Go North East

[kuyoyo]

RE: Go North East
Review of 2012

A mixed year for Go North East, with changes in management, branding reviews and new buses for key routes.

January kicked off with the entry into service of the remaining ex-London Citaro AG 'Bendy' on the 58, allowing for the upgrade of 'Diamond' 43/44 to a Gold Standard route using the Citaros displaced from the 58. In turn, the 27 received the first of its two vehicle upgrades with the B10BLEs off the Diamond. In turn, the Cadets off the 27 eventually converted the 'South Tyne' services 5 and 88/88A from SPD operation to Cadet operation. Initially, the Cadets were used on the now-withdrawn X36/X37 to displace the temporary branded Scania Solars to the 20.

That move was part of the big story of 2012 - Go North East's return to the bus scene in Bishop Auckland after the pull-out and sale of their routes to Arriva 6 years previously. The initial move was to replace two withdrawn Arriva routes to create 'The OK Way' 18 between Woodhouse Close and Coundon (replacing the withdrawn 19 and 36a). In late January, however, things kicked up a gear with the launch of 'The OK Expressway' OK1 between Crook and Darlington, which gave West Auckland back its Darlington link after the withdrawn of the 84 by Arriva. However, the launch resulted in Arriva launching its own Darlington-Crook express a month later. After little over 11 months, the OK1 was revised at the start of November, with the Bishop Auckland-Crook section of the route reduced to just 4 AM and 4PM journeys daily to allow the buses to return to the depot in service. Instead, one trip hourly was extended to Middlesbrough, reintroducing the link to Bishop Auckland lost in 2006 by the revision of Arriva's County Durham network.

The major changes came during the summer and early autumn, with the arrival of 13 new Volvo B9TLs and the 15 Volvo B5LHs, marking the largest delivery of new double deckers since the East Lancs-bodied Dennis Tridents back in 1999/2000. 6 of the B9TLs allowed for the upgrade of the X9/X10, complete with a smart new livery. Internally, they featured a number of special features currently only available on these buses in the form of power sockets for phone and laptop charges. Like the B7TLs they replaced (and of which one is their back-up, painted in the same livery), they only have the one wheelchair bay. In comparison, the remaining 7 B9TLs for 'Red Arrows' X1, joining the 7 new in 2011, were to the same standard as those. Their arrival enable more SPDs to be withdrawn, with the remaining 8 Citaros off the X1 moving onto 'Blaydon Racers' replacing the first batch of ex-Oxford Dual Doored B10BLEs to Percy Main for the 17 along with a example off the 57. At the same time, the sole 07-reg Citaro replaced by the 11-reg B9TLs moved from Deptford to Winlaton as the X3, launched in October 2011 to re-introduce a fast Sunderland-Newcastle service, was downgraded to B10BLE operation and de-branded. The move also allowed the frequency of the 'Sliver Arrows' to increase with the 58-reg Citaros all now being branded for the service.

The 15 B5LHs, along with two of the 2006 B7TLs, were introduced onto 'The Angel' 21 in October with a all-new look version of the brand on a two-tone Green livery, replacing both the temporary red livery used on ex-London Plaxton President-bodied B7TLs used since October 2011 and the pink livery used since 2007 although since October 2011 stuck mainly on the 24 with the ex-London East Lancs-bodied B7TL. Their introduction pre-dated the introduction of the new timetable, which saw the introduction of an 7 1/2 minute frequency between Newcastle and Chester-le-Street and a 10 minutely Sunday service on the same stretch. Changes also saw the brand return to Bishop Auckland, although only on evenings and Sundays when 'Pronto' X21 interwork with the 21 at Durham.

The year was tinged with news of the death of the man who turned the company round and oversaw the introduction of the branding - Peter Huntley - in Feburary, 2 months after he stepped down as MD. The lost of a vast majority of the top management, mean the year has ended with branded buses running on everything and everything but their own branded routes.

A look ahead to 2013

Looking ahead, 2013 looks set to carry on with what 2012 was - investment and upgrades. Stariaght way, in Febuary, the 10/10A will be upgraded to Double Decker with the arrival of 13 new B9TLs, which along with 3941/2, will enable the Citaros to move onto the 27 and those B10BLEs to replace further SPDs.