Well Coastliner have been testing a Volvo B8L MCV EvoSeti so something is clearly in the works.
And there’s nothing to release the B5s either. A one off route test is hardly an indicator! You speculation is no more justified than mine.
Its more of sign than what's going on with Mainline and the 6/7!
Is it? Maybe best to wait until an order is confirmed before speculating on what happens to the outgoing buses.
No testing of new buses has occurred on Mainline or 6/7, unlike on Coastliner, unless anyone can prove otherwise.
Is that really what we want? Revenue from rail fares is still below pre-Covid levels and promoting a transfer to buses isn't going to help the situation. Which train services do you have in mind?
Crikey - no testing was done on the 464 either was it before their new buses were ordered.
I think the situation has been explained enough times now; continuing to stress the point on how one bus company's marginal service may be resourced is starting to look a little rude.
Probably because Blackburn already had E200 MMCs?
They may be looking at options but that's not to suggest it's imminent.
Yeah, I wonder if B9TLs from Hotline would then be disposed of instead of passing to the X41. 12/62 plate Eclipses would be a step up but aren't available anytime soon. Regardless, the X41 definitely needs new buses.
The X41 fleet will need replacement at some point but not deckers, and probably not something that incurs depreciation, and probably not imminently.
By the time any sort of major fleet movement happens, the X41 fleet will be 20 years minimum anyway.
The rail service between Cosham and Portsmouth has gone downhill in the last year. 2 trains within 14 minutes in both directions, some daytime hours the GWR no longer calls. Only 1 train to Portsmouth Harbour (for Gunwharf Quays outlet & leisure) some hours. Last train back at 21:55 from Portsmouth Harbour on Monday to Fridays. Most people I know now choose the buses as they are very frequent, cost less, run from 4am til midnight (later at weekends) and take just slightly longer than the train.
For the X41 and X43 there are a couple of journeys that run via Rochdale Road in the peaks missing out the crawl out through Prestwich, not sure how much faster these are in practice. It would be good if this route was extended to Clitheroe again like it was many years ago, the train service is unpredictable and there are a lot more houses and commuters out that way than when it last ran there. These routes have proved a great backup personally this summer with some severe train disruption having taken place.