National Express Coaches Discussion

[dan5324]

All I’m gonna say is take the national express website with a humongous pinch of salt. The team that update it shall we say “aren’t very good”. Parts of it still show the A3 running… as I’ve said on many posts. A or insignificant number of those routes have gone for ever.

 

[jammy36]

Following the cessation of commuter services in the south east just before Christmas it would appear that National Express Transport Solutions (NETS) has reallocated some of its vehicles to create a new private hire coaching unit in the West Midlands based at Aston depot.

Coach Hire Midlands | Group Travel | Transport Solutions

Coach hire midlands for all occasions. Prefect solutions for all size events, weddings, sports. Group Travel made easy from start to finish.

nets.nationalexpress.com

A fleetlist posted elsewhere suggest 30 vehicles are being transferred, with the following identified as being allocated to the West Midlands:

2910 PO15 AZZ ex Kings ferry
3403 PO15 AZX ex Stewarts
3404 PO65 EZE ex Stewarts
3405 PO65 EZF ex Stewarts
3804 YP17 FLH ex Woods
3805 YN66 VXU ex Stewarts
4001 YT16 FUA ex Stewarts
49111 BT66 UAE ex Kings Ferry
49113 BT66 UAG ex Kings Ferry
53103 YS15 LSX ex Woods
53106 BJ15 UVK ex Clarkes
53107 BJ15 UVL ex Clarkes
53108 BJ15 UVM ex Clarkes
53109 BJ15 UVN ex Clarkes
53110 BJ15 UVO ex Cl;arkes
53114 YT65 BYM ex Clarkes
53115 YT65 BYN ex Clarkes
53118 BU18 YTR ex Kings Ferry
53119 BU18 YTF ex Kings Ferry
53121 BU18 YTW ex Kings Ferry
53122 BU18 YTX ex Kings Ferry
53123 BU18 YTY ex Kings Ferry
53134 YS65 ATK ex Woods
53135 YS65 ATN ex Woods
5714 YP17 FLE ex Stewarts
5715 YP17 FLF ex Stewarts
5717 YS15 LSY ex Woods
5718 YS15 LSZ ex Woods
5724 YN16 NZE ex Clarkes
5737 YT17 FAJ ex Woods

BT66UAG (at least) has been repainted into new NETS blue and white livery.

 

[route101]

Noticed certain services on the 204 now run from Gatwick Airport to Poole. Was Gatwick served prior to Covid on the 204?

 

[JonathanH]

Noticed certain services on the 204 now run from Gatwick Airport to Poole. Was Gatwick served prior to Covid on the 204?

Poole to Gatwick was 206, via Chichester.

 

[route101]

Poole to Gatwick was 206, via Chichester.

Interesting, did not realise NX used to route that way. I over heard someone ask if airport services would come back to Fareham/Portsmouth few weeks back.

 

[JonathanH]

Interesting, did not realise NX used to route that way. I over heard someone ask if airport services would come back to Fareham/Portsmouth few weeks back.

From out of date information on a Bournemouth tourist website - https://www.bournemouth.com/national-express/

Airport transfers​

205 and 206 are the National Express airport coaches, running to Heathrow and Gatwick respectively. Both services call at a number of key destinations along the route. The 205 calls in at Ringwood, Southampton and Winchester and the 206 at Ringwood, Southampton, Fareham and Chichester.

 

[route101]

From out of date information on a Bournemouth tourist website - https://www.bournemouth.com/national-express/

Very interesting. I guess it makes sense to combine the Heathrow and Gatwick services into one. The South Coast services sounded like a great journey.

 

[Titfield]

Very interesting. I guess it makes sense to combine the Heathrow and Gatwick services into one. The South Coast services sounded like a great journey.

That is how it was in the 1980s for a time.

One service operated Poole Bournemouth London Victoria.

Another service operated Poole Bournemouth Heathrow Gatwick. From memory some of the LHR LGW services served Ringwood and some Christchurch Lyndhurst.

 

[dan5324]

Jeez. And I thought the A6 and 025 were bad routes. Seems likes they’re nothing compared to the 204 beats both!

 

[route101]

Jeez. And I thought the A6 and 025 were bad routes. Seems likes they’re nothing compared to the 204 beats both!

Every 025 seems to run via Heathrow and Gatwick. Why would anyone travel from Worthing/Brighton to London on it?

I never knew the 204 ran from Gatwick, must have changed in last few weeks. Needs a timetable list and service change bulletin.

 

[dan5324]

The only reason the 025 goes via Gatwick and Heathrow is because that’s the only way the route can make any money. Few people travel by coach to Brighton and beyond. Let’s face it, road links between london and Brighton have always been abysmal and slow. The 025 is about profit and serving destinations the train doesn’t. If it weren’t for Gatwick being on the way to Brighton then I highly doubt we’d even have a coach service to Brighton. In fact scratch that, we wouldn’t.

 

[route101]

The only reason the 025 goes via Gatwick and Heathrow is because that’s the only way the route can make any money. Few people travel by coach to Brighton and beyond. Let’s face it, road links between london and Brighton have always been abysmal and slow. The 025 is about profit and serving destinations the train doesn’t. If it weren’t for Gatwick being on the way to Brighton then I highly doubt we’d even have a coach service to Brighton. In fact scratch that, we wouldn’t.

I suppose Gatwick used to have its own service to Victoria! That's why the 025 runs via the airport.

 

[JonathanH]

I suppose Gatwick used to have its own service to Victoria! That's why the 025 runs via the airport.

The removal of overnight train services from Victoria to Gatwick was partially predicated on the A3 being a suitable alternative (and the A3 did used to serve places like Rose Hill and Sutton that don't have easy links to Gatwick).

 

[route101]

Looking at the 594 from Edinburgh to London. The service is tracking as using the A702 heading to the M74. The map suggests it heads down the east coast with a stop at woodall services. Is the map wrong?

 

[JonathanH]

Looking at the 594 from Edinburgh to London. The service is tracking as using the A702 heading to the M74. The map suggests it heads down the east coast with a stop at woodall services. Is the map wrong?

The timetable for the 594 says it stops at Woodhall services as well but if no passengers are booked to board there, presumably there is discretion to take a different route, calling at a different service station for the driver break.

I travelled on a Megabus duplicate for the M20 overnight service earlier in the month which went M4 / M25 / M40 / M42 / M6 toll / M6 / M74 / A702 despite the booked route for the stopping service being Meadowhall / Leeds / Newcastle.

 

[Blindtraveler]

The A1 north of Newcastle and indeed north of Berwick is such a terrible road vert the slog over to the 74 on the a702 is absolutely worth every last bend and pothole.

 

[Butts]

I flew into Heathrow Terminal 3 last night and had to get a service bus to my hotel for the night before an early flight to Edinburgh today.

I noticed the National Express ticket office had closed (last year as it turns out) in the Central Bus Station.

This seems a bit of a retrograde step or has it already been discussed elsewhere?

 

[matt_splat]

I flew into Heathrow Terminal 3 last night and had to get a service bus to my hotel for the night before an early flight to Edinburgh today.

I noticed the National Express ticket office had closed (last year as it turns out) in the Central Bus Station.

This seems a bit of a retrograde step or has it already been discussed elsewhere?

Heathrow was closed l staff made redundant I also beleve Newcastle and Liverpool was at the same time.

I hope the network ahead of the summer is reviewed Friday seeing two coaches in convoy one on time one over a hour late is a kind of resemblance of delays in pervious years.

I know Friday a few drivers were very close to hitting 4hr 30 and these were only running 20/30 mins late into Birmingham

 

[route101]

The timetable for the 594 says it stops at Woodhall services as well but if no passengers are booked to board there, presumably there is discretion to take a different route, calling at a different service station for the driver break.

I travelled on a Megabus duplicate for the M20 overnight service earlier in the month which went M4 / M25 / M40 / M42 / M6 toll / M6 / M74 / A702 despite the booked route for the stopping service being Meadowhall / Leeds / Newcastle.

I see. I thought Woodall was just a service stop and not a place where passengers can alight or board. There used to be a night service on the 591 from Edinburgh down to London.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Apr 2022 ==

The A1 north of Newcastle and indeed north of Berwick is such a terrible road vert the slog over to the 74 on the a702 is absolutely worth every last bend and pothole.

I recall national express services going Edinburgh - Glasgow then down south. Using the A702 must be a more recent development. The Scottish NX routes are either Edinburgh/Glasgow - London or Edinburgh/Glasgow - Birmingham.

Do any National express routes use the A1 (M) and A1 heading north from London?

 

[Swanny200]

IIRC it used to be seasonal, I used to get buses from Edinburgh to London quite a bit with NX, some used to go A702/M74 (Stuarts and Bruces mostly) the rest went via Newcastle on the A1. I always thought Woodall was just a service break for the driver(s) to have food and for the smokers/vapers, or Ferrybridge which used to be another one for NX.

The 591 goes along the A1(M) Leeds, Darlington, Durham (services), Newcastle, Alnwick then Berwick are the usual calls

 

[JonathanH]

The 591 goes along the A1(M) Leeds, Darlington, Durham (services), Newcastle, Alnwick then Berwick are the usual calls

The daytime service still seems to. I guess one reason why the nighttime one is now 594 is that the Northumberland stops are no longer included overnight, hence allowing a A702/M74 routeing.

I always thought Woodall was just a service break for the driver(s) to have food and for the smokers/vapers, or Ferrybridge which used to be another one for NX.

I seem to recall Ferrybridge calls in the overnight North East services at one point.

 

[Eyersey468]

Woodhall was always just a scheduled break when we ran the 567

 

[route101]

Are drivers free to choose what services to use on services?

 

[dan5324]

Are drivers free to choose what services to use on services?

Yes. As long as it doesn’t cause adverse delays to the service and won’t mess up driving hours/rests etc etc.

 

[Statto]

Yes. As long as it doesn’t cause adverse delays to the service and won’t mess up driving hours/rests etc etc.

Yep, the old overnight 421 Blackpool - London (now 423 Liverpool - London) between Chester & Hanley, most drivers went down the A51 & A500, but i have been on coaches when the driver used the M6, M56 instead, also the 421 had a couple of routes between Preston & Liverpool, either straight down the A59, or via M6, M58 then A59

 

[route101]

Anyone know what route the Birmingham to Stansted Airport service 777 takes? Is it the A14 or does it go down the M1, M25 and back up the M11?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Apr 2022 ==

Yep, the old overnight 421 Blackpool - London (now 423 Liverpool - London) between Chester & Hanley, most drivers went down the A51 & A500, but i have been on coaches when the driver used the M6, M56 instead, also the 421 had a couple of routes between Preston & Liverpool, either straight down the A59, or via M6, M58 then A59

I get the impression now they want to run on motorways as much as possible or if not fast dual carriageways.

 

[Mike99]

I have seen a 777 on the M69 and the A14 in recent months since mid December, I have had to make a few trips between Hinckley and Ipswich and used the M69, M1 and A14

 

[JonathanH]

Anyone know what route the Birmingham to Stansted Airport service 777 takes? Is it the A14 or does it go down the M1, M25 and back up the M11?

I did the 0100 7777 service on 27 June 2021 - M6 / M42 / A45 / M69 / A6 / A14 / M11 - stopped at Birmingham Airport, Coventry and Leicester - but other 777s go via Northampton and Luton so will go a different way.

 

[route101]

Spotted these out of date timetables at Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station. 344 Glasgow to Bournemouth and 539 Glasgow to Bournemouth. I thought the 334 was to Plymouth. I do wonder if these will come back.

 

[matt_splat]

336 was the night Plymouth to Scotland 532 for a while. It was a well used Plymouth to Scotland day service, but unfortunately Bristol needed a highly regular link to Blackpool so that changed.