Sunday 31 July 2016

Some ideas work, Some don't - but at least they were tried.

Last September Stagecoach took over the East Riding of Yorkshire Council tender for Monday to Saturday evening services 78 and 277 between Hull and Hedon. They introduced two significant improvements - extending most services beyond Hull Interchange to the Avenues area, and a later Saturday departure on route 277. From next week (Monday 1st August), the Avenues extensions no longer operate, so I guess that initiative wasn't a success. The later Saturday service remains however, but departing Ferensway in Hull City Centre at 0030 as opposed to 0020, operating 10 minutes later throughout.

It should be noted that East Riding of Yorkshire Council are currently consulting on withdrawing the evening 78/277 services, except for possibly the 1810 service 78 from Hull Interchange.

Stagecoach Simplibus Hull Changes

Today, Sunday 31st July, Stagecoach have amended the timetables for most Simplibus routes in Hull, with some of the more notable being discussed below. There are various smaller changes not noted below, so this post is not comprehensive.

On a city wide note, all Saturday morning variations via Hull Royal Infirmary and Smith and Nephew are withdrawn, impacting service 3 from Greatfield and service 8, 11 and 12 from North Point. There are also reductions in the equivalent weekday variations on some routes (see below for details). Monday to Saturday early morning through journeys between services 2 and 3 (from Orchard Park) and services 10/10X are no longer shown in the revised timetables; neither are evening and Sunday through journeys between service 5 and services 11 and 12.

Weekday morning peak 1W variations via Smith and Nephew from Hull Interchange now operate every half hour rather than every 20 minutes. The weekday 0625 service 2 from Hull Interchange now starts at Monument Bridge at 0635.

On service 3 between Orchard Park and Greatfield the Monday to Saturday early morning timetables are extensively revised. In addition to the changes noted above, the 0700 from Greenwood Avenue to Hull Interchange now starts at Orchard Park Tesco and operates through to Greatfield, while the 0630 and 0700 from Greatfield to Hull Interchange now operate through to Orchard Park. On Saturdays all early morning journeys from Greenwood Avenue now start at Orchard Park, and operate through to Greatfield. This means earlier departures from Orchard Park Tesco than on weekdays and an earlier first service from Hull Interchange to Greatfield than on weekdays, at 0605 as opposed to 0657. The 0715 Hull Interchange to Greatfield is however withdrawn.

The last departure from Kingswood Retail Park on service 5 moves 5 minutes later on weekdays to 2315 but 10 minutes earlier on Sundays to 2300. There are also new earlier weekday departures from Hull Interchange at 0610 and 0640 (first departure previously 0705).

Weekday early morning journeys on service 10 from North Bransholme operate 5 minutes earlier "to improve connection times" onto services 8 and 11 at North Point. There is a new 0550 departure from North Bransholme, and the retimed 0635 from North Bransholme (was 0640) no longer operates via Hull Royal Infirmary and Smith and Nephew.

On service 11 the weekday 2345 from Ferensway is withdrawn, leaving a 2325 last departure from Hull Interchange. The last weekday and Sunday departure from Kingswood is 5 minutes later at 2335.

Service 12 has a revised early morning timetable; on weekdays the 0615, 0630 and 0645 from North Point via Smith and Nephew become 0530, 0600, 0630 and 0645 not serving Smith and Nephew. On Saturdays there is also a new 0600 from North Point, providing a first departure 15 minutes earlier than previously.

Hopefully this post has captured all the main changes - please leave a comment if not!

Sunday 17 July 2016

Stagecoach 5 - Funding Success for Major Changes

The Grimsby Telegraph reported this week that North East Lincolnshire Council's Sustainable Travel funding bid to the Department for Transport has been successful, and that part of the successful bid includes significant improvements to Stagecoach service 5 between Grimsby and Immingham.

Full details of the bid are available on the council website. For service 5, £200,000 of government funding will be used to 'Kick Start' major improvements to the service, alongside an investment of £150,000 by Stagecoach in two additional low floor buses and a further £20,000 from Stagecoach of "marketing design services" to assist in promotion. Service 5 will, as part of a quality partnership, double in daytime frequency from half hourly to every 15 minutes between Grimsby and Immingham, with a half hourly extension to the new Able UK industrial development at Killingholme as well as the CATCH training facility and the Philips 66 Oil Refinery. It is not stated if the frequency increase will just be on weekdays, or if Saturdays are included as well.

It isn't quite clear to me how this will work in practice, and how the South Killingholme extensions to the 5 and those journeys that continue beyong Immingham as service 150 or 450 will be affected. The peak time service 5 extensions to Habrough and Ulceby are also not mentioned. The Able UK site and Philips 66 Oil Refinery are north of Immingham, while CATCH is to the east on the Kiln Lane Industrial Estate already served at peak times as part of the MIC Plant extensions, and the three sites would not be easily served by the same half hourly extension.

Page 8 of the bid document also contains a map. The MIC Plant route is colour coded "5 bus service with increased frequency". There is then a route colour coded "New bus service" along Manby Road and Rosper Road to serve Able UK and Philips 66, which then continues along Crook Mill Road to Thornton Abbey and a map label "To Barton Upon Humber". South Killingholme is colour coded "150/450 bus service" along with North Killingholme and Habrough.

The map could suggest that after operating a 15 minute frequency to Immingham County Hotel, the service will then split to serve CATCH/MIC Plant/Kiln Lane or extend to Able UK. This could provide a half hourly service to both areas. The extension to Barton is intriguing, as it is not mentioned elsewhere within the bid document, and would no doubt require significant funding. It would however significantly improve public transport links to the Able UK site, as passengers from Hull or Scunthorpe could connect onto an Able UK service in the town. Any Barton extension would presumably be routed via East Halton village, not Crook Mill Road as shown on the map, and would serve Barrow as well en-route to Barton.

It is worth pointing out that the 150 and 450 are North Lincolnshire Council financially supported, and that South Killingholme, North Killingholme, East Halton and the Able UK site are in North Lincolnshire, not North East Lincolnshire. This, and the focus on access to employment and training in the bid document, may explain the lack of detail on services to villages North and West of Immingham.

The Kick Start approach was used successfully around 10 years ago to relaunch the Laceby Acres/Nunsthorpe-Grimsby-Cleethorpes routes (now services 3 and 4) with 10 minute frequencies. For service 5 it will subsidise the first year of the increased frequency, with the intention that fare income and developer contributions will ensure it becomes commercially sustainable afterwards.

This is exceptionally good news for travel between Grimsby and Immingham, and for access to employment and training sites around Immingham. The changes will be a real 'step-change' in provision with the potential to deliver significant growth in the use of bus services. Hopefully Habrough and North Lincolnshire villages such as South Killingholme will not see cutbacks as a result of these changes, and can retain through services to Grimsby.

Finally, the bid also includes plans for a cycle hub at Cleethorpes station, which could offer the potential for workers in the Immingham/South Humber Bank area to travel by train to Habrough and then cycle to work.
(Unless I missed it, I haven't seen any timescales or start dates quoted)