What's the deal with this proposed "Heartbeat Network"?

[Edvid]

I was searching for something else and came across this PDF (link) by happenstance.

It's marked as a draft and lists a bunch of existing and "new" bus routes across the Chilterns and Thames Valley; no idea who compiled it (could be a random individual for all I know), but I can tell by some of the routes listed it's quite recent.

 

[mangad]

I was searching for something else and came across this PDF (link) by happenstance.

It's marked as a draft and lists a bunch of existing and "new" bus routes across the Chilterns and Thames Valley; no idea who compiled it (could be a random individual for all I know), but I can tell by some of the routes listed it's quite recent.

If you look at the metadata of the file (which is straightforward when you know where to look), it was created by Trevor Brennan, who works for England's Economic Heartland.

England's Economic Heartland

England's Economic Heartland

www.englandseconomicheartland.com

 

[Edvid]

Thanks, both for the info and the tip (settings cog in the top right for anyone who's curious).

The document does feel like the kind of wish-list EEH would compile. Especially the suggestion of a BRT route.

 

[nr758123]

Surely it should be the Midsomer Network? Heartbeat is a completely different part of the country.

 

[RT4038]

It does seem to be a strange list - D1 Daventry-Rugby is a bit of an outlier, but no Northampton-Daventry route? Two services Northampton- Oxford but no Milton Keynes-Oxford. I did initially wonder if these were link bus routes not paralleling direct rail lines, but then noticed Oxford-London ....

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It does seem to be a strange list - D1 Daventry-Rugby is a bit of an outlier, but no Northampton-Daventry route? Two services Northampton- Oxford but no Milton Keynes-Oxford. I did initially wonder if these were link bus routes not paralleling direct rail lines, but then noticed Oxford-London ....

There are some real oddities there.

• Banbury - Brackley - Buckingham - Bicester
  • The first bit is already well covered though frequency has dropped from every 20 mins just a few years ago to hourly and now runs to Bicester (but not via Buckingham and, well, you wouldn't)
• The two Northampton to Oxford services on a corridor that's been tried and tried again - can only surmise one is a non-stop route, and one's stopping but avoiding Bicester
• MK - Towcester - Silverstone - Buckingham
  • The first bit is ok, I guess, but the middle bit is again part of the A43 section that's been tried before but then head to Buckingham??
• MK - Northampton (X6) appears to be missing too

Seems very pie in the sky

 

[D6130]

Surely it should be the Midsomer Network?

Travelling on those routes would be absolute murder!

 

[GusB]

I was searching for something else and came across this PDF (link) by happenstance.

It's marked as a draft and lists a bunch of existing and "new" bus routes across the Chilterns and Thames Valley; no idea who compiled it (could be a random individual for all I know), but I can tell by some of the routes listed it's quite recent.

What was the actual source that this document came from? It's all a bit vague without any further information.

 

[Edvid]

What was the actual source that this document came from? It's all a bit vague without any further information.

The link is an Amazon AWS URL, so the document is stored on their servers but almost certainly not linked anywhere besides search engine pages; I was actually searching for additional material related to the Arriva X1 at the time. As mangad informed me, the PDF metadata says its author is Trevor Brennan (Project Lead of England's Economic Heartland according to this), and the overall territory the routes cover matches the counties that EEH oversees.

 

[Edvid]

The Heartbeat network concept was in agenda item 5 (document link) of the EEH Board meeting on 12 July.

England's Economic Heartland

Strategic Transport Leadership Board

www.englandseconomicheartland.com

 

[sk688]

Surprised that the Ricky-Hemel 322 isn't on that list