Good news for the people of Aldeburgh, Leiston and Saxmundham - there are timetable changes coming to the 64/65. Bad news is the changes are minimal and are of no improvement whatsoever to connections in the area. In fact my 4 times a week 196 that gets into Saxmundham 15 mins after the 64 to Ipswich has gone will now get in 5 mins after, making it even more frustrating. Trains are still not being connected with. I'm told the reason the changes I proposed last year have not been implemented yet is because of various arguments between communities along the route who all want the best connections, and uncertainty over the aforementioned Martlesham corridor. Don't understand those arguments as right now the 64/65 manages spectacularly to connect with naff all anywhere on the route so anything would be better than nothing.
When it was announced Anglian had lost the 60J/68 tender it was understood that while the 68 was to be re-tendered - Ambassador will be taking it over - the 60J had bitten the dust and was not being re-tendered. However yesterday on VOSA it was revealed that Suffolk Norse are going to operate a new service 108 along the 60J route between Lowestoft and JPH. What's more there is a 33% increase in journeys, going up to 4 from 3 each way a day. It has been suggested 60 seater sardine cans will be used (as on the 107), but I expect more likely 14 seater minibuses which already operate a route in Lowestoft (can't remember which one!). The loadings do not justify a big bus, and the route is very tricky for a bus that size too.
Speaking of connections Anglian's ridiculous new timetables came into operation this week, including a 45+ min wait at Southwold if you want to interchange between the 88A and 61. The weather forecast for the next few days is for a strong easterly/northeasterly wind with a high wind chill factor. Thanks Anglian, much appreciated. Perhaps your management would like to try out that connection to see what you have sentenced your dumped on passengers to. Is it any wonder, Smurf, that businesses don't approach operators with innovative ideas when ineptitude such as that is on display?
Anticipation is high in Norwich for the arrival of the shockingly pink Wright Streetwrecks to arrive. To my knowledge I'm the only blogger in the area to actually travel on one (apologies if I've missed anything) so it will be interesting to see what others think. My advice is to judge them after 3 months and see if they still feel new then. I confess I don't know the Pink Line that well but I'm going to suffer a President over the next week or so to see what the Streetwrecks will have to cope with.
And on the subject of new buses I took the opportunity on the way home yesterday to try another E200MMC. Some have been delivered to Arriva Kent Thameside to operate the B13 on behalf of TfL which runs between Bexleyheath and New Eltham in South East London. I took a trip for the one and only time on the route as it is one of those mind numbingly boriing routes round as many residential raods as possible, taking half hour to do a trip that other routes do in 10 - think the 2 in Gorleston multiplied by 5! I remember the B13 being operated by Bexleybus Optare Metroriders in the late 80's and if anyone can work out what ENR stands for in the fleet number ENR6 then can you enlighten me as I haven't a Scooby!
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| Arriva ENR6 LK65 EKV at Bexleyheath Clock Towet |
Over the weekend I'll post the second part of my Canterbury visit, including a very familar livery, and remember I'm meant to cover trains too with a rail post.
From what I can work out Arriva London have Enviro 200s/E20Ds of various different lengths - I'm willing to be corrected but from shortest to longest they're classed as EN, ENS, ENR, ENL and ENX. On that basis ENR could be Enviro Regular but that's simply conjecture on my part!
ReplyDeleteIt makes perfect sense Nigel so thanks for that - it certainly seemed a mid length one. Think my brain is still in Kent - didn't pick up on EN being Enviro. The longer E200's always seemed better than the short ones so the MMC's may be the same.
DeleteI believe it's the 115 that Suffolk Norse operate in Lowestoft with their minibuses. Good thought, I'd forgotten about them. I'll be out that week to find out!
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Saves me the odious task (Lowestoft not fun this time of year):D
DeleteJudge them after 3 months and see if they still feel new then, from my experience of the those in Colchester I would amend that to give it a month, and that's being generous!
ReplyDeleteHad to comment on that Steve: that sort of ineptitude is exactly why I think businesses need to start telling the bus companies what to do, and probably bribing them too - he who pays the piper and all that. Too many managements and local authorities don't seem to have much clue about the real world, do they? (Yes there are some good exceptions; but it's interesting that the southern part of Stagecoach south-east seems to have a much better reputation than the northern home counties bit, and particularly Stagecoach East. Perhaps just confirms my suspicions of the role of history: the bits that were good pre-deregulation seem still good today, and the bits that were poor, remain poor.)
ReplyDeleteI've been wait8ing for you! You have a pretty good point although I would suggest that Stagecoast have preserved far more of the trunk routes in East Kent than Arriva have in North and West Kent. Maidstone used to be the hub in the West that Canterbury is in the East, but in the last 20 years routes from Maidstone to Hastings, Rye, Sevenoaks, London, Gravesend and Sheerness have all disappeared. For years the Maidstone - Folkestone route was split at Ashford, and even the Maidstone - Faversgam route required a change at Sittingbourne Yes Stagecoach had a goot established network to begin with, but to keep it established, let alone improve it is commendable in this day and age.
DeleteI've probably the least experience of Stagecoach, but that contrast is a very interesting point. To me they seem to combine very good commercial acumen with understanding their local market (even when the locals hate them as many do in Cambridge). What you say about Arriva south of the river, is what I'd say about the northern bit too! I did used to see them as son of London Country, a bit of a chip off the old block, though now combined with a bit of the Teutonic ridigity that passes for efficiency (from DB their new owner).
DeleteI tend to think there's something else too: in some regions customers seem to take to buses and in others they don't as much. Could that partially be the difference between north and south Kent? I'd probably suggest the same between south Suffolk (though not Ipswich itself, which always seemed to me like a different region) and the GY to Norwich corridor; and between mid Herts where despite the affluence they seem to take to buses, in my home area; and east/north Herts, central and north Essex, where they don't so much - though again I think south Essex is different. I suspect with greater mobility the differences are blurring. The differences can't it seems to me to be put wholly down to the operators. It may be why the apparent Stagecoach adaptability is so important.
I'm reminded of the apocryphal - although quite possibly untrue - remark attributed to Maggie Thatcher: "A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself on a bus can count himself as a failure". Nevertheless there is perhaps a certain social demographic which would never think of taking a bus when they can use a car. Even in London I suspect that there are "bus" people and "tube" people.
ReplyDelete