I understand on another forum that it has been reported that Eccles depot has been sold and is to close shortly, with fleet moving to Weston Street, Bolton, Can anyone confirm if there is any truth in this?
Ii would find it bazaar as stuff in Altrincham would be operating from Bolton. However most of the stuff in Wigan that is being withdrawn is currently being operated by the depot at Eccles?
(14/02/2020 16:09)gilesbus1 Wrote: [ -> ]I understand on another forum that it has been reported that Eccles depot has been sold and is to close shortly, with fleet moving to Weston Street, Bolton, Can anyone confirm if there is any truth in this?
Ii would find it bazaar as stuff in Altrincham would be operating from Bolton. However most of the stuff in Wigan that is being withdrawn is currently being operated by the depot at Eccles?
Highly unlikely.
The 125 year lease on Atherton depot has a sale agreed & is currently going through. I think someone's getting their wires crossed.
One minor correction is that the evening 217 currently only runs from Manchester-Droylsden and doesnt do the full route to Ashton unless the tender has changed and its been extended to Ashton, other than that an interesting addition to Diamonds Routes and somewhere they've never operated before.
I wonder though what with MCT losing this and the evening 247 tender to Diamond whether they've actually picked up tenders elsewhere this time round.
(15/02/2020 06:28)M60lad Wrote: [ -> ]One minor correction is that the evening 217 currently only runs from Manchester-Droylsden and doesnt do the full route to Ashton unless the tender has changed and its been extended to Ashton, other than that an interesting addition to Diamonds Routes and somewhere they've never operated before.
I wonder though what with MCT losing this and the evening 247 tender to Diamond whether they've actually picked up tenders elsewhere this time round.
I hope that the 217 route is improved by a Sunday service and extension to Ashton, I use this to get to the Ashton Moss Leisure Park and the 7 towards Ashton run by Stagecoach doesn't have stops close to it.
(14/02/2020 16:25)Winston Wrote: [ -> ]Highly unlikely.
The 125 year lease on Atherton depot has a sale agreed & is currently going through. I think someone's getting their wires crossed.
It seemed stage though as at least two posts were saying the same, maybe some disgruntled Eccles drivers, I was sent an email last night of a post saying that the depot was closing and also that a number of staff there had been made redundant as though service cuts were coming. It was in response to someones request for details about Eccles depot and was a Social Media based site. Both of us who received it did question it, as there is not the extra capacity at Bolton depot, and Altrincham is about 25 miles away from Bolton. Also the fact the site had been extended last year also made me question it.
I knew Atherton had had its lease terminated and was being cleaned out.
All the cancellations in Wigan and leigh from diamond bus plus jim stones closing leigh is not going to have an adequate bus service
Rotala have recently announced that 128 new Streetdecks are now due for Bolton during 2020.
https://www.facebook.com/DiamondBusNorth...152650694/
12 Streetdecks are due during April,
50 in June,
followed by 66 during December 2020.
There's also a WF Streetlite due in March which was part complete Wrightbus dealer stock (with another 2 due for Birmingham)
(18/02/2020 13:33)Winston Wrote: [ -> ]Rotala have recently announced that 128 new Streetdecks are now due for Bolton during 2020.
https://www.facebook.com/DiamondBusNorth...152650694/
12 Streetdecks are due during April,
50 in June,
following by 63 during December 2020.
Quite a lot more than I was expecting but I guess it makes the fleet more standardised
(18/02/2020 13:37)darylyates17 Wrote: [ -> ]Quite a lot more than I was expecting but I guess it makes the fleet more standardised
It's 2019 + 2020 orders combined, due to Wrightbus issues.
I hoped to ride a Mellor minibus on route 79 yesterday, but it was worked by a Solo and TfGM Hybrid Versa instead. I had just missed one on route 27 but when I tried to track it down later, it had been subbed by another Hybrid.
The Solo on route 79 left Swinton still displaying Swinton not Stretford as its destination. Similarly, my 29 displayed Little Hulton instead of Pendleton as its destination.
Most if not all 37s, and a few 36s, used Eclipses including indigenous examples instead of double-decks. Maybe this had become commonplace to enable the early return of double-decks to First.
Thank you Winston for giving us dates of when the new Streetdecks are due.