(26/01/2017 11:58)iMarkeh Wrote: [ -> ]27779 on blacon pointers. It has Chester advertising but no x8 branding. GM posters too like the sefton review poster.
It's had a repaint and de-danbed
The 2 and the X8 will need to be looked at on the first day of Phase 2 of the Track renewal to see if the passengers are running back to the train or whether there staying with them services.
Its amazing we are talking about bigger vehicles with stagecoach , First seemed to be looking at going in the other direction when they had the operations.
(26/01/2017 19:17)chester285 Wrote: [ -> ]I personally don't see the X8 going double deck ATM, I would say that if they are going to invest in new vehicles then it's more likely to be 11.8m Enviro200 MMCs and more for the blacon pointers, I can see newer 300s being displaced from Gillmoss
Yeah thats what I've heard. Chester also loaning new MMCs Enviro400 for the phase 3 rail replacements so I've heard. B7 wit go to Grimsby maybe
(26/01/2017 14:54)iMarkeh Wrote: [ -> ]Apparently Chester is due new buses to replace the Wright Eclipse on Blacons as they are 09 plate and the Blacon Pointer agreement (apparently) states buses should be no more than 5 years old.
My assumption:
X8 Enviro300s will move to Blacons
X8 will get new E400MMCs
It's been said the X8 won't be going double deck. I'd imagine the Blacon routes will receive new buses and the current batch of buses on there will be sent to another division or sold
This might be a far fetched idea but why not have the two parts of the Liverpool - Preston service X2 / 2X combined into the X8 Liverpool - Chester and run it into three numbers X8 , 8X , X8X to allow the service to comply with drivers hours for local bus routes.
It would allow later departures from the extremities of the routes.
Just thinking outside the box .
(26/01/2017 20:41)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]This might be a far fetched idea but why not have the two parts of the Liverpool - Preston service X2 / 2X combined into the X8 Liverpool - Chester and run it into three numbers X8 , 8X , X8X to allow the service to comply with drivers hours for local bus routes.
It would allow later departures from the extremities of the routes.
Just thinking outside the box .
The X8 used to operate Chester - Liverpool - Southport but was truncated many years ago. My understanding is that, apart from the distance exceeding 50k, it was impossible to maintain a timetable because of traffic congestion.
Regarding the X2, I agree that if the route was shared between depots (Gillmoss and Preston) it would allow for later evening operation but I can't see that happening. AFAIK, Chester and RF are the only depots that do share routes in the north west.
(26/01/2017 20:10)SL64 JDZ Wrote: [ -> ]It's been said the X8 won't be going double deck. I'd imagine the Blacon routes will receive new buses and the current batch of buses on there will be sent to another division or sold
I can see the remaining volvos being transfered to Grimsby to join the others which left when the mmcs arrived, makes sense to standardise the fleet with the same type rather than sending to other depots
(26/01/2017 20:41)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]This might be a far fetched idea but why not have the two parts of the Liverpool - Preston service X2 / 2X combined into the X8 Liverpool - Chester and run it into three numbers X8 , 8X , X8X to allow the service to comply with drivers hours for local bus routes.
It would allow later departures from the extremities of the routes.
Just thinking outside the box .
thinking in a box marked 1987 i think, times have changed,no point in such a service now, they don`t even share the same departure points in Liverpool,be almost impossible to keep the service on time,the seperate X2 and X8 can get fouled up even now.
Not sure if this has already been mentioned but there is a new TR1 matchday service running between Liverpool City Centre (Dale Street to be precise) and Prenton Park
Great move I think. Nice to see teams in lower leagues are being supported by bus operators