Arriva Midlands

[joieman]

Arriva Midlands are making various changes to several services from the 8th of April.

Among them, the 16 will have some times adjusted (which I hope can deal with some of the very crowded-looking X16 and 16A runs and the awkward times after college hours at Stephenson's) and will run via Greenclose Lane, The Rushes, Bridge Street, Fennel Street, Lemyngton Street, Jubilee Way, Barrow Street and Leicester Road in Loughborough in a more similar fashion to the 127 instead of using Frederick Street, Browns Lane, Wards End and Woodgate.

The 127's frequency is being changed to every 20 minutes throughout, meaning more buses for Shepshed, but fewer buses for everywhere else. The route on weekdays in Shepshed will also be changed to the route presently run only on Sundays, with Tickow Lane and most of Anson Road no longer served. Rumour had it that this is due to bad parking; if this is the case, then perhaps the authorities should have intervened and imposed enhanced parking measures to avoid the situation coming to this. As it is, I think the 127 really needed to be expanded as a result of all the new homes being built in Shepshed, especially on the Buttercup Lane estate.
The evening 126 journeys are being replaced by later journeys on the 16 and 127, and the morning 126 from Coalville will be renumbered as a 127.

Details of the service changes can be found here:

Latest News - Arriva UK Bus

www.arrivabus.co.uk

 

[SSmith2009]

Arriva Midlands are making various changes to several services from the 8th of April.

Among them, the 16 will have some times adjusted (which I hope can deal with some of the very crowded-looking X16 and 16A runs and the awkward times after college hours at Stephenson's) and will run via Greenclose Lane, The Rushes, Bridge Street, Fennel Street, Lemyngton Street, Jubilee Way, Barrow Street and Leicester Road in Loughborough in a more similar fashion to the 127 instead of using Frederick Street, Browns Lane, Wards End and Woodgate.

The 127's frequency is being changed to every 20 minutes throughout, meaning more buses for Shepshed, but fewer buses for everywhere else. The route on weekdays in Shepshed will also be changed to the route presently run only on Sundays, with Tickow Lane and most of Anson Road no longer served. Rumour had it that this is due to bad parking; if this is the case, then perhaps the authorities should have intervened and imposed enhanced parking measures to avoid the situation coming to this. As it is, I think the 127 really needed to be expanded as a result of all the new homes being built in Shepshed, especially on the Buttercup Lane estate.
The evening 126 journeys are being replaced by later journeys on the 16 and 127, and the morning 126 from Coalville will be renumbered as a 127.

Details of the service changes can be found here:

Latest News - Arriva UK Bus

www.arrivabus.co.uk

Gosh I can remember the 127 being every 10 mins not so long back.

Skylink has probably taken most of the Leicester to Loughborough passengers as it takes just over half the time and is being increased to every 15 mins shortly.

 

[Mikw]

Arriva Midlands are making various changes to several services from the 8th of April.

Among them, the 16 will have some times adjusted (which I hope can deal with some of the very crowded-looking X16 and 16A runs and the awkward times after college hours at Stephenson's) and will run via Greenclose Lane, The Rushes, Bridge Street, Fennel Street, Lemyngton Street, Jubilee Way, Barrow Street and Leicester Road in Loughborough in a more similar fashion to the 127 instead of using Frederick Street, Browns Lane, Wards End and Woodgate.

The 127's frequency is being changed to every 20 minutes throughout, meaning more buses for Shepshed, but fewer buses for everywhere else. The route on weekdays in Shepshed will also be changed to the route presently run only on Sundays, with Tickow Lane and most of Anson Road no longer served. Rumour had it that this is due to bad parking; if this is the case, then perhaps the authorities should have intervened and imposed enhanced parking measures to avoid the situation coming to this. As it is, I think the 127 really needed to be expanded as a result of all the new homes being built in Shepshed, especially on the Buttercup Lane estate.
The evening 126 journeys are being replaced by later journeys on the 16 and 127, and the morning 126 from Coalville will be renumbered as a 127.

Details of the service changes can be found here:

Latest News - Arriva UK Bus

www.arrivabus.co.uk

I'm interested in the new 127 routing around Shepshed, on the website it describes the route as a "one way loop". I click on the "more details" section to find the map but the page doesn't exist.
Only every 20 minutes now? Is this down to the bus shortage? For a while now it's been the route that's got the dregs of the fleet.

 

[joieman]

Gosh I can remember the 127 being every 10 mins not so long back.

Yeah, just a decade ago, and every 30 minutes through to Coalville too.
I have personally only ever used the 127 to get to Leicester as it is the one that runs closest to my house.
I also forgot to mention this: the timetables for the 16 now appear to have two journeys an hour, one five minutes or so after the other. I assume this is merely a major clerical blunder on Arriva's part.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Mar 2024 ==

Yeah, just a decade ago, and every 30 minutes through to Coalville too.
I have personally only ever used the 127 to get to Leicester as it is the one that runs closest to my house.
I also forgot to mention this: the timetables for the 16 now appear to have two journeys an hour, one five minutes or so after the other. I assume this is merely a major clerical blunder on Arriva's part.

The new timetables have been corrected - no duplicate journeys, as I assumed. Unfortunately they don't seem to do much to resolve some of the timing issues that I personally have with the 16 in the late afternoon.

 

[Wiggy49]

49s have been decimated, pre covid used to be every 15 mins to Wigston with every other extended to Fleckney, then just every 30 mins post Covid to Fleckney.

When the major "Turn up and go" Local Linx service revision was launched in 2006 the 49s ran upto every 10 mins to Wigston, using the then new 06 plate VDL Gemini's, with the X4 going on to Fleckney.

From this April, the 49 is reduced to hourly Mon-Sat daytime to Fleckney with no short workings, and no evening or sunday services.

Loads of new houses have been built in Wigston and Fleckney over the last 15 years, with even more planned, that should have generated new custom for the 49 but all built with no provision for a bus service as the new estate roads are all dead ends.

Wigston Meadows now covered by diverting the 47 and 48 all day which now operate upto every 12 mins, but we still await the 24 new electric buses for the 47/48 routes, due last October, but now not expected until May, and currently parked up at Derby awaiting issues with the new charging faclities to be resolved.

 

[Andy Pacer]

we still await the 24 new electric buses for the 47/48 routes, due last October, but now not expected until May, and currently parked up at Derby awaiting issues with the new charging faclities to be resolved.

I think the latest press states that all 24 are expected in service by May. The first handful are in service.

 

[joieman]

I reckon that the 07:40 16 from Loughborough to Coalville last Friday was the quietest I can remember that run being. My theory is that since the 127 has been rerouted in Shepshed to serve the bottom of Charnwood Road, it has therefore poached several passengers from the 16. I have observed in the past several passengers alighting in that area on the 16.
Makes me wonder if Arriva have messed up the 16 worse than I thought, and if it is sustainable long-term. I hope Arriva don't later try to pull the 16 altogether.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I reckon that the 07:40 16 from Loughborough to Coalville last Friday was the quietest I can remember that run being. My theory is that since the 127 has been rerouted in Shepshed to serve the bottom of Charnwood Road, it has therefore poached several passengers from the 16. I have observed in the past several passengers alighting in that area on the 16.
Makes me wonder if Arriva have messed up the 16 worse than I thought, and if it is sustainable long-term. I hope Arriva don't later try to pull the 16 altogether.

Do you mean the 'top' end of Charnwood Road by the A512?

 

[joieman]

Do you mean the 'top' end of Charnwood Road by the A512?

Yes.

The other thing is that student traffic to Stephenson College seems to have dropped off over time. Earlier on, about thirty students including myself would get off there, but now only about ten alight on a good day.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Yes

An interesting observation and makes sense. I guess as another consequence of the Service 127 route changing will be people from Loughborough using the 16 to travel back to bus stops on Leicester Road rather than travelling around Shepshed on the 127, so at least retains some uniqueness on the 16.

 

[joieman]

An interesting observation and makes sense. I guess as another consequence of the Service 127 route changing will be people from Loughborough using the 16 to travel back to bus stops on Leicester Road rather than travelling around Shepshed on the 127, so at least retains some uniqueness on the 16.

But then again, maybe the 16 was having an off day. Today the X16 and 16A going the opposite direction to me appeared to be full as ever, although it must be acknowledged that the weather is appalling at the moment.
One idea I had was to extend the 16 to Loughborough railway station in place of the service 4 which was cancelled in around 2016, to reinstate a direct bus service between Shepshed and the railway station, running via Toothill Road, Meadow Lane and Station Boulevard in Loughborough rather than the well-served Nottingham Road corridor as Toothill Road is only served by the Sprint inbound towards the town centre and university.

 

[Andy Pacer]

But then again, maybe the 16 was having an off day. Today the X16 and 16A going the opposite direction to me appeared to be full as ever, although it must be acknowledged that the weather is appalling at the moment.
One idea I had was to extend the 16 to Loughborough railway station in place of the service 4 which was cancelled in around 2016, to reinstate a direct bus service between Shepshed and the railway station, running via Toothill Road, Meadow Lane and Station Boulevard in Loughborough rather than the well-served Nottingham Road corridor as Toothill Road is only served by the Sprint inbound towards the town centre and university.

The X16 and 127 that leave Coalville at the same time are definitely both still very well loaded. I assume the 16A is also busy, but it's reliability has somewhat improved from it's late running before the timetable change.

 

[joieman]

Yesterday, the 127 was on diversion due to a partial closure of Ashby Road in Loughborough. Towards Leicester, the 127 was diverted via Regent Street, but then instead of stopping on Derby Road and then continuing directly to Bridge Street as per previous instances of this diversion (and as per the route it took before being rerouted via Ashby Square/Greenclose Lane), the bus stopped on Swan Street, normally used by buses towards Shepshed only, where I alighted. I assume it then looped around Ashby Square, Greenclose Lane and The Rushes. On my way back in the other direction, after Bridge Street the bus ran around the same loop before continuing via Derby Road and Regent Street to its normal route on Ashby Road.

There seem to be a fair number of instances of the new electrics tracking on the 84/85 on Bustimes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 May 2024 ==

4767 is now withdrawn; 4765 is also withdrawn reportedly due to a collision near Clarendon Park. 3807 and 3808 have finally lost their branding for the 158.

 

[derbybusdepot]

Arriva Derby Omnicity 3573 (YT09 ZBV) was destroyed by fire last week.

It has been replaced by VDL 3771 (CX58 EWL).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jun 2024 ==

I have also heard speculation that more VDLs may transfer from Liverpool to replace the omnicities. The Derby fleet seems quite reliable. They don't seem to have the engineering issues that another local operator has. If anything they seem short of deckers, with just one spare over the pvr.

 

[1D54]

Apologies if this appears elsewhere but i have just heard a mentor on an Arriva Leicester service telling a fellow passenger that from last Wednesday the company is now American owned. I'd heard nothing about this happening though well aware the Germans were trying to offload it.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Apologies if this appears elsewhere but i have just heard a mentor on an Arriva Leicester service telling a fellow passenger that from last Wednesday the company is now American owned. I'd heard nothing about this happening though well aware the Germans were trying to offload it.

A thread can be found here:

Arriva sale completed

The press release confirming completion of the sale to I Squared Capital has been released today. https://news.arriva.co.uk/news/arriva-group-looks-to-the-future-under-new-ownership I Squared Capital closes acquisition with Deutsche Bahn for Arriva, one of Europe’s leading providers of...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[joieman]

4401 entered service on the 127 this afternoon:

And here's a photo of 8007, which after working that mornign short working to Pitsford Drive in Loughborough, reappeared on the 127 this afternoon:

 

[Mikw]

4401 entered service on the 127 this afternoon:
View attachment 160307
And here's a photo of 8007, which after working that mornign short working to Pitsford Drive in Loughborough, reappeared on the 127 this afternoon:
View attachment 160308

Nice photos, 4901 is newer than the rest of the Enviro 400's we've received, is it from the same place?

 

[joieman]

Nice photos, 4901 is newer than the rest of the Enviro 400's we've received, is it from the same place?

4401 and its sister 4400 were from a batch of seven originally delivered to Derby for the then-Sapphire 38. 4400/01 were transferred to Aylesbury and then to Milton Keynes before being transferred to Leicester.

 

[1D54]

Was it always the intention to transfer it to Leicester and if so can we expect any more?

 

[joieman]

Was it always the intention to transfer it to Leicester and if so can we expect any more?

I think it's just the two of them. They were swapped for twelve of the Olympuses, which also displaced older buses including 5425, the oldest bus in Arriva's entire fleet in the UK.

When is the Hopper Bus contract with the University of Nottingham supposed to end? I assume that afterwards, the MMCs will likely be put onto services in Derby, displacing the B9TLs there.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Correct, 4400 and 4401 were a late change to the cascade plan in order to displace additional Olympus bodied B9s, one of which was required by Telford.

 

[Volvo142]

4401 and its sister 4400 were from a batch of eight originally delivered to Derby for the then-Sapphire 38. 4400/01 were transferred to Aylesbury and then to Milton Keynes before being transferred to Leicester.

They really should have come back to Derby. The 38 still has a PVR of 7, but there are only 5 E400s left, meaning the slack has to be picked up by much older Volvos.

Derby is extremely is very short on deckers, having only one spare across 1/1A/1C/38 and the Nottingham Uni contract.

Does anyone know if 4400/01 still have the Derby artwork on the staircases? One of that pair featured the iconic Clough and Taylor statue outside Pride Park...I can't imagine that's meant much to the people of Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Leicester.

 

[Andy Pacer]

They really should have come back to Derby. The 38 still has a PVR of 7, but there are only 5 E400s left, meaning the slack has to be picked up by much older Volvos.

But then that would have still released deckers elsewhere.

 

[Mikw]

4401 and its sister 4400 were from a batch of seven originally delivered to Derby for the then-Sapphire 38. 4400/01 were transferred to Aylesbury and then to Milton Keynes before being transferred to Leicester.

Interesting. Especially as Leicester lost some 14 plate Enviro 400's as part of the swap last year, we've got some of the same age back.

 

[joieman]

Interesting. Especially as Leicester lost some 14 plate Enviro 400's as part of the swap last year, we've got some of the same age back.

They were 64-plates rather than 14-plates.
Curiously enough, Liverpool already had a batch of 64-plates (4575-83, YX64 VPN/O/R/T/U/V/W/Y/Z) whose registrations closely follow the Leicester batch (4734-43, formerly 4416-4425, YX64 VOP/T/U/V/Y/PA/C/D/E/F).

 

[joieman]

Temsa 7104 is tracking on the 158 this morning!

 

[joieman]

Three of the Electroliners were on odd routes this morning, with 8008 doing one of the morning short workings to Loughborough Pitsford Drive on the 127 (which I managed to photograph for the first time), and two others on the 5 and the 58.

 

[Stephen1001]

Three of the Electroliners were on odd routes this morning, with 8008 doing one of the morning short workings to Loughborough Pitsford Drive on the 127 (which I managed to photograph for the first time), and two others on the 5 and the 58.

I was rather surprised to catch 8007 on a 5A from Asfordby to Melton this time last week. The 5 and 5A interwork at the Leicester end so perhaps it's more common than I thought.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I was rather surprised to catch 8007 on a 5A from Asfordby to Melton this time last week. The 5 and 5A interwork at the Leicester end so perhaps it's more common than I thought.

They've made occasional appearances but generally get swapped off as soon as practically possible, but better to use them on there than miss the journeys.