Bus routes to face the axe under cuts

BUS routes in Newcastle, Gateshead, and North Tyneside face being slashed as transport bosses grapple with major budget cuts.

More details of plans to axe a series of morning, evening and weekend services in some areas have been confirmed.

Tyne and Wear Metro operator Nexus confirmed last month that it would have to make significant cuts to the region’s public transport services, due to an £20.8m black hole expected in 2022/23 once Government bailout funding that has propped up the network comes to an end.

While the Metro itself is thought to be unlikely to suffer service reductions, bus users will not be so lucky. While bus services here ware operated by private companies like Stagecoach or Go North East, Nexus pays to protect routes that would otherwise be commercially inviable.

The publicly-owned body says it would axe some “very lightly used services” under proposals.

However, there could yet be more to come depending on whether local councils agree to up their funding to Nexus by more than £4m, or if the Government can be talked into a U-turn.

The following services will be affected under the current plans:

K1/K2 in North Tyneside

K1 cancelled

K2 route revised to additionally serve Forest Hall Shops

553 in Newcastle/North Tyneside

Cancellation of the following trips:

0653 from Wallsend Metro to Freeman Hospital (0710) via Walkergate (0659)

1646 from Freeman Hospital to Battle Hill (1711) via Wallsend Forum (1702)

552 in Newcastle/North Tyneside

Monday to Friday trip from Brunswick Village (0643) to Tyneview Park (0730) would instead start from Regent Centre at 0720 and then operate to Tyneview Park arriving at 0740

333/335 in North Tyneside

333 cancelled

335 extended to additionally serve Ferry Landing and Fish Quay

44 in Newcastle

Saturday 0603 trip from Dinnington to Newcastle via Hazlerigg (0608) and Regent Centre (0619) will be cancelled due to low demand

32a in Newcastle

Daily evening trips on 32a cancelled due to low demand

Sunday daytime trips on 32a reduced to hourly, but extended to/from Walker

11 and 19 in North Tyneside

Amending evening/ Sunday 11 route to additionally serve Ferry Landing/Fish Quay.

Cancelling all evening/ Sunday 19 trips due to low demand

359/W3 in North Tyneside

359 replaced by new 351 service which would operate between Backworth Shrewsbury Drive and Whitley Bay Metro via West Monkseaton, Beaumont Park and Whitley Lodge.

W3 route revised in New York to additionally serve Murton Village

91 in Gateshead, Newcastle, and North Tyneside

Reduce the number of trips between Newcastle and Team Valley

33/33a in Newcastle

Route of services 33/33a between Jesmond and City Centre revised to serve Shieldfield and University of Northumbria City Campus

643 in Gateshead

Nexus is proposing allocating new funding to Go North East to ensure the service continues to operate

Full details of the changes can be found at nexus.org.uk/consultation.