaing Director of Grand Union at the time was Ian Yeowart.

Now a new company called Alliance Rail Holidays has revealed plans to bring back the Great North Eastern Railways (GNER) name, last used by Sea Containers when they held the East Coast franchise, for a new Cleethorpes to London service, calling at Grimsby Town, Habrough, Scunthorpe, Thorne South, Doncaster ... and Retford. And guess who is a director of Alliance Rail - Ian Yeowart. The proposed service would operate four times a day.

However Mr Yeowart has done more than propose some off what he proposed while at Grand Union - he has unveiled plans for trains from across the North of England to London using the GNER brand on the East Coast, and the GNWR brand on the West Coast. More details are in this article, and map. Plus there is one service proposed that doesn't go to London ...

One of the GNER routes is planned to be a new Hull to Liverpool service calling at Brough, Howden, Selby, Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Rochdale, Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton Le Willows and St Helens Junction. The proposed frequency is unknown.

So are these plans a good idea? The Cleethorpes to London service would provide a higher frequency than the new service via Lincoln. It also serves Habrough, Scunthorpe and Thorne South, offering new London links from these stations. Oddly Barnetby is omitted from the proposals. Meanwhile the Hull to Liverpool service, provides new links from East Yorkshire, not just to Liverpool, but to Bradford and Halifax too.

However before you get too excited, the likely timescale for any service to start is 2013, and the plans have yet to be approved, and paths need to be found. There is a lot of competition proposed with franchised operations, so expect stiff objections from them, and from the Department for Transport should be expected.

And personally I doubt the whole proposed network would start at once - probably just one route initially. Trying to launch 3 GNER routes and 3 GNWR routes at once would probably be taking too much on at once. Mr Yeowart should know how hard it can be to launch one route from his time at Grand Central.

Another consideration as well is finance, especially with new trains proposed for the services. The backers of Alliance Rail are currently unknown. They will need deep pockets though to fund what is being proposed.

What is proposed is great, if it happens.

EYMS new 107 announced

EYMS have now officially announced their new 107 service from Hull University to Cottingham, and as expected it is an early Sunday morning (Saturday night) service for clubbers at the uni nightclub going back to university accomodation in Cottingham.

More Hull to Cottingham evening buses

From Monday 28th September, EYMS are increasing the Monday to Saturday evening frequency of service 105 between Hull City Centre, Hull University, Cottingham and The Lawns Halls of Residence to operate every 20 minutes, matching the daytime frequency. Currently the service operates half hourly in the evening. It seems this increase will apply all year round, not just in university semesters.

More improvements to evening services also coming soon with new route 107.

353 becomes a better 103

The VOSA registration indicated a change of number, and it looks like that will happen. The Lincolnshire County Council journey planner has the new timetable for Stagecoach service 103, from 2nd November.

The 103 is the current 353 service between Scunthorpe, Scotter, Kirton and Lincoln. It's very irregular and a number of journeys are part or wholly funded by either Lincolnshire County Council or North Lincolnshire Council.

The new timetable shows there will be Scunthorpe to Lincoln services every two hours Monday to Saturday with extra short Scunthorpe to Kirton services to give an hourly frequency on this section. No indication is given if the enhancement has received any council financial support.

It is also unclear if the new service will continue to operate via Scotter, or route via the Lakeside Retail Park instead. Scotter is only given as a timing point on Scunthorpe Colleges services, but the Burringham Road timing point given on all journeys may indicate all services will operate via Scotter. Furthermore all the short Scunthorpe to Scotter workings on service 101, designed to give Scunthorpe to Scotter a half hourly service combined with the 100 and 353, are to be withdrawn, meaning just a few Scunthorpe to Gainsborough journeys remain on the 101. This could mean the 103 is the replacement for these short workings, or it could mean Scunthorpe to Scotter is reduced to an hourly service.

Finally, the new timetable does not show the existing Friday and Saturday evening buses between Scunthorpe and Kirton. Have these been withdrawn, or just omitted since they run in North Lincolnshire only and it is a Lincolnshire County Council journey planner?

No doubt the Stagecoach timetable, when released, will reveal all.

Finally this is not the first time an hourly Scunthorpe to Kirton service has been tried. A few years ago Road Car tried an hourly service 358 via the Lakeside Retail Park. It didn't last long. Better luck this time Stagecoach.

More new low floor double deckers for EYMS

After buying 20 new low floor double deckers this year, EYMS have now ordered another 10 at a cost of £1.75 million to convert all of it's main Hull routes to low floor status. It will mean that around 75% of the EYMS group fleet will be low floor. The new vehicles will be Volvo B9B's with Wight Eclipse Gemini 2 bodywork.

The main services to benefit will be the 151/152 group to Anlaby, Kirk Ella and Willerby (the 153, also part of this group, is usually low floor operated already) and the Hull to Hornsea services, though from what I see off these services, they are sometimes low floor operated currently.

However I see there is no reference to the 60/60A/61/62/64 group of services between Hull, Setting Dyke and Cottingham in the press release. While the 64 went low floor earlier in the year, the other services in this group seem to be anything goes, and some 62's are worked by 'out of town' depots such as Elloughton and Beverley. So will this go low floor as well, or is it not regarded as a main group of services?

909 back to Doncaster

It looks like the new 909 will be more than a local service between Brigg and Scunthorpe, but will also be extending to Doncaster, on a separate VOSA registration:

PB0001484/165 - LINCOLNSHIRE ROAD CAR CO LTD, PO BOX 15, DEACON ROAD, LINCOLN, LN2 4JB
Registration Accepted
Starting Point: Scunthorpe
Finish Point: Doncaster
Via:
Service Number: 909
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 02-NOV-2009
Other Details: Monday to Saturday. Hourly. Hail and ride on sections where traffic and safety conditions allow

New EYMS Service 107

EYMS have applied to VOSA to start a new service 107 on Sunday mornings. Pure speculation by me, but it could be an early morning services taking clubbers from the University nightclub back to The Lawns halls of residence - the University nightclub is closer to Inglemire Lane than the main University bus stop on Cottingham Road.

PB0000328/357 - EAST YORKSHIRE MOTOR SERVICES LTD, 252 ANLABY ROAD, HULL, HU3 2RS
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Hull University
Finish Point: Cottingham (The Lawns Centre)
Via: Inglemire Lane & Cottingham Green
Service Number: 107
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 04-OCT-2009
Other Details: Sunday Morning - 2 Journeys from Hull University to The Lawns

It will be the only bus service down Inglemire Lane.

The 107 route number was last used for a Cottingham to Kingswood Monday to Saturday evening service that ended back in 2003.

Return of the 909

Something very interesting has appeared on VOSA today - the return of Stagecoach 909 from November, but only between Scunthorpe and Brigg:

11. PB0001484/166 - LINCOLNSHIRE ROAD CAR CO LTD, PO BOX 15, DEACON ROAD, LINCOLN, LN2 4JB
o Registration Accepted
o Starting Point: Scunthorpe
o Finish Point: Brigg
o Via:
o Service Number: 909
o Service Type: Normal Stopping
o Effective Date: 02-NOV-2009
o Other Details: Monday to Saturday. Hourly. Hail and ride on sections where traffic and safety conditions allow

The previous 909 service ran from Hull and Grimsby to Sheffield via Humberside Airport, Brigg, Scunthorpe and Doncaster and was operated by Stagecoach Hull, Grimsby Cleethorpes and Chesterfield.

In what maybe a related move, the Stagecoach service 365 between Scunthorpe, Ashby, Scawby, Brigg and Wrawby is being cancelled, from 2nd November. The 365 operates roughly every two hours Monday to Saturday, with peak time extra services on weekdays.

Other Stagecoach Scunthorpe area changes due in November according to VOSA, are on service 356 to Crowle/Garthorpe, services 101/601 to Gainsborough, and Scunthorpe town services 33/34, which were reduced in frequency earlier this year.

And finally changes are due to service 103 between Scunthorpe and Lincoln - is the 353 getting renumbered?

PB0001484/5 - LINCOLNSHIRE ROAD CAR CO LTD, PO BOX 15, DEACON ROAD, LINCOLN, LN2 4JB
Variation Accepted: Operating between Scunthorpe Bus Station and Lincoln given service number 103 effective from 02-Nov-2009. To amend Timetable.
PB0001484/65 - LINCOLNSHIRE ROAD CAR CO LTD, PO BOX 15, DEACON ROAD, LINCOLN, LN2 4JB
Variation Accepted: Operating between Scunthorpe Bus Station and Hemswell given service number 103 effective from 02-Nov-2009. To amend Timetable.

A few bits and pieces

A few bits and pieces to tie up:

The latest EYMS newsletter says EYMS will no longer operate the Saturday services on routes 174/5 (Withernsea-Hull), as well as on route 173, which it was already known would be pasing to a new operator from this week. That new operator does appear to be Lords Coaches, and not Pearsons Coaches as had previously been mooted.

The new 933 service operated by East Coast Travel in Bridlington is a schools service taken over from EYMS according to a comment.

And in addition to the new 136 service, a new service 134 will operate twice a day on Tuesdays and Thursday from Skerne to Driffield. The operator will be EYMS, and replaces part of service 270. Thanks to a comment poster for this information.

An information request

A while ago I saw this on VOSA:

21. PB1073204/1 - CHRISTOPHER IAN WILKINSON T/A STUDLEY CARRIAGES / EAST COAST TRAVEL, FLAT 5, 17 FERNDALE TERRACE, BRIDLINGTON, YO15 3AU
o Registration Accepted by SN
o Starting Point: Bempton
o Finish Point: Bridlington
o Via: Buckton
o Service Number: 933
o Service Type: Normal Stopping
o Effective Date: 08-SEP-2009
o Other Details: Monday to Friday

I've not found this service on the traveline website. Does anyone know anymore about it? Is it a schools service or in competition with EYMS?

If you do have any information I would be grateful if you could post it as a comment on this blog post.

New Service 136: Bridlington-Skipsea-Driffield

Today (Monday 7th) sees a new service numbered 136 start between Bridlington and Driffield via Skipsea, Beeford and North Frodingham, operated by Phoenix Buses. There are 4 Driffield to Bridlington services, and three in the other direction, plus 1 Beeford to Driffield working, and two Bridlington to North Frodingham journeys. All journeys operate Monday to Saturdays and the timetable allows for shopping trips to both Bridlington and Driffield, plus commuting to/from Bridlington.

These links have most recently been provided by services 130 and 270, latterly operated by Manor Travel, and the new 136 service seems to provide a more simplier timetable. The EYMS 130 journeys between Hornsea, Skipsea and Bridlington continue unaltered, as does the remaining EYMS journey on service 270 from Driffield to Beeford at 1710 on weekdays.

I must admit this is not an area I am that familar with so if anyone has any further details or comments about these changes, please leave a comment.

Hessle Town Service Changes

From today (Monday 7th September), the Hessle Town Service, numbered 183 has a new route and timetable. It will now serve the Sainsbury's supermarket at Priory Park and the Acorn Way area of Hessle. The frequency remains half hourly Monday to Saturday mornings and early afternoons.

The 183 is operated by EYMS, and was inherited from Veolia earlier this year, though EYMS had operated it previously. As a side note the EYMS timetable front cover picture could maybe do with changing - the '183 Hessle Square' display looks to have been photoshopped on, and the location of the picture in Hull Cuty Centre isn't served by the 183.

EYMS loose the Priory Park Park and Ride

The Hull Daily Mail has published an article saying it expects the new contract to operate Hull's Priory Park Park and Ride service (numbered 701) to be awarded to London based social enterprise, Hackney Community Transport, which trades as CT Plus. (This news was also posted on the East Yorkshire Buses Yahoo Group last week).

The Priory Park scheme opened in 2003 and it has been operated by EYMS under tender to Hull City Council since then. Hull City Council also funded the Walton Street scheme in Hull until earlier this year when EYMS took over the operation commercially after the council pulled the funding.

There already seems to be some local anger as to why Hull City Council are not supporting local businesses in the recession, though the council point out the need to balance quality and value for money.

Hackney Community Transport (HCT) operates in London, and also in West Yorkshire where it provides schools and AccessBus services for WYPTE. Their move into Hull gives the city a third operator of sufficient size to provide some serious competition for EYMS and Stagecoach, something lost when Veolia sold their Hull operations to EYMS earlier this year. I would guess HCT will be looking to scale up their Hull operations over time, through either schools, mobility, social services and/or local bus contracts.

Major Changes to Grimsby-Immingham/Barton services

From Monday 7th September, Stagecoach are making some very big changes to services between Grimsby, Immingham and Barton. There are big improvements for some, and reductions for others. But first it's probably best to describe the current services.

The main Grimsby to Immingham service is the 45, which operates every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes. Most services start from Victoria Street Tesco in Grimsby, and some early morning services also serve Cleethorpes. There is a peak time service from Habrough and South Killingholme and a college day variant, the 45C that operates via Franklin College. Evening and Sunday services are provided by hourly route 46 from Immingham to Cleethorpes via the Willows Estate and Grimsby Town Centre, which seems to be unchanged in these changes.

Grimsby to Barton flows are handled by the 250 which operates every two hours or so Monday to Saturday via Immingham, South Killingholme, Ulceby and Barrow. This service is interworked with the 450 between Barton and Brigg, and is a former RoadCar route. The 250, combined with the 45 gives Immingham up to 4 buses an hour to Grimsby.

The changes from Stagecoach merge the 250 into the 45 service, which reduces from every 20 minutes to half hourly - almost halfing the number of buses between Grimby and Immingham. The 45 will no longer serve Victoria Street Tesco, but most journeys will extend to South Killingholme, increasing it's services from every 2 hours to half hourly.

From South Killingholme there are two variants - the 45b hourly to Barton, doubling the service frequency here, and the 45h to Habrough, giving it an hourly bus link to Grimsby, and a vast improvement from it's only current daytime bus service on route 150.

There is also a further variant however, the 45m. This does not serve South Killingholme, but instead serves Stallingborough MIC Plant, and the Queens Road area of Immingham, near to the former Loco Shed. However it does not go onto the dock estate, meaning the end of buses onto the docks, afacility the current 45 provides at peak times. The 45m generally only operates at weekday peak times, and some early morning journeys start back in Cleethorpes. Also the 45C College Service still operates, and there are occasional Grimsby to Immingham journeys numbered plain simple 45.

All sounds rather complicated, but the main Grimsby-Immingham-South Killingholme service is generally clockface, as are the Habrough and Barton services. The use of letter suffixes will also help identify where each service goes, though it makes the timetable very confusing to look at.

So is it a good move - if you live in Barton, Barrow, Thornton Curtis, Wootton, Ulceby, South Killingholme or Habrough, then yes. The new 45b Barton service for example enables the bus to be used for commuting to//from Grimsby, something not possible with the 250. But passengers in Immingham, Stallingborough and Healing will regretably see a major reduction in services.

Service 150 between Grimsby, Immingham, Habrough and East Halton will continue with two return journeys Wednesday and Friday plus an odd one way East Halton to Grimsby journey five days a week. However I wonder if the Habrough diversion is needed now with the new 45h?

Finally the 45b looks to be interowking still with the 450 on weekdays, and the new Stagecoach timetable lists connections onto this, and the 350 Humber Fastcat service at Barton. Well done to Stagecoach for doing this and trying to promote connections.

Revised times in Grimsby: Services 2, 13 and 14

Earlier this year service 2 was brought back in Grimsby to serve the Gilbey Road area and Europarc Industrial Estate and Business Park. However this also meant a reduction from a 6 day a week half hourly service to a limited hourly 5 day a week service with a large afternoon gap. From Monday 7th September the service shall have slightly revised times and a new 1605 departure from Europarc to Grimsby.

Also seeing revised times are services 13 and 14.

Better bus service to Franklin College

From Monday 7th September, Stagecoach are improving the bus service to Franklin College in Grimsby, diverting half hourly service 7 via the College as part off a revised route on the Grange Estate

Improved Laceby Peaktime service

From Monday 7th September, Stagecoach are improving the early morning and peaktime Laceby service with the extension of some journeys on service 7 between Grange Estate, Grimsby and North Sea Lane to the village. This will fill gaps in services 3 and HF that currently provide the main Laceby service.

This is not the first time service 7 has served Laceby. In the late 1980's (and maybe at other times too) a different service 7 between Bradley Crossroads, Central Parade and Grimsby was extended to Laceby in the evenings.

While this move improves the Laceby service at certain times off day, the daytime service from Laceby is very badly spaced - two buses within nine minutes then nothing for 51 minutes.

Service 173 - New Operator

Service 173 links Withernsea and Hull, operating via villages including Burton Pidsea, every Saturday. There are two services from Withernsea, and one from Hull. The service is operated by EYMS, and until last year was operated on a commercial basis. However in last year's bus cuts it was proposed for withdrawal until East Yorkshire Council stepped in to secure it's continuing operation.

Now the service looks to have a new operator. According to this VOSA entry, it is Lords Coaches:

PB0002148/19 - NIGEL LORD T/A LORDS COACHES, 5 HOLMES LANE, BILTON, HULL, HU11 4EX
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Withernsea
Finish Point: Hull
Via:
Service Number: 173
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 12-SEP-2009
Other Details: Operates on Saturdays only

This seems to contradict a comment on this blog last week that the new operator would be Pearsons Coaches. That comment also indicated that the Saturday peak time 174/175 services, which serve many off the same villages as the 173, would also be taken over by Pearsons Coaches. (The 174/5 also run on weekdays on a commercial basis by EYMS).

The VOSA entry is probably correct, though the 174/5 could have been included on the same registration as the 173. Whatever the situation though, the new operator will be the only independent operator operating a registered local bus service within Hull, which is currently a Stagecoach/EYMS only zone. And if it is Lords Coaches it will be their only registered local bus service.

If anyone can confirm the new operator, and if the Saturday 174/5 service is included in the new tender, please use the comment feature.

Two new EYMS routes

From 1st September, EYMS are introducing two new Monday to Saturday services.

The 34 will link Holme upon Spalding Moor to Market Weighton, with connections onto service X46 for Hull, Beverley and York. The services operates hourly in the morning/early afternoon, with later afternoon journeys on a Saturday. It is not the first time such a link has been tried - back in 2002, East Yorkshire Council funded a very similar weekday service, the 740, also operated by EYMS. Since that ended a Friday only service by Thornes Independent has been the only link from Holme to Market Weighton.

Meanwhile the new 242 service provides one journey into Beverley in the morning from Hedon, with a lunchtime return. The service also serves Preston, Sproatley, Bilton and Skirlaugh amongst other villages en-route. Between Skirlaugh and Beverley the new service is similar to Monday and Wednesday service 241 from Aldbrough, and the departures from Beverley are only 4 minutes apart.

No information is provided if the services are commercial or tendered, though I suspect the later.

X62 History Again

In June this blog attempted to give a recent history of the X62 service that links Hull, Goole, Freeport Castleford and Leeds, and there was some useful information posted by an anonymous commenter. What may have helped though was if I remembered the old timetables/maps I had that could help give some insight. So now I've gone through my collection to create this brief recent history.

Back in August 2002 the timetable had departures on Monday to Saturday at (operator in brackets):

Hull - 0625 (EY) 0905 (SH) 1010 (EY) 1230 (SH) 1340 (EY) 1550 (SH) 1710 (EY)
Leeds - 0825 (EY) 1050 (SH) 1155 (EY) 1410 (SH) 1525 (EY) 1740 (SH) 1855 (EY)

EY=EYMS
SH=Stagecoach Hull
Only the 0625, 0905 and 1710 from Hull and 1740 and 1855 from Leeds served Brough.

So departures throughout the day with EYMS carrying the commuters to Leeds and both operators carrying the shoppers to Leeds. Stagecoach had the main evening commuter departure from Leeds at 1740 and East Yorkshire the main return departure for shoppers at 1525. Overall EYMS had four return workings and Stagecoach three return workings.

Just over a year later, in September 2003, EYMS had diverted their journeys via Howden in an attempt to attract extra passengers. However the number of journeys stayed the same (sorry no timetable, this information is from a Hull Bus Map).

Moving onto March 2005 and the service was Stagecoach only. EYMS had dropped their services by now and Howden was no longer served, though all services now served Brough. Stagecoach had increased their services from 3 return journeys to 4 on weekdays and 6 on Saturdays. (again no timetable, information from a Hull Bus Map).

By September 2007 the Monday to Saturday frequencies had remained the same, though two Sunday and Bank Holiday journeys had been added. The timetable was very much Leeds shopper orientated, as can be seen below.

Monday to Friday
Hull - 0920 1020 1320 1630
Leeds - 1105 1235 1520 1815

Saturday
Hull - 0820 0920 1020 1320 1420 1630
Leeds - 1005 1105 1235 1520 1630 1815

Sunday and Bank Holidays
Hull - 1020 1445
Leeds - 1205 1630

November 2007 saw revised departure times Monday to Saturday, with all service from Hull departing at half past the hour and Leeds at twenty past the hour.

And that leads us back to the present, with the current timetable that reintroduces commuter services again (in the morning at least), and provides a better spread off journeys throughout the day. An extra weekday service has also been added, as can be seen below:

Monday to Friday
Hull - 0640 0940 1140 1340 1640
Leeds - 0830 1130 1330 1530 1830

Saturday
Hull - 0640 0940 1140 1340 1540 1740
Leeds - 0830 1130 1330 1530 1730 1930

Sunday and Bank Holiday services where not altered.

Only time will tell if the new timetable is a success. I personally wonder if providing a morning commuter service to Leeds, but no return service (1530 is too early, 1830 too late) will work. Finally the coaches meant to be used on the service since last month have yet to appear and the service is in the hands off Volvo/Paladin single deckers. Lovely .... not.

New Service 109

Last Monday (10th August), EYMS started a new hourly morning/early afternoon service 109 between the Bricknell Estate in Hull, Cottingham and Castle Hill Hospital. It also serves St Margaret's Road in Cottingham, which has had no bus service since the 115 was rerouted earlier this year.

The service is fairly well co-ordinated with new Stagecoach service 110 between Bricknell Estate and Castle Hill Hospital to restore a roughly half hourly service, lost when the 63 service was axed last month.

There seems to be no paper timetable or map available yet so I am unsure off how much of Bricknell Estate is served, or if the service is a tendered or commercial operation.

As a side note, this has got me thinking that maybe Stagecoach could consider routing the 110 via St Margaret's Road in Cottingham to restore a link to Hull. The 110 isn't the quickest Cottingham to Hull bus, but it would be better than nothing, and would not add more than a minute or two to the existing running time of the 110.

Yorkshire Coast Line Improvements

Northern Rail are proposing some enhancements on services on the Yorkshire Coast Line between Hull and Scarborough, according to the latest Rail magazine. Previously mentioned as being under 'serious consideration', plans to extend the Sunday Scarborough service to operate year round have been submitted for approval.

Meanwhile it is proposed to provide a half hourly evening peak service between Hull and Bridlington - this is the daytime frequency but in the evening peak there is a 52 and 38 minute gap between services, though supplemented by Hull to Beverley shuttles operating up to every 15 minutes.

More trains for Howden

The latest edition of Rail magazine reports plans by Northern Rail to stop all Hull to York trains at Howden from December 2009. Currently all services stop at Brough and Selby but Howden is only served by some trains. Howden has become an increasingly popular station, and is also served by First Hull Trains London services, plus peak time Transpennine Express services to Leeds.

Northern also propose starting the enhanced Summer Sunday Hull to York timetable at Easter in 2010, rather than the usual May start.

Scunthorpe Hospital Park and Ride Growing in Popularity

A staff park and ride from Glanford Park to Scunthorpe Hospital is growing in popularity since it started in April, with 144 staff signed up to use it on a regular basis.

http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/news/Hospital-park-ride-success/article-1238870-detail/article.html

Class 170's on South TransPennine Route

As previously mentioned as a possibility, two car class 170 'Turbostars' will be used on some services operated to Cleethorpes by Transpennine Express from September. The Grimsby Telegraph reports they will be used on 4 out of 16 Monday to Thursday services, and also on three weekend (2 Saturday/1 Sunday) services. However on weekends they will operate in multiple as four car units, providing a capacity increase compared to the current three car Class 185's. Cleethorpes drivers have been training on the Class 170's this summer, with special training journeys operating between Cleethorpes and Barton.

Also the at seat trolley service between Cleethorpes and Doncaster will be axed from September to try and reduce financial losses. The catering service will remain between Doncaster and Manchester.

Transpennine Express provide an hourly service from Cleethorpes, Grimsby Town, Barnetby and Scunthorpe to Doncaster, Meadowhall, Sheffield, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, with some services also serving Habrough. The service is referred to as the South TransPennine route.

First Hull Trains MD leaves

Mark Leving, the Managing Director of First Hull Trains (FHT) for the last six years left the company last week. James Adeshiyan has been appointed as General Manager as a partial replacement, with oversight from First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood. No reason has been given for this sudden change at the top of FHT.

http://railwayeye.blogspot.com/2009/08/all-change-at-hull-trains.html

Updated 12th August with additional information from RAIL Magazine.

Speeding up Barton-Cleethorpes train services

The latest minutes from the Friends of the Barton Line (FoBL) rail user group report a proposal from the Barton-Cleethorpes Community Rail Partnership (BCCRP) to remove stops at Barrow Haven, Thornton Abbey and New Clee from the following Barton to Cleethorpes services: 0958/1158/1358/2158 from Barton and 1100/1300/1500/2100 from Cleethorpes. This would be on Mondays to Fridays for a six month trial period with an aim to increase passenger numbers.

FoBL are opposing this seeing it as the beginning of the end for the three stations. As posted earlier this month, they are three of the least used stations in Yorkshire and the Humber. The number of people affected by the change would be small.

However would the move be worth it? The journey time from Barton to Cleethorpes is about 51 minutes, and 48-49 minutes in the other direction. From Barton to Grimsby just over 40 minutes. You would struggle to travel significantly faster by car, and the bus is a lot longer at over an hour between Barton and Grimsby. So the train is relatively fast as it is.

Then how much time would you save omitting three stations? Currently trains omitting New Clee save one minute. So omitting Barrow Haven and Thornton Abbey as well might save 5 minutes at most. Is it worth inconviencing the few users of the three stations for a small time saving to an already fairly fast train service?

Perhaps a better move would be to try and promote the three stations, especially Thornton Abbey in the summer to serve Abbey that gives the station it's name, and New Clee for the adjacent Ramsdens superstore. If the change happens New Clee will only be served on weekdays by the 0900 from Cleethorpes and 0800 from Barton. Useless.

I can see why the idea would be proposed - it costs nothing. But there are other priorities for the Barton Line - better connections at Habrough, extended Sunday services.

Humber Bridge tolls will not go up

The government has announced it will not sanction the proposed increase of the Humber Bridge tolls, despite the Humber Bridge Board's request being recommended for approval by an inspector at a public inquiry earlier this year. The reason given for rejecting the increase is the current economic climate.

Very welcome news but is this just a one-off? The Bridge Board will propose further tolls increases in the future which will be opposed, and there is also the wish to write off some or all off the Bridge Board's debt to enable a reduction in the tolls. Does todays decision mean anything for these issues?

By using the reason of the economy for the decision to reject the tolls increase now, the government has not set a precedent to always oppose bridge tolls increase. By the time the Bridge Board next want to increase the tolls, the economy will have probably picked up and this reason to reject any increase will have gone.

Then there is the issue of the Humber Bridge Board finances. These will take a big 'hit' by not allowing this toll increase. Rejecting another increase could cause serious financial problems - there is provision for taxpayers locally, mainly in Hull, to make up the shortfall but that would just be a political mess, not one that any government would want to preside over. It would probably be better to sanction an increase in tolls.

As for the Bridge debt, it is very small in terms of the national debt, but that national debt will mean budget cuts in many areas, including front line services. In that context dealing with an issue that affects a tiny part of the country is hardly going to be a priority.

While the economic climate is the reason for the decision, is there politics being played here too? There is a general election due within the next year, and this decision will not do any harm to the chance of Labour being re-elected, especially when there are two fairly marginal seats in the area. The decision is a very good way to show concern over local issues without spending any money.

This could create future problems with the Bridge Board finances as described above, but that would come to a head early in the next parliament probably - the time when tough decisions can be made safe in the knowledge of no imminent election.

Today's decision is welcome. The new Department for Transport team has impressed me, especially in terms of the railways, and here too. I believe it is in part responding to local concerns. But don't get too excited medium to long term - it sounds like a one-off; there is nothing to suggest any future tolls increases would be rejected, and nothing to suggest the government would be open to reducing the debt. Add in any element off playing politics and I feel this is only good news short term.

Hull Bus Forum 3rd June

The minutes of the Hull Bus Forum on 3rd June 2009 are now available. Some of what was discussed on matters mentioned previously on here, but I've selected a few interesting points from the discussions.

The diversion of EYMS buses that route down Spring Bank away from Park Street in Hull was due to discussions with the Institute for the Death, so I presume is a safety issue. Fair enough, though in my experience it was slightly quicker that way versus the current route via Ferensway.

The provision of an early morning bus on EYMS route 1C from Kingswood into Hull has attracted reasonable loadings that covers the cost of operating the journey. Also doing well are Stagecoach's revised evening services, and the numbers using the Megabus Plus service to London are improving. Doing less well are the evening services on route 20 starting at the Guildhall.

The provision of buses along Chanterlands Avenue North was a hot topic, but there is no money from Hull City Council to fund a replacement when service 63 ends this Saturday. Also interesting is that when 63 operated via Beverley Road and Queens Road to Newland Avenue it only attracted three passengers a day.

Wroot to Doncaster ... again

You may remember in April the Wilfreda Beehive operated Monday to Saturday service 190 between Wroot and Doncaster ended, following the decision by SYPTE to withdraw it's funding. North Lincolnshire Council funded one return journey three days a week as a replacement for Wroot passengers but a VOSA entry back in May showed this service as ending last week.

From today Wroot passengers will now be served by an extension of First's Doncaster local service 59, which until last week operated between Doncaster, Cantley and Bessacarr Warning Tounge Lane Monday to Friday daytimes. Now two journeys start in Wroot at 0907 and 1407, with one departure from Doncaster Interchange extending to Wroot at 1315. The Wroot journeys also form part of a new limited Saturday service on route 59.

So an improvement on the service Wroot has had to Doncaster since April, with double the number of days there is a bus to Doncaster. Though the frequency is less than the three return journeys operated until April. However the new 59 service does still allow for a shopping trip to Doncaster, or a visit to the Dome leisure centre. Hopefully as a six day a week service, and being attached to a local service in Doncaster (rather than being a 'stand alone' service) the link will become more viable.

As a side note, I presume the extension to Wroot is being funded by North Lincolnshire Council?

Yorkshire and Humber RUS

Network Rail has released the final version of the Yorkshire and Humber RUS. There isn't that much planned for the Humber region beyond work to create extra capacity for freight going to/from Hull and Immingham Docks, including potential doubling of some or all of the single track section of the Brigg Line. The key points are set out in Network Rail's press release.

However the document does have a few interesting statistics and points relating to the region in it.

Out of Yorkshire and the Humber's 13 least used stations detailed in Table 3.1, 11 are in the Humber Region. Network Rail has taken the usage statistics and converted them into trips per day which takes into account the number of days each station has a service; particularly useful in the case off the Brigg Line served only on Saturdays.

Rawcliffe sees 3 trips per day, and Snaith 9. This stations are on the Goole to Leeds line which offers one main function only; commuting into Leeds. Therefore such figures are hardly surprising

Again hardly surprising is to see Kirton Lindsey (3 trips per day) and Brigg (13 trips per day) on the list, which each served three services each way Saturdays only.

Wressle and Eastrington, both served by Hull to York trains see only two and five passenger trips per day respectively, and only have a limited service. Broomfleet, which is on the same line, and also served by occasional Hull to Doncaster trains, sees 7 trips per day. All three stations are in sparsley populated areas. Also in East Yorkshire, Arram sees 7 trips per day; while close to Leconfield it is a fairly remote location and low usage in hardly a surprise.

Finally three stations served by the Barton to Cleethorpes service are on the list; New Clee with one trip per day, Thornton Abbey with two trips per day and Barrow Haven with nine trips per day. New Clee is a unusual situation - it is only served in daylight hours due to lack of lighting, and with such low usage, new lightling cannot be justified. It is also, unusally for this list, in an urban area and is rather handy for Aldi or Ramsdens supermarkets. Thornton Abbey serves ... Thornton Abbey, and not much else (Thornton Curtis village is fairly close however) while Barrow Haven too is a very small village.

Good news for all these stations though is that there are no plans for service cuts or closure as things stand.

Hornsby Service 4 Contract

Hornsby's service 4 is the main bus service between Brigg and Scunthorpe, operating via Broughton, Lakeside Reatil Park and Ashby. The main, roughly hourly, daytime service, Monday to Saturday, is commercially operated, though journeys at other times are subsidised by North Lincolnshire Council. The contract for these services has just been renewed for a further five years, and a North Lincolnshire Council report reveals some interesting details.

Firstly Hornsby Travel was the only bidder for the contract. Perhaps surprisingly Stagecoach do not even appear to have even submitted a bid, but keeping the tendered and commercial journeys with the same operator does avoid the need for passengers to purchase two tickets when travelling one way on a commercial journey and the other way on a subsidised journey.

Weekday early morning and evening subsidised journeys from Brigg extend beyond Scunthorpe Bus Station to Normanby Enterprise Park. However the use off these services have declined by 20% since last summer due to the recession and the cost per passenger is now £3.41, above the North Lincolnshire Council guideline off £3. Hoping the number of jobs increases, and recognising access to jobs is a key priority these services will continue for now, but the extension to the Enterprise Park will remain under review.

Similarly four weekday daytime services to Normanby Enterprise Park, operated under a de minimis basis (council funded, but not tendered) have also seen declining use, and these too remain under review.

It is a similar situation with the limited Saturday evening service between Brigg and Scunthorpe. Usage varies greatly and costs have risen by 29%. They are not regarded as a priority by the council and remain under review.

There is also currently a basic Sunday and Bank Holiday daytime service between Brigg and Scunthorpe which costs an 'acceptable' £2.31 per passenger. Hornsby Travel have proposed a more clockface and earlier timetable for these journeys that is better for Sunday shopping. This has been approved by North Lincolnshire Council and should start in September.

Overall cost of this package is £43,095 per year, up from the current £40,122. Per day the cost is:
Weekday: £135
Saturday: £60
Sunday: £110

New Bridlington-Scarborough evening service

Nothing on the EYMS website yet, but I have picked up a service 121 timetable today which shows a new Bridlington to Scarborough evening service on Monday to Saturdays from Monday 27th July. This will be acheived by extending existing Hunmanby to Scarborough evening journeys to start at Bridlington, and is thanks to financial support for East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Departures from Bridlington will be at 2005, 2105, 2205 and 2325 (the last departure is a new service rather than an extension of a Hunmanby-Scarborough service). There is however a large gap between the existing last departure at 1710 and the new 2005 service. In the other direction departures from Scarborough will be at 1945, 2045, 2145 and 2310.

Market Weighton gains more York buses

From Sunday 19th July, EYMS are making changes to their York services. The main change is that many journeys on service 746 between Pocklington and York shall now start back at Market Weighton, also serving Hayton and Shiptonthorpe. Currently service 746 combines with service X46 from Hull to York to give a roughly half hourly Pocklington to York service, albeit with each service following slightly different routes. Now Market Weighton will get this half hourly frequency too. Lets hope this enhancement is well used.

Also EYMS will be making some changes to city centre routes in York, not just for services 746 and X46, but also for less frequent services 744, 747 and X47. See their timetable leaflets for details of the new routes.

Bridlington Town Service changes

EYMS are making some changes to two Bridlington Town Services on Monday 20th July. Service 503 will operate along Cardigan Road instead off South Marine Drive while service 504 to Bempton and Buckton will operate along Trinity Road instead of the Promenade. There shall also be a new departure on this service from Bridlington at 3.15pm, returning from Bempton at 3.38pm on Saturdays and School Holidays only.

Is North Lincs rail network adequate?

That is the question being asked by the Scunthorpe Telegraph. Hardly the best time to be doing it with a major line closure underway, when people's views are going to be affected by short term issues. However ignoring these issues, I would say the North Lincolnshire rail network is more than adequate, it is good.

There is an hourly service from Barnetby and Scunthorpe to Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Doncaster, Meadowhall, Sheffield, Manchester and Manchester Airport operated by modern trains and providing access to numerous connecting services along the way. Then there is a second hourly service between Scunthorpe, Doncaster and Sheffield that also gives Althorpe and Crowle an hourly service. In my opinion the service along this line is very good.

On top of that there is the two hourly Barton to Cleethorpes service to serve local needs - certainly adequate, if not good. The big disappointment is the Brigg line service, with just three Saturday only services between Cleethorpes and Sheffield.

Room for improvement - certainly. Year round and more frequent Sunday Barton Line service, hourly Monday to Saturday Barton Line service, weekday and improved Saturday Brigg Line service, services to London. Some of those are more realistic than others - but what there is currently, on the whole, is good.

Though is does not appear that thisisscunthorpe.co.uk users agree with me. Apparently 100% of respondents do not think North Lincolnshire has an adequate rail network. I would love to reduce that percentage, but sadly I can't find the poll to vote in on the website. Helpfully (not!) no link has been provided to it on the associated article ...

Grimsby and Cleethorpes Rail Services Westminster Hall Debate

Yesterday I posted about very late comments made my Shona McIssac MP (Cleethorpes) about the Scunthorpe-Doncaster rail blockade. The full text of the comments, and response from Chris Mole MP, under-secretary of state for transport, have been published on the Hansard website, Column 133WH onwards. They were made in a Westminster Hall debate. Having read the transcript there are a few points I wish to raise.

Cleethorpes-Scunthorpe rail services

Shona McIssac MP "Also, I have had no explanation of why there will be no train service between Scunthorpe, and Grimsby and Cleethorpes. These are the two biggest urban areas in northern Lincolnshire. I understand that no repair work is going on along that part of the line, so why can some sort of service not continue to link those two areas? Even at this late stage, I hope that that can be considered."
Response to this point from Chris Mole MP "TransPennine Express considered a shuttle service, but unfortunately it is not practical, as the rolling stock would be trapped and unable to return to its Manchester depot for the necessary regular central servicing and safety checks."

As I have posted before I agree there should be a shuttle between Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe, but it is far too late to arrange it now Shona. Just got to accept it will not happen now. But as for it being not practical, I disagree - Northern Rail are 'trapping' their stock for most of the week to operate the Barton Line Service. Cleethorpes has a fuelling point so a weekly or twice weekly empty coaching stock move would be all that would be needed. Not that hard? Or even better rotate it via a limited service along the Brigg line ...

Use of the Brigg Line for a replacement passenger service

Shona McIssac MP "I had hoped that it would be possible to retain a link with the east coast main line, perhaps using the Brigg and Gainsborough line, on to which all the freight traffic is being routed ... I appreciate that it is vital to keep that freight going, but originally I was told that some sort of passenger service may be retained on the line so that people could link in to the east coast main line if they have to go to London. However, I have now been told that there will not be any replacement passenger service on that line."
Response from Chris Mole MP " On the question of alternative routes, there is little opportunity to accommodate additional passenger trains on the alternative route via Brigg, as most of the spare capacity on that route will be taken by freight trains. That option was explored fully by TransPennine, but it was not possible to hire additional drivers from freight operating companies who had knowledge of the alternative route. Also, running via Brigg would take the trains to Sheffield but omit a call at Doncaster, which would affect passengers making journeys on that busy section of the network."

So there is some, limited capacity, on the Brigg Line for passenger services - and surely a little bit more could be created by moving a couple of extra freight services onto the Lincoln route? While driver training is hardly cheap, I don't see why Transpennine Express could not train a small number of their own drivers for the Brigg route - never know when it might come in useful after this summer. And as for the point about Doncaster - I think you have just got to accept it is a bus for Doncaster - but why remove all services, needlessly to Sheffield. Cross Country connection can still be made there, and East Coast Main Line connections en-route at Retford. Bizarre Comment to make.

On the driver issue, Shona McIssac MP replied with the following "On the drivers, my understanding is that TransPennine would not pay the rate, not that drivers were not available". Chris Mole MP said he would investigate. I hope this is not true as would really give the inidication that the replacement services are being done on the cheap.

General Comments

Shona McIssac MP makes some good points, but this all far too late, and even if it took time to secure the Westminster Hall debate, why not go public earlier? (and if you have done you can't have done it very loudly).

Chris Mole MP also made some very good justifcation of the timing of the blockade and hopefully he will be an effective member of the transport team.

Other Comments

Shona McIssac MP made some other points, not related to the summer blockade.
"Moreover, the new trains that have been in use on the trans-Pennine route are about to be withdrawn and replaced with 10-year-old rolling stock, which does not bode well for the future."

This must be refering to the rumours that TransPennine Express will replace Class 185's with Class 170's on some Cleethorpes services. Though to be honest I think the biggest issue with that is capacity between Sheffield and Manchester. For most of the time, east of Doncaster, I think a Class 170 would suffice, and there are demand for the Class 185's elsewhere. Shame if it happens though.

"Turning now to the frequency of the service, the nearest station to the port of Immingham is Habrough, yet that station has a very poor service, with few stopping trains. If we are to develop the port area, it makes more sense to increase the frequency of the trains serving the port of Immingham by having more stopping at Habrough station. I am always told that people should use Barnetby station. However, it is not the most successful station because it involves using bridges; Habrough does not. Therefore, we must consider having more trains stopping at Habrough if we are to serve the port."

Agree totally with that. Barnetby is great for many places, but not ideal for Immingham. And guess what station one of the main routes from Immingham to Barnetby goes past ... Habrough.

"The other service we must consider is the one to Humberside airport. At the moment, the line goes just past the airport—there is no station at the actual airport. If we are to have an integrated transport network serving this growing industrial area, we need to consider having a rail service into the airport."

Rail service into the airport - cloud cuckoo land. And yes I do run the Air Humberside website. But the airport could never support a dedicated rail station. A dedicated mini bus link to Barnetby is far more realistic.

"Thoughtless" timing for rail blockade?

As has been well reported here, there is a blockade on the rail line between Scunthorpe and Thorne this summer. Not the best time for the tourist traffic to Cleethorpes, though so far there hasn't been any really vocal complaints about this - until this week - less than a week before the blockade. Shona McIssac, the MP for Cleethorpes has called the planning "thoughtless" and questioned why the work could not happen at another time of the year.

No, it is not ideal for Cleethorpes, but the line is more than just a passenger line - it's a key freight route, and this is the quietest time for such traffic. The timing is not thoughtless, it has been timed on purpose. A decision has been made that the freight traffic is more important than the rail-transported Cleethorpes tourist traffic. And considering the lack of really vocal complaints or campaign from Cleethorpes businesses, I would tend to agree that the timing is the best possible. Obviously there can't be that many vistors coming in by rail, otherwise there would have been more complaints. No time is ideal, but the work is essential and needs doing at some point, and urgently.

As a follow up to last weeks post on the blockade and TransPennine Express's replacement bus services, Northern Rail have their bus replacement timetable online. Roughly hourly Scunthorpe to Hatfield and Stainforth as expected. Will serve the station car parks in Scunthorpe and Hatfield and Stainforth, the main road outside Althorpe Station, Wharf Road in Crowle and the Miller Lane/Ellison Street junction in Thorne.

Not the end for Megabus Plus?

Again the comment feature on this blog has provided some new information, this time on Megabus Plus. Last week the Doncaster Star reported the service would no longer serve Doncaster, and doing a quick check on the Megabus Plus website, I couldn't find availability from Hull on a random date. This led me to conclude that the Hull-Scunthorpe-Doncaster Megabus Plus service could be withdrawn.

Now an anonymous poster says the reason for the withdrawal of the Doncaster service is the unsuitability of the stop at the Lakeside Retail Park, and that an alternative Doncaster stop is being looked for. Following on from this I have checked the Megabus Plus website for a random date in July, and this time I have found availability for Hull. So it looks like the service is staying.

X62 History

When I posted about the forthcoming proposed X62 (Hull-Leeds) changes in July I attempted to produce a brief recent history of the service; now a comment has been added to the post from an anonymous reader who appears to know a bit more about it than me, and the reasons why EYMS withdrew their journey's on the route. So thank you very much for your insight and if anyone else has more to add, please do so.

Don't forget you are always welcome to write a comment on any post, and I will attempt to moderate them as soon as possible. The only reason for moderation is to avoid any spam or offensive comments being made.

Major Stagecoach changes in Greatfield and Bilton Grange

From 27th July Stagecoach are proposing to make major changes to their Greatfield and Bilton Grange services, as explained in great depth on their website, something which I commend them for.

In summary the changes are as follows:

The 43 to Greatfield and 54 to Bilton Grange will link up. The 54 will have a new route. It will continue to serve Holderness Road, but only as far as Portobello Street. It will then follow the current service 42 route down Portobello Street before returning to the current service 54 route along Staveley Road, Barham Road and Amethyst Road. Finally it will then continue to Grange Road and change to service number 43 to return into Hull via Preston Road, The current service 43 route shall be unchanged.

The frequency on both services shall be every 10 minutes on weekdays, every 15 minutes on Saturdays and every 30 minutes on Sundays. Both routes shall become frequento services, and be operated by low floor buses - currently only service 54 has such a status.

Service 40 which largely duplicates the 43, apart from a diversion down Newbridge Road, shall be withdrawn. Newbridge Road is also served by EYMS service 41, which is unchanged.

The 40 also served Falkland Road in Greatfield, which shall in future be served solely by service 42. This service shall also see a new route; instead of operating via Portobello Street it shall operate along Southcoates Lane, Preston Road, Marfleet Lane and Staveley Road before picking up the current route at Wingfield Road. The frequency shall be every 10 minutes weekday peaks, very 12 minutes weekday daytime, every 15 minutes Saturdays, every half hour Sunday and every hour in the evenings daily.

Stagecoach say the changes are an attempt to combat falling usage and are an attempt to simplify the network, as well as improving reliability. Lets hope it works.

Bricknell Avenue Estate Changes

Last Saturday I posted some VOSA entries indicating the cancellation by Stagecoach Hull of the 63, and the registration of new service 110 from 27th July. Stagecoach have now released full details of their proposed changes.

The 63 operating from Hull Interchange to Castle Hill Hospital via Newland Avenue, the University, Chanterlands Avenue North, Bricknell Avenue Estate and Cottingham is indeed axed. It currently operates half hourly on weekdays and hourly on Saturdays. And there is a new hourly service 110 from Hull Interchange to Castle Hill operating via Spring Bank, Chanterlands Avenue, Bricknell Avenue Estate and Cottingham.

However what the VOSA entries didn't indicate is the diversion of service 10 (the Circular) via Bricknell Avenue Estate to maintain a half hourly weekday service into Central Hull (combined with the 110), and to restore the half hourly Saturday frequency.

These changes will give the Bricknell Avenue Estate a more direct route into Hull, and new links to areas such as Kingswood via service 10. Hopefully this will increase usage of bus services on the estate, which is currently declining according to Stagecoach.

However there are some downsides; the link to Cottingham is reduced to hourly - probably not a huge issue since Stagcoach will have struggled to attract much Cottingham-Hull traffic with the old 63 route, and the 110 should suffice for local needs. And the Bricknell Avenue Estate looses it's link to Newland Avenue. But perhaps most significantly Chanterlands Avenue North will be left without a bus service - last Autumn it had four buses an hour on the 10/11/63. It's not the most densley populated road and is near to other frequent bus routes, but it is a big change in the space of a year.

X62 Hull-Leeds Changes

Once upon a time EYMS and Stagecoach Hull ran a joint service between Hull and Leeds via Brough, Goole and Freeport Castleford (the X62). Then EYMS gave up their share (6 years ago or so I think) and Stagecoach introduced a revised timetable. Out went the morning peak service and in came a timetable designed for shoppers going to Leeds and Freeport Castleford. One that has seen some minor improvements over time and a Sunday/Bank Holiday service introduced.

Well from 27th July, Stagecoach are proposing to go back to how it was to a certain extent. A morning peak time journey will be reintroduced, and the timetable will be more evenly spread throughout the day, approxiamtely every two hours. An extra weekday journey will be operated. Below is a comparison of the current and proposed new times.

Monday to Friday

Current Hull departures: 0930 1030 1330 1630
Proposed new Hull departures: 0640 0940 1140 1340 1640

Current Leeds departures: 1120 1220 1520 1820
Proposed new Leeds departures: 0830 1130 1330 1530 1830

Saturday

Current Hull departures: 0830 0930 1030 1330 1430 1630
Proposed new Hull departures: 0640 0940 1140 1340 1540 1740

Current Leeds departures: 1020 1120 1220 1520 1620 1820
Proposed new Leeds departures: 0830 1130 1330 1530 1730 1930

There are no changes proposed to Sunday/Bank Holiday times.

Will this new timetable be a success? One of the reasons EYMS dropped their share of the route was apparently because they had the peak time journeys as part of their share, and these weren't performing particularly well. So can Stagecoach make a success of them? The evening return time of 1830 from Leeds on weekdays is a bit late for commuters. We shall see what happens. Also of note is a new late Saturday departure from Leeds at 1930.

Finally the service shall be operated by coaches instead off the current ex-RoadCar Volvo double deckers.

End of Megabus Plus?

The Doncaster Star newspaper is reporting that the MegabusPlus service from Doncaster will be axed around the end of the month. The Doncaster service is provided as a stop in the Hull-Scunthorpe-Doncaster-East Midlands Parkway route, and checking dates in July on the megabus website brought up no availability from travel from Hull. So while no officially confirmed, it looks as if the Hull-East Midlands Parkway MegabusPlus route will be axed.

MegabusPlus was started in March to connect various towns and cities in Yorkshire, plus Scunthorpe, to London via East Midlands Parkway. There are three routes - one each from Hull, Harrogate and Huddersfield, that connect to East Midlands Trains services to London St Pancras. Both MegabusPlus and East Midlands Trains are operated by Stagecoach, and Stagecoach's Hull depot operates the Megabus Plus service.

If the Hull/Scunthorpe/Doncaster service is axed, then it's a shame but with competition from First Hull Trains, National Express East Coast and National Express's coach service then it was always going to be hard to make it work. Nice to see it was tried though.

Scunthorpe-Doncaster Rail Blockade Update

Later this month the Scunthorpe to Doncaster rail line is closed for major engineering works, affecting the Cleethorpes-Manchester Airport Transpennine Express service and the Scunthorpe-Sheffield Northern Rail local service.

Transpennine Express have released the timetable (on their website) for the replacement bus services. Oddly enough the all stations replacement bus service will always serve Habrough, despite some trains not calling there. Otherwise it is as expected with a replacement bus serving Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town with another just calling at Grimsby Town en-route from Doncaster to Cleethorpes. Waiting times from bus to train are about 15-20 minutes which seems reasonable.

Generally the replacement bus services will call at the station forecourt or car park, though in Habrough eastbound the bus stop will be outside 'The Station' public house while in Barnetby buses will stop on Kings Road. Stands C5 and C6 will be used in Doncaster Interchange, next to the railway station.

No timetable that I can find for Northern's replacement bus services between Scunthorpe and Hatfield and Stainforth yet. Though it is expected just to be an hourly service calling at Althorpe, Crowle and Thorne South en-route.

As you may remember I had concerns that the first service of the day between Barton and Cleethorpes would be cancelled during the blockade due to no train being available to operate it. Well posts on the Northern Railways Forum indicate the Northern Rail will keep two Class 153 units at Cleethorpes during the blockade - one to operate the main all day service and the other to operate the early morning service and then act as a spare. If this does happen then it is great the Barton Line will not have to suffer but it does seem an ineffcient use of a train to have it left idle at Cleethorpes from 8am onwards.

The way to avoid the above situation would have been to operate a Cleethorpes to Scunthorpe shuttle service, as previosuly discussed, and a train from that service could also operate the early morning Barton Line service. Now Network Rail have given a reason why such a shuttle service will not be possible - operating restrictions. Make of that what you will.

Network Rail's press release also mentions that at the end of the blockade (29th August to 6th September), Goole to Doncaster services will also be replaced by buses. This shall impact on Hull to South Yorkshire services. Will they be diverted via Selby or replaced by buses?

Bye Bye 63, Hello 110

From entries on the VOSA website this week it looks like Stagecoach are withdrawing the 63 service and replacing it with a new service 110 route.

PB0001987/235 - CLEVELAND TRANSIT LTD T/A STAGECOACH NORTHEAST, ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, NORTH BRIDGE STREET, SUNDERLAND, SR5 1AQ
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Hull Interchange and Cottingham Castle Hill given service number 63 effective from 27-Jul-2009.
PB0001987/265 - CLEVELAND TRANSIT LTD T/A STAGECOACH NORTHEAST, ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, NORTH BRIDGE STREET, SUNDERLAND, SR5 1AQ
Registration Accepted
Starting Point: Hull Interchange
Finish Point: Cottingham Castle Hill
Via:
Service Number: 110
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 27-JUL-2009
Other Details: Monday to Saturday hourly direct via Chanterlands Avenue

The 63 currently operates half hourly on weekdays and hourly on Saturdays from Hull Interchange via Princes Avenue, Newland Avenue, Hull University, Chanterlands Avenue North and Bricknell Avenue to Cottingham. It is the only bus service to serve the Bricknell Avenue Estate and Chanterlands Avenue North.

The new 110 appears to indicate a weekday frequency cut, and route change. The new number 110, fits in between the two main Hull to Cottingham bus services, the 105 and 115.

Changes will also affect Greatfield services, Service 10 (Circular) and the X62 Hull-Leeds service.

Less buses for Ellerker

From Sunday 14th June 2009, EYMS will reduce services to Ellerker, which is served by the 155 route from Hull to Gilberdyke. All Sunday services will be withdrawn, and the Monday to Saturday service will be reduced to a two hourly daytime only service. EYMS say this is due to congestion and comments from residents.

http://www.eyms.co.uk/content/busservices/newsitem.aspx?action=view&id=336

Stagecoach Scunthorpe area changes

Stagecoach are making many changes in the Scunthorpe area from 25th May. Many are relatively minor retimings but Scunthorpe Town Services 33/34 see frequency cuts from every 20 to every 30 minutes. The Saturday journey on service 94 is also extended to Glentham.

Service 6 (Scunthorpe-Ashby, Monday to Saturday):
There are some intermediate timing changes while the 1750 from Scunthorpe shall now operate 10 minutes later at 1800, providing a later last journey.

Service 11 (Monday to Saturday):
There is a new 1430 departure from Scunthorpe Bus Station on this circular service to Bottesford and return via Ashby.

Service 17:
There is a new departure from Hilton Avenue at 1208 on this service which links Hilton Avenue in Scunthorpe to the town's Bus Station every Monday and Wednesday. This new journey appears to be a positioning journey operated 'in service' since there is either a 2 or 5 day wait until the next return journey from Scunthorpe Bus Station!

Service 30:
This new college day only service provides departures at 1455 and 1525 from John Leggott Colege to Scunthorpe Bus Station for early college finishers.

Service 31 (Monday to Saturday):
All journeys on this circular town service in Scunthorpe shall operate 5 minutes earlier. In Frodingham the service shall now no longer serve Lilac Avenue and Sandhouse Crescent, which are still served by service 10.

Service 32 (Monday to Saturday)
All journeys on this circular Scunthorpe town service shall operate 5 minutes earlier, while the 1520 and 1540 departures from Scunthorpe Bus Station shall be combined into a 1525 service. In Frodingham the service shall no longer service Lilac Avenue and Sandhouse Crescent.

Services 33/34 (Monday to Saturday)
In Bottesford these Scunthorpe town services shall no longer serve Caistor Avenue, Timberland, Queenswood Road and Holme Hall Avenue. Frequencies are reduced from every 20 to every 30 minutes while the first journeys of the day are slightly later than at present.

Service 38 (Scunthorpe-Crosby, Monday to Saturday):
The 0730 departure from Scunthorpe Bus Station shall operate 10 minutes earlier at 0720 and the 1720 departure shall run 5 minutes earlier at 1715.

Service 60:
The 0840 Scunthorpe-Whitton, Monday to Saturday, shall operate 5 minutes later at 0845.
The 1745 Scunthorpe-Whitton and 1825 return, Monday to Friday, shall both operate 5 minutes later at 1750 and 1830 respectively. The Saturday journey shall not change ... so much for simple timetables (though there could be an operational reason for this).

Service 94:
The Saturday service shall start at Glentham at 0925 before continuing as normal from Bishop Norton to Scunthorpe via Brigg. The return service at 1230 shall also extend to Glentham. This gives Glentham a new link to Scunthorpe, and the only suitable bus link for shopping in Brigg.

Service 101:
The 0655 schooldays only Scunthorpe to Gainsborough shall no longer operate.

Service 353:
The 0650 school and college days only journey from Scunthorpe to Hemswell Cliff shall operate 5 minutes earlier at 0645.

Service 365 (all changes are Monday to Friday only):
The 0645 Scunthorpe-Brigg-Wrawby shall operate 5 minutes earlier at 0640.
The 1715 Scunthorpe-Wrawby at 1759 return shall operate 20 minutes later at 1735 and 1819 providing a later last departure for Scunthorpe commuters.

Connect 51 Grimsby-Louth changes

For the third time this year, service 51 between Grimsby and Louth will see alterations from 25th May. No alteration to the basic half hourly Monday to Saturday frequency, but changes at peak times and in the evenings. There is an extra journey each way in the evening peak, and some retimings to create a more standard pattern evening service. From studying the current and new timetables, the changes seem to be as follows (all Monday to Saturday):

• 0555 Grimsby to Louth operates 5 minutes earlier at 0550
• 0640 Grimsby to Louth operates 10 minutes later at 0650
• 0735 Louth to Grimsby operates 5 minutes later at 0740
• 1620 Grimsby to Louth on Saturdays and school holidays only operates 10 minutes later at 1630 - this means it will operate at the same times as the equivalent schooldays journey from Grimsby Hospital onwards
• 1715 Louth to Grimsby operates 5 minutes earlier at 5 minutes later at 1710
• 1720 Grimsby to Louth operates 10 minutes earlier at 1710
• There is a new 1740 Grimsby to Louth
• There is a new 1740 Louth to Grimsby
• The 1800 Louth to Cleethorpes operates 20 minutes later at 1800
• The 1850 from Louth to Grimsby is cancelled
• 2020 Cleethorpes to Louth operates 10 minutes earlier at 2010 (2020 from Grimsby)
• The 2130 Louth to Cleethorpes operates 10 minutes earlier at 2120
• 2305 Cleethorpes to Louth operates 5 minutes later at 2310 (2320 from Grimsby)

Service 190 again

Last month the 190 between Wroot and Doncaster was saved from the axed, albeit being reduced from 6 to 3 days a week, and from 3 to 1 journeys a day on the days it operates. Now the operator, Wilfreda Beehive, has informed VOSA it will be terminated in July.

PB0000595/63 - WILFREDA LUXURY COACHES LTD T/A WILFREDA BEEHIVE, APEX HOUSE, CHURCH LA, ADWICK-LE-STREET, DONCASTER, DN6 7AY
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Wroot and Doncaster given service number 190 effective from 19-Jul-2009.

Did Wilfreda only get a short term tender, and then lost the long term tender? Or has the reduced service put passengers off and made it unviable?