Transdev Blazefield

[YorkRailFan]

B9TL 2422 has transferred from Coastliner to Flyer and Citaro O295 Hybrid 1513 has transferred from Flyer to Coastliner.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Sep 2026 ==

B7RLE 1720 has transferred from Keighley to Team Pennine and Versa 215 has transferred from Blackburn to Team Pennine.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Sep 2026 ==

B7RLE 1825 has transferred from Keighley to Team Pennine.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Sep 2026 ==

B9TL 2421 has transferred from Coastliner to Flyer. B7TL 2764 has been withdrawn for scrap.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Sep 2026 ==

B7RLE 1720 has returned to Keighley from Team Pennine.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Sep 2026 ==

B7RLE 1825 has returned to Keighley from Team Pennine. B9TLs 2421 & 2422 have returned to York from Flyer. Citaro O295 Hybrid 1513 has returned to Flyer from York.

 

[WYIS]

I have heard there are reports on Facebook that the Flyer contract is to pass to Tower Transit. Can anyone please confirm this?

 

[YorkRailFan]

I have heard there are reports on Facebook that the Flyer contract is to pass to Tower Transit. Can anyone please confirm this?

Can confirm with this tender notice:

Contract 8. Leeds Bradford Airport
Supplier
TOWER TRANSIT OPERATIONS LTD
Contract value
£21,000,000 excluding VAT
£25,200,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold

Award decision date
8 September 2026

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084929-2026#contract_7

All subject to the contracts being signed which cannot be done before 18 September 2026.

 

[Nikkos1977]

Can confirm with this tender notice:

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084929-2026#contract_7

All subject to the contracts being signed which cannot be done before 18 September 2026.

Interesting - also has Transdev down for Hebden Bridge, as well as Huddersfield smalls.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Interesting - also has Transdev down for Hebden Bridge, as well as Huddersfield smalls.

Looks like they'll operate the Huddersfield smalls from Waterloo depot, no clue for the Hebden Bridge contract.

 

[dmncf]

Do Tower Transit have a bus depot in the area, or do they inherit one bus depot as part of the Leeds Bradford Airport contract?

 

[Deerfold]

Interesting - also has Transdev down for Hebden Bridge, as well as Huddersfield smalls.

That's the Huddersfield to Hebden Bridge services (and some reports say the 387, too), not any Hebden Bridge locals, which will be part of the third tranche of awards.

Do Tower Transit have a bus depot in the area, or do they inherit one bus depot as part of the Leeds Bradford Airport contract?

No, and no.

 

[Nikkos1977]

That's the Huddersfield to Hebden Bridge services (and some reports say the 387, too), not any Hebden Bridge locals, which will be part of the third tranche of awards.


No, and no.

Aah - that makes sense. Cheers.

 

[Andyh82]

Do Tower Transit have a bus depot in the area, or do they inherit one bus depot as part of the Leeds Bradford Airport contract?

No, but Transdev may sell them Idle, but then again Transdev may win Bradford contracts within tranche 3 so may want to keep it

Idle was originally opened by Yorkshire Tiger so has changed hands before.

 

[stevieinselby]

Idle was originally opened by Yorkshire Tiger so has changed hands before.

Well ... yes and no ... Transdev bought out Yorkshire Tiger so it's not unusual for the depot to be part of the sale ... this would be a different scenario.

 

[Leedsbusman]

Well ... yes and no ... Transdev bought out Yorkshire Tiger so it's not unusual for the depot to be part of the sale ... this would be a different scenario.

well no. Transdev won the Airport contract in 2020 and took on the depot then. They bought Tiger in 2021 after Idle had already changed hands.

 

[stevieinselby]

well no. Transdev won the Airport contract in 2020 and took on the depot then. They bought Tiger in 2021 after Idle had already changed hands.

OK, my mistake, I had forgotten they took the airport contracts ahead of the rest of the company.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Optare Versa 215 is back at Blackburn from Team Pennine.

 

[johntea]

I see Alex Hornby has been hard at work using his former Transdev skills in his Northern Rail role

 

[Deerfold]

I see Alex Hornby has been hard at work using his former Transdev skills in his Northern Rail role

View attachment 211660

I've seen these at Halifax (where it's huge) and Keighley. They definitely err on the side of caution when describing frequency.

All say "up to every 30 minutes". Harrogate has 2-3 trains per hour, Keighley has 2-4 (plus, typically, 1 by changing). Halifax has 4-6. They all have gaps of more than 30 minutes very occasionally.

 

[northernchris]

I've seen these at Halifax (where it's huge) and Keighley. They definitely err on the side of caution when describing frequency.

All say "up to every 30 minutes". Harrogate has 2-3 trains per hour, Keighley has 2-4 (plus, typically, 1 by changing). Halifax has 4-6. They all have gaps of more than 30 minutes very occasionally.

Indeed, the Halifax one is definitely underselling the frequency - up to 4 trains an hour would be a better description. They do add a bit of colour though to the station fronts!

 

[HarryL]

I see Alex Hornby has been hard at work using his former Transdev skills in his Northern Rail role

View attachment 211660

It doesn't look bad but I do wonder why they've suddenly gone so hard on the Northern branding like this when it's about to be replaced by GBR. I know this is kind of his thing but this will all need replacing soon, it would have made more sense to do it in a way that could work for both in my view.

 

[Bungle965]

Back on topic please

 

[Ballyheigue]

Going back on topic, but related to what Alex is doing, I'm surprised he hasn't gone further and highlighted the painfully slow bus journey times compared to the train. Take the 36, it's almost an hour now to Leeds and there have been times when you end up waiting a while for one too. I waited 20 minutes for one the other day and it took just over 50 minutes to reach Leeds Vicar Lane, the train would have been significantly quicker even with the walk!

 

[John HG1]

One of the biggest problems with the 36 is it being a local service within Leeds. Admittedly traffic levels are higher now but 25 years ago, as a limited stop service journey time was around 45 mins even in the peaks.

 

[Andyh82]

Going back on topic, but related to what Alex is doing, I'm surprised he hasn't gone further and highlighted the painfully slow bus journey times compared to the train. Take the 36, it's almost an hour now to Leeds and there have been times when you end up waiting a while for one too. I waited 20 minutes for one the other day and it took just over 50 minutes to reach Leeds Vicar Lane, the train would have been significantly quicker even with the walk!

Train faster than the bus shocker. Hold the front page.

 

[RustySpoons]

Going back on topic, but related to what Alex is doing, I'm surprised he hasn't gone further and highlighted the painfully slow bus journey times compared to the train. Take the 36, it's almost an hour now to Leeds and there have been times when you end up waiting a while for one too. I waited 20 minutes for one the other day and it took just over 50 minutes to reach Leeds Vicar Lane, the train would have been significantly quicker even with the walk!

I imagine it's slightly awkward after spending years promoting the bus over the train, now he's having to promote the train over the bus on his own turf!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Going back on topic, but related to what Alex is doing, I'm surprised he hasn't gone further and highlighted the painfully slow bus journey times compared to the train. Take the 36, it's almost an hour now to Leeds and there have been times when you end up waiting a while for one too. I waited 20 minutes for one the other day and it took just over 50 minutes to reach Leeds Vicar Lane, the train would have been significantly quicker even with the walk!

Train faster than the bus shocker. Hold the front page.

Indeed, and perhaps you also have to wait for an ageing train that trundles along every 30 mins? Even the 170s are now 25 years old which stunned me.

More importantly, when you factor in things like the route taken by the 36 in serving the south Harrogate catchment like Rossett and Oaklands, and the peripheral location of Leeds station, perhaps it explains in part why a service that was half hourly before deregulation is now every 10 mins?

I imagine it's slightly awkward after spending years promoting the bus over the train, now he's having to promote the train over the bus on his own turf!

I'd imagine it's not awkward at all. His loyalty is to his current employer who pays his mortgage.

 

[SCH117X]

Going back on topic, but related to what Alex is doing, I'm surprised he hasn't gone further and highlighted the painfully slow bus journey times compared to the train. Take the 36, it's almost an hour now to Leeds and there have been times when you end up waiting a while for one too. I waited 20 minutes for one the other day and it took just over 50 minutes to reach Leeds Vicar Lane, the train would have been significantly quicker even with the walk!

Depends where you are travelling to in Leeds. Anywhere on the northern side of the city centre and there is little difference once in you factor in the walk to/from the train through the station and the 10 minute frequency (if it works) means its pretty much turn up. 20 minutes gaps are usually down to roadworks; currently there is a painful 4 way set of temporary lights on the Ripon Road causing the ex Ripons often to be late and running either just in front or just after the following short working. And even if the bus is a few minutes longer at least its not cattle truck travelling conditions which is typical of most Harrogate line workings for the duration of the service in West Yorkshire