Sarurday Variety

What's Up At Newport?

That is Newport South Wales. The on-line news feeds are reporting a second accounting year in which posting the numbers at Companies House has failed to meet the deadline.

One reason is that the company's accountants cannot make the sums add up, so refuse to put their signature where it is needed. The company is being tight-lipped about it's problems.

BUT ...

Whilst the "terminal" option has not been publicly mentioned, deep-seated "financial problems" usually mean the end is nigh - unless ...

... someone pours good money after bad and effects a "white knight" rescue. As Newport Borough Council is the only shareholder it is Council taxpayers who will ultimately have to finance a "restructure".

Unless the company is sold?

What's Up At Leeds?

Mayor Tracy Brabin has ordered lots of buses for the West Yorkshire 'franchise' programme, soon to begin in earnest.

It is not clear whether these buses, by Wrightbus, will be in a very dull dark green livery ...

... as pictured at the Wrightbus factory; or subsequently adorned with weird patterns of mysterious purpose.

Here are some extracts from an article reporting the first buses in a big batch.

That's a whole lotta buses!

Here is a picture of the innards.

E9ixciting, eh?

Heckmondwike bus station?

Branding? Well it has got some large letter 'Ws' in green plastic screwed to the main building!

The stands are sort of of stuck on to the oval ...

... seen from above as construction nears completion. It's immediate predecessor was no more than a yard with a few shelters.

So the new build is a vast improvement.

fbb remembers (thinks he remembers?) something more substantial in the late 1960s with a multitude of concrete shelters. But no photos appear on line.

What's Up With Grand Central?

We have heard of the plans some time ago. But we now hear that the company is buying the trains.

But they haven't yet obtained access paths!

What's Up At Shepton Mallet?

The Council has big plans!

Seem a good idea but there remains one important question.

Who is going to pay?

Ah, not so easy, Councillors, is it?

fbb will summarise what is currently available at Shepton Mallet in tomorrow's blog.

 Next Green Variety blog : Sunday 4 Oct 

Wondering About Wirral (2)

Many Changes But Few Changes

The maps look much the same, certainly more 'same' than those for St Helens! But look closely and ...

.. if closely is too challenging without enlargement (it is for fbb!), please believe that many route numbers have been changed. Apart from the two out-of-area services (1/1X and 22/22A from Chester) all Merseyside Wirral services are now numbered in a consistent 4xx series.

So here is the Moreton area before ...

... and after F-day ..

... not a two digit or singleton route number to be seen!

The good folk of Moreton have seen one route change, however. 

Service 407 used to run from Liverpool to West Kirby ...

... but now (with no change if route number) ...

... it terminates at Moreton. But do not weep for disadvantaged Moretonians, dear readers; route 437 runs from Liverpool to West Kirby via Greasby every ten minutes Mon to Fri, less frequently Sat and Sun.

From Birkenhead to West Kirby via Moreton they still have the 483/483A GREEN (formerly 83) ...

... and, from Moreton, brand new circulars 483 and 484 GREY.

Actually this is one of the TWO totally new services for the franchised Wirral area.

The other is the 408, a Seacombe local service.

Without local knowledge, fbb cannot really work out why this has appeared.

There is, however, the mysterious school service 653.

In a momentously stunning happening that must be very rare in omnibus history, the school service has become a fully blown Monday to Saturday service 453.

Here is the route according to the Merseyside franchise fanatics' leaflet.

Not only is it a new route, but it doesn't appear on the new Wirral bus network map, either at Heswall ...

... or at Clatterbridge Hospital!

It must be a last minute 'jackpot idea'.

The 471 and 472 are also a challenge to the weary fbb brain. On an old Merseyside timetable, the services are shown as joint between Arriva and Stagecoach.

Then an old Stagecoach on-line map implies ...

... they are both Stagecoach routes - maybe they once were?

Arriva's current on-line but totally out of date timetable list shows 471 ...

... and 472 ...

... as both in the hands of Arriva.

They are not!

Thankfully, both are now franchised to GoAhead North West!

So everyone loses in Wirral! The dominant operator, Arriva, has gone; a one time major operator, Stagecoach, has gone, and A2B, a significant operator of tendered services, has lost everything.

There was no 125 at the end.

To significantly mis-quote Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 2) "Cruelty, thy name is franchising".

And a diddy Wirral puzzle for you. The former Arriva 414 ...

... has become a Metro 414 and 414A.

Can you work out what the difference between the 414 and 414A might be?

Answer tomorrow.

 Next Variety blog : Sat 3rd Oct 

Wondering About Wirral (1)

 Wirral, Cheshire?

Historically, the Wirral was wholly in Cheshire; in the Domesday Book, its border with the rest of the county was placed at "two arrow falls from Chester city walls". However, since the Local Government Act 1972, only the southern third of the peninsula remains in Cheshire, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. The remainder forms the Metropolita Borough of Wirral, in the county of Mereyside. An area of saltmarsh and reclaimed land adjoining the south-west of the peninsula lies in the Welsh county of Flintshire.

The coastal towns, New Brighton ...

... Hoylake ...

... and West Kirby were seaside resorts for Chester and Liverpool. The resorts, some have said, become more genteel as you travel from east to west, but the business nowadays is more for day trips from the big cities.

Lands adjoining the Mersey were heavily industrialised starting with the vast Birkenhead ship building areas.

With the decline of heavy industry, much of the former industrial area is being develooed for light industry, warehousing, housing and leisure.

Shiny light coloured warehousing marks the change to 'brown field' sites on the banks of the Mersey.

So, before we indulge in the changes that 'franchising' has brought to the Wirral, let us remind ourselves of the situation in St Helens, checking on the last few town services.

35 : Gillans Green - Town Centre - Junction station 

A cross town route.

Was Arriva.

37/37A : St Helens - Ormskirk/Southport

The 37s run way beying Rainford.

fbb cannot help sniggering at the idea of a bus for cranks to Crank, sadly not mentioned as a time point.  The X37 is just one journey.

The village is famous (?) for the intriguing Crank Caverns ...

.... but not, sadly, for a huge works producing cranks!

q

38 : Town Centre - Rainford

(see map for 37!37A/X37)

The 38A is an occasional variant.

37s and 38s were Arriva.

39 : Town Centre to Newton le Willows ...

... where it joins the 34 and 34A

But it does wiggle a lot to get there!

The 39 was in the hands of Huyton Travel ,,,

... photographed anonymously and incorrectly destined for a 39!

Which reminds fbb that as well as the expulsion of Arriva from St Helens, Huyton Travel and Hattons have lost significant amounts of work.

Somehow, it seems a bit cruel, but then losses are equally gargantuan on the Wirral peninsula, as we shall see tomorrow.

Two "out of area" routes to the Wirral are not part of Steve Rotherams's bus grab.

The 1A and its bedfellow, the X1 ...

... trundle along near the eastern shore of the Wirral, crossing the Mersey in tunnel.

You might hazard a guess that the X1 is Limited Stop ...

... it certainly has less time points!

The 22/22A is operated by Al's Coaches on behalf of Chester and West Cheshire Unitary Authority.

Al has double decks!

The routes follow the Dee Estuary (sort of) with  a very real route variation.

It is a pity that the 487 is shown in the same colour!

At least the timetable is straightforward!

But who are the winners and losers in Wirral?

Tomorrow will reveal more.

 Next Wirral blog : Friday 2nd Oct