Rail Replacement Bus/Coach - advance information

[computerSaysNo]

Is information posted in advance anywhere regarding which companies are operating each replacement service and/or what type of vehicle will likely be used?
This is prompted by the rail replacement from Edinburgh to North Berwick, Newcastle and Gorebridge this past weekend (13, 14 Sep); I've had a look on the ScotRail and National Rail websites but can't see the information I'm looking for. Thanks.

 

[duncombec]

Is information posted in advance anywhere regarding which companies are operating each replacement service and/or what type of vehicle will likely be used?
This is prompted by the rail replacement from Edinburgh to North Berwick, Newcastle and Gorebridge this past weekend (13, 14 Sep); I've had a look on the ScotRail and National Rail websites but can't see the information I'm looking for. Thanks.

Almost certainly not, as it won't be considered necessary for the public to know the provider, even more so now vehicles should be PSVAR compliant.

 

[Bovverboy]

My own experience says that, in respect of pre-planned coach substitution, the operator(s) will not be made known. In the case of spur-of-the-moment substitutions, in my own local area at least, the operator is stated.
Usually, the same companies are used over and over.

 

[JKP]

Earnside Coaches were in Berwick yesterday afternoon along with a Tyneside operator and several all white anonymous coaches.

 

[Belperpete]

My understanding is that the TOCs contract a supplier, who sub-contracts the work out, often with a number of bus companies supplying buses and drivers. In addition, there will likely be a local coordinator who will arrange things on the ground. As the TOCs don't contract the companies direct, they won't have the information that the OP is looking for.

 

[computerSaysNo]

Thanks for the replies, they've been very helpful. Is it likely to be the same companies doing the rail replacement from Edinburgh next weekend as did this weekend? I've seen a photo on Facebook of one of the ex First Aberdeen articulated buses parked up in Edinburgh, and was thinking it would be interesting to know what route it was doing.

 

[mangad]

Even if they did publish information I wouldn't believe it for a minute. A few years ago I stood at a station waiting for a replacement bus that never turned up (I had to wait for an hour for the next one, and all the time a coach sat parked up and stationary). Past year I had a coach drive off without picking up any passengers. And one time I was at a station asking about a replacement service that never turned up. I asked at the station, mentioned the timetable and the bloke at the ticket office said he'd never heard of the timetable I was talking about. He did this whilst sat right in front of a big poster of the timetable! The published timetable that he'd apparently never seen was also complete nonsense and bore no reality to what was happening on the ground.

These days I am simply grateful if anything turns up at all!

 

[Bovverboy]

My understanding is that the TOCs contract a supplier, who sub-contracts the work out, often with a number of bus companies supplying buses and drivers. In addition, there will likely be a local coordinator who will arrange things on the ground. As the TOCs don't contract the companies direct, they won't have the information that the OP is looking for.

I'm sure that some TOCs, at least, do deal directly with coach companies. Intermediaries have sort of fallen from favour in recent times.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Sep 2025 ==

Is it likely to be the same companies doing the rail replacement from Edinburgh next weekend as did this weekend?

I would say so, yes.

 

[Teds]

In my experience working as a coordinator for one of the companies, the final allocation of operators to diagrams is usually only available a couple of days before the job. The TOC control usually works through the duty manager when things go wrong (or are reported as going wrong).
The allocation can change on the day if an operator is unable to cover the diagrams.
For repeating blocks, the operators will usually cover the same diagrams each day but that is dependent on the operators other commitments.

 

[CN12 AWU]

Only one you can guarantee is Merseyrail who 90% of time use Arriva or happy als

 

[Martin1988]

When South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach did rail replacement work, there was at least one instance where a coach should have been used but a bus ended up subbing last minute due to a problem. Think there was an incident involving an NX coach breaking down and SGBC having to take a coach off of rail replacement to cover it which resulted in the rail replacement service having a bus allocated.

I personally once ended up on a rail replacement service between Parkway and Yate (with the vehicle then going on to Gloucester)being worked by a bus rather than a coach. Remember asking the driver why we had that vehicle and was told "Its got four wheels and seats...it will do!"

 

[Bovverboy]

I personally once ended up on a rail replacement service between Parkway and Yate (with the vehicle then going on to Gloucester)being worked by a bus rather than a coach. Remember asking the driver why we had that vehicle and was told "Its got four wheels and seats...it will do!"

I don't think Northern stipulates that a coach must be used, a bus is acceptable.

 

[Teds]

Along time ago, a Scania decker was used for the Billericay to Harwich PQ 'boat train' because it was the only vehicle we had. It went well too and made the boat with no delays.

 

[markymark2000]

Only one you can guarantee is Merseyrail who 90% of time use Arriva or happy als

Merseyrail 100% of the time use Arriva Merseyside in some way or another since Merseyrails rail replacement contract is with Arriva Merseyside. However sometimes Arriva Merseyside subcontract out to Peoplesbus or scrappy Als or one of a few other operators depending on what they can't cover in house.

I don't think Northern stipulates that a coach must be used, a bus is acceptable.

Northern don't seem to care what turns up and when. I've heard some right horror stories of them leaving people behind due to lack of capacity and staff have to tell passengers to use the helppoints on stations as Northern won't listen to their own contractors with issues. I digress.
Almost all other train operators specifically ask their rail replacement contractors for full size wheelchair coach, full size service bus, double decker or minibus. I believe rates of pay vary too depending on full size coaches or service buses requested so they often do specify.

 

[Andyh82]

From what I can see with the Huddersfield blockade, both the current continuous one, and the various weekend ones, I’d say there is about 20 regular operators that you see often, with about a dozen of them appearing on any given day. Some provide numerous vehicles, some provide just one vehicle.

It can be anything from a 25 plate luxury coach to an old London red 51 plate ALX400

 

[YorkRailFan]

You could also try reaching out to TOC social media accounts. I've messaged LNER before about RRB providers, and was told that Stagecoach is LNER's usual provider. Although I have also seen York Pullman operating RRBs for LNER.

I don't think Northern stipulates that a coach must be used, a bus is acceptable.

I suppose it depends on the anticipated demand. I find that on stopping services a bus is used, with coaches being used on the direct services between larger stations (ie York-Leeds over the past few months). The stopping services are anticipated to be quieter so a bus (or even minibus) is often used.

 

[markymark2000]

You could also try reaching out to TOC social media accounts. I've messaged LNER before about RRB providers, and was told that Stagecoach is LNER's usual provider. Although I have also seen York Pullman operating RRBs for LNER.

All LNER rail replacements are booked via Stagecoach Rail Replacement. They then sort out the vehicle duties and contract out the duties to local operators (including sometimes Stagecoach operating them from their own divisions

 

[Simon75]

Not sure what other companies cover TFL services in London, but I've been on Arriva London the other month

 

[CyrusWuff]

All LNER rail replacements are booked via Stagecoach Rail Replacement. They then sort out the vehicle duties and contract out the duties to local operators (including sometimes Stagecoach operating them from their own divisions

The same applies to Chiltern since they switched from Arriva Road Transport Services a few years ago.

This led to the Wednesday Only Rail Replacement Service from West Ealing to West Ruislip being operated by an Oxford Tube coach for a short period after the changeover.

It's now a Metroline double decker, driven by one of their Planners.

 

[computerSaysNo]

Buses replace trains between Dalmuir and Balloch / Helensburgh / Crianlarich from Friday 26 to Wednesday 31 December
Does anyone know which operators and vehicle types are being used to run this rail replacement? Thanks.

 

[D1024]

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Not my area of any expertise but I was in Glasgow Monday & Tuesday and saw 4 or 5 Photoflash Executive Travel, a couple of Coast to Coast ones as well as several "anonymous" white coaches all with RRB stickers operating from the vicinity of Queen St station.

 

[GordonT]

Slightly at a tangent but although the town is Dumbarton the county is Dunbartonshire.

 

[Buzby]

Another tangent on the title - this only affects WEST Dunbartonshire, services via EAST Dunbartonshire (Bishopbriggs, Lenzie &c) are unaffected.

 

[GordonT]

Another tangent on the title - this only affects WEST Dunbartonshire, services via EAST Dunbartonshire (Bishopbriggs, Lenzie &c) are unaffected.

Mainly true, but extending the tangent further, if using current local authority boundaries as a reference point rather than the former shire county, the services cross the boundary to/from West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute immediately west of Dumbarton if heading in the direction to/from Helensburgh.

 

[styles]

This is the level of pedantry I come here for.

 

[hwl]

Surprisingly there doesn't appear to a a thread on the reason for the closure but the NR video is here:

Adding a pre-cast bridge to railway embankment to get better road access across the railway alignment.

 

[mcmad]

Also undertaken was renewal of the level crossing and track at Cardross Station, Drainage works at Helensburgh and S&C refurbishment at Bowling.

 

[InOban]

And track renewal on the climb to Helensburgh Upper

 

[Newtraveller58]

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Not my area of any expertise but I was in Glasgow Monday & Tuesday and saw 4 or 5 Photoflash Executive Travel, a couple of Coast to Coast ones as well as several "anonymous" white coaches all with RRB stickers operating from the vicinity of Queen St station.

I’m guessing these would have been the buses for the West Highland Line (WHL) services to Crianlarich. The Helensburgh and Balloch trains are running as far as Dalmuir with bus connections from there. I did ask ScotRail why the WHL trains were not running as far south as Dumbarton but got no satisfactory answer - I suspect it was too difficult to manage drivers and set maintenance if they ran that far.

 

[Falcon1200]

I suspect it was too difficult to manage drivers and set maintenance if they ran that far.

Also not sure whether Scotrail's Class 156 sets are fuelled anywhere other than the Glasgow end of the West Highland?