Changes to bus services from Sunday, March 30
Following considerable investment in new buses and improvements to frequencies and routes, Go North East will be introducing some service changes in North Tyneside and South Northumberland from Sunday, March 30.
A new, branded Citylink 58 service, operated by first class, brand new, gold Mercedes buses, will provide direct links to Newcastle city centre and Gateshead. The new cross-Tyne Citylink route links Hadrian Park, Battle Hill Drive, Coast Road, Newcastle city centre, Gateshead, Deckham, Felling Square, Leam Lane Estate and Heworth
Citylink offers frequent services from early morning until early evening on Monday to Saturday, and a half-hourly service in the late evenings. On Sundays, they will run every 20 minutes until early evening and every half an hour in the late evenings. Citylink also introduces a brand new night service, N58, which will run hourly in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings.
With an introductory return fare of just £2 for the first two weeks of operation and a weekly saver giving seven days travel for just £10, the new buses offer great value and high standards of comfort.
A second new brand for the area is Wallsend Links services 40, 40C, 41 and 41C which will provide frequent, local links for Wallsend and the surrounding area. With their fresh green livery and distinctive Wallsend Links name, the buses are easy to spot anywhere along their route.
New service 40 will run via Hadrian Park and new services 40C and 41C will provide links to Cobalt Park via the new Cobalt South bus link.
The Wallsend Links circular route replaces service 305 between Wallsend, Rosehill, High Howdon, Hadrian Park, Battle Hill Drive, High Farm and Station Road North. Wallsend Links also replace service 340.
Coaster services 1 and 2 will have new routes and timetables. Between Walkergate Metro and Shields Road in Byker, both services will travel via Sutton Street and Fossway to serve Brough Park Stadium, Shopping City and B&Q.
Both services will run half-hourly on Monday to Saturday, but the services will combine to give an improved 15 minute frequency between North Shields, Wallsend, Byker, Newcastle, Gateshead and Low Fell. Both services will run hourly in the evenings and on Sundays, although the services will combine to run every half an hour to and from Whitley Bay Bandstand, Tynemouth, North Shields, Wallsend, Byker, Newcastle, Gateshead and Low Fell. Service 1 will then continue on to Kibblesworth and service 2 will continue to Wrekenton, resuming their hourly frequency.
Cobalt Clipper service 309 is doubling its frequency to every 15 minutes during the day on Monday to Saturday. The buses will run every 30 minutes during the evening and on Sunday.
They will also have a new route via Cobalt South bus link instead of New York Way which will give faster services to Cobalt and Silverlink Business Parks.
Centurion buses are changing their numbers from 315 and 316 to 75 and 76 and, with their new bright red livery, are even easier to spot and remember.
The Centurion will run to new timetables and have an improved Sunday daytime frequency, giving a half-hourly service between Battle Hill Drive, High Farm and Newcastle.
Although the route is changing and will no longer serve Hadrian Park and Westminster Avenue, links between these areas and Newcastle will be provided from the Coast Road by the new, frequent Citylink 58 services.
A new Pink Panther service 81 will replace current services 81, 319 and 321. Serving Holy Cross, Wallsend, Redesdale Park, Benton ASDA and Cramlington, the bus will run every 20 minutes during the day on Monday to Saturday, with an hourly service through Forest Hall, Killingworth, Burradon, Dudley and Cramlington.
On Monday to Saturday evenings and on Sundays, the new Pink Panther 81 will run every half an hour, with hourly services to and from Forest Hall, Killingworth, Burradon, Dudley and Cramlington.
The new Pink Panther 81 will also replace service 307 between Wallsend town centre, West Street, Station Road North and Redesdale Park.
Services 325 and 326, the North Shields to Whitley Bay circular, will change service numbers to operate as services 85 and 86. They will run at new times and combine with Centurion services 75 and 76 (currently operating as 315 and 316) to provide a 15 minute frequency.
New timetables will be in operation for daytime journeys on service 308 between Blyth and Newcastle. Journeys operated by Go North East on Monday to Saturday evenings and on Sundays will be replaced by new journeys on the Cobalt Clipper service 309.
Because so few passengers used some of the early morning and early evening services on 83A and 83C, the following journeys will no longer operate: the 08.23 journey on service 83C from Billy Mill to North Tyneside via North Tyneside Hospital and Preston Grange; the 83C circular at 17.14 from North Shields to North Tyneside Hospital via Billy Mill and the 17.27 journey on the 83C from North Tyneside Hospital to North Shields via Preston Grange Morrisons.
The 08.44 journey on service 83A is also being re-timed to leave Preston Grange Morrisons at 08.54.
Other minor service changes will be made to Go North East service 12 and 91A; 317, 318 and 340. Services K1 and K2 will be provided by Veola Transport instead of Go North East.