Cumbrian bus service enhancements.

[lyndhurst25]

Proposals for new and enhanced services in Cumbria have been announced. Glad to see Ravenglass back on the bus network, after how long?

“Cumberland Council has today approved plans to go to market to procure and commission a major expansion of local bus services, backed by £3.5 million in Government funding through the Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The decision, made by Cumberland Council’s Highways & Transport Strategic Board, aims to deliver new and enhanced routes across the region, targeting areas where services are currently limited or commercially unviable.

These improvements follow in-depth engagement with residents and stakeholders to understand local travel needs, such as preferred destinations, frequencies, and service times. All proposals were carefully assessed to ensure maximum public benefit and value for money, aligning with the Council Plan and BSIP priorities. The delivery of the proposed enhancements will be subject to operators submitting a tender to run the services.

Proposed new and enhanced services include:

• Carlisle to Anthorn – Addition of peak journeys and a new Sunday service.
• Kirkbride to Carlisle – The reinstatement of a previous service including enhanced links for Cargo, Houghton, Rockcliffe and Currock Community Centre.
• Whitehaven to Ravenglass – New service connecting coastal communities.
• Carlisle to Cockermouth – Upgrade to hourly service supporting express link between Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital and providing communities with better access to employment opportunities at Lillyhall.
• Cockermouth – Lillyhall – Distington – West Cumbria Hospital – New service to support the express link between Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital and providing communities with better access to employment opportunities at Lillyhall.
• Carlisle to Hadrian’s Wall – A tourism and rural connectivity boost.
• Cockermouth Town Buses – Return of local town service.
• Bootle – Millom via Ravenglass – New service connecting via Ravenglass including more connectivity for the M1 Millom.
• Cockermouth to Maryport – Service enhancements that includes peak journeys between Cockermouth and Maryport and a new Maryport and Dearham town service.
• Whitehaven Town Loop – New North Eastern loop from Whitehaven Town Centre including Moresby Parks, Harras Moor and improved 22 service connecting Cleator, Cleator Moor, Egremont and West Cumberland Hospital.
• Carlisle – Longtown – Penton – Expanded rural coverage.
• Carlisle Durranhill/Carleton – New route serving Locke Road Surgery and Garlands.
• Wetheral – Carlisle – Dalston – Enhanced frequency.
• Frizington to Cockermouth / Workington – Return of a previous service.
• Continuation of services introduced in November 2024, including:
  • Silloth – Maryport
  • Maryport – Egremont – Thornhill
  • Maryport – Cleator Moor – Frizington
  • Workington – Carlisle

In addition to the above the engagement exercise has enabled the council to develop a pipeline of service proposals to be delivered as future funding becomes available.”

Cumberland Council approves procurement and commission for new and enhanced bus services | Cumberland Council

Cumberland Council has today approved plans to go to market to procure and commission a major expansion of local bus services, backed by £3.5 million in Government funding through the Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP).

www.cumberland.gov.uk

 

[A S Leib]

Carlisle to Hadrian’s Wall – A tourism and rural connectivity boost

Any idea if that would include Carlisle Airport / the Solway Aviation Museum?

 

[Galactic142]

There’s some interesting ideas here, and I’m sure some of the West Cumbrian routes would probably be welcome.

I’m sceptical about whether buses up the coast from Millom to Whitehaven (via Ravenglass) would actually be economically viable though. The train service is well-used and most of the places south of Sellafield are very small. Ravenglass could possibly justify a bus but I’m not sure about anywhere else (Bootle, Silecroft etc). Maybe you could have a semi-regular bus from Whitehaven to Ravenglass that extends to Millom a couple of times per day, but even that might be difficult to justify, especially outside the summer season.

On Carlisle-Hadrian’s Wall, we’ve already got the 685 and when I went on that two years ago (walking Hadrian’s Wall in fact) it hardly seemed overwhelmed with passengers on the Carlisle-Brampton-Haltwhistle section. I guess this proposal might be meaning a direct Carlisle-Housesteads/Vindolanda type service? I’m not sure how much demand for that there is, especially as the AD122 does a good job getting you from Haltwhistle up to the wall. I guess one option could be having an alternative version of the 685 which leaves the A69 at Greenhead and goes up ‘over the top’ past the Army Museum, The Sill, Vindolanda (or near abouts), Housesteads, Chesters and down to Hexham, maybe re-joining the 658 route there or just terminating. Even then I’m not sure there’s enough demand (and it’s mostly copying the AD122) but it’d be interesting to see if that was a viable route. Or send a bus towards Lanercost/Birdoswald, which aren’t easy to reach by public transport, but again, if you’re justifying these routes by tourism I’m not convinced there’s really the demand.

Maybe I'm just being unduly sceptical. Personally, I'd really like a bus service up the Cumbrian Coast, I just don't see it happening...

 

[JKP]

Penton? Is the old Western SMT route being recreated to the Calloway area? If so I wouldn’t expect many passengers. It is very remote. Money would be better spent on improved provision to the small communities south of Brampton such as Castle Carrock.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Jul 2025 ==

That should be Catlowdy not Calloway. I think the bus terminated at Riddings?

 

[RELL6L]

Some interesting and positive ideas.

The Anthorn route is the 93 better known as going to Bowness on Solway. The am peak hour journey was withdrawn not long ago, there is still a pm peak journey. This would be good but it is hard to make much of it for leisure travel.

It would be great to see buses heading south down the coast from Whitehaven again but the train service is good and will continue to take most of the custom. There are a few communities, such as Gosforth, on the road but not close to the railway.

Good to see something positive alongside the retrenchment next door in Dumfries and Galloway!

 

[thomasheywood]

The 555 really needs a frequency upgrade between Keswick and Kendal during the summer months, I was in the Lake District last month and buses were full and standing leaving Keswick. Perhaps extending the 599 once an hour would work?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The 555 really needs a frequency upgrade between Keswick and Kendal during the summer months, I was in the Lake District last month and buses were full and standing leaving Keswick. Perhaps extending the 599 once an hour would work?

They do increase them to half hourly between June and September

Some interesting and positive ideas.

The Anthorn route is the 93 better known as going to Bowness on Solway. The am peak hour journey was withdrawn not long ago, there is still a pm peak journey. This would be good but it is hard to make much of it for leisure travel.

It would be great to see buses heading south down the coast from Whitehaven again but the train service is good and will continue to take most of the custom. There are a few communities, such as Gosforth, on the road but not close to the railway.

Good to see something positive alongside the retrenchment next door in Dumfries and Galloway!

Interesting is one word! Not certain a Sunday service to Bowness is going to be busy but it is a beautiful part of the world. Same with having buses running down the Cumbrian Coast - even in the halcyon days before deregulation, it was always a very sparsely bussed part of the world.

Others will have more legs like Cockermouth to Carlisle and to Maryport enhancements.

 

[Megafuss]

Looks like they've already warned that some of the routes may not happen due to resourcing. Other than Stagecoach and Reays, any other operates on West Cumbria that could bid for tenders?

 

[markymark2000]

Looks like they've already warned that some of the routes may not happen due to resourcing. Other than Stagecoach and Reays, any other operates on West Cumbria that could bid for tenders?

Ellenvale I think used to run a tender up that way, and they do still run a few local buses.