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Post by westyorkshirebus on Sept 29, 2013 10:04:50 GMT 1
Is using Citaro artics on a presumably fast motorway service such a good idea? Can they get up to a decent speed (and not overheat doing so)?
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Matty
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Post by Matty on Sept 29, 2013 20:21:04 GMT 1
They are starting rather late in the year with the winter ahead. When do the illuminations start again, is it summer?
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Post by deerfold on Sept 30, 2013 8:15:58 GMT 1
The Red Rocket web page comparisons seem odd - they give a travel time by train of 90 minutes. The stoppers take 87 or 88 but there's an hourly fast service that only takes 68-76 minutes and I'd guess most current rail users would know that. It looks like a false claim that they will be faster than the train with the fastest red rocket taking 75 minutes.
It'd also be good to have estimated arrival times - it's not clear if peak journeys take up to 90 minutes or more than 90 minutes from the wording.
The illuminations remain on until 10th November this year, presumably returning around the start of September next year.
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Post by www.buseireann.ie on Sept 30, 2013 14:22:22 GMT 1
What makes everyone think that the RedRocket is going to be any more successful than the former Stagecoach X60 and X61 routes which also ran from Blackpool to Manchester? They are starting rather late in the year with the winter ahead. sconehead85 Because the trains are an overpriced packed out joke, especally from April to when the illuminations finish. The only way of getting a cheap ticket is by restricting yourself, and even then their not that cheap. Good point made about the time comparisons though, I think they'll have to re-look at that.
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Davidc
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Post by Davidc on Oct 1, 2013 19:37:45 GMT 1
They are starting rather late in the year with the winter ahead. sconehead85 You seem to be thinking of the service taking people to Blackpool and that's it. Don't forget its a two way service allowing people to travel to Manchester and the Trafford Centre for shopping etc. With Christmas on the horizon its ideal for people to undertake shopping trips. Passenger levels heading to Blackpool may be slim to start with. Although the service will catch the end of the illuminations period, its doubtful that enough people will be aware of the service to allow them to make use of it before the illuminations end. I do hope that CBNW have plenty of fire extinguishers on each of the buses, you never know :-)
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Post by sconehead85 on Oct 3, 2013 0:52:56 GMT 1
But if STAGECOACH couldn't make their X61 work despite the poor train service I still doubt whether CBNW will make much money from Red Rocket. Its again more a USEFUL than lucrative link. A bad January, February or March would kill the route. Is there not a National Express service from Blackpool to Manchester?
sconehead85
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Post by Arriva Wakefield on Oct 3, 2013 10:29:01 GMT 1
But if STAGECOACH couldn't make their X61 work despite the poor train service I still doubt whether CBNW will make much money from Red Rocket. Its again more a USEFUL than lucrative link. A bad January, February or March would kill the route. Is there not a National Express service from Blackpool to Manchester? sconehead85 The X61 ran via Preston (and later Chorley as well) so the X61 was at least 30 minutes slower than the Red Rocket will be.
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Post by sconehead85 on Oct 3, 2013 12:20:09 GMT 1
RedRocket will have to run through Preston even if it doesn't stop there and the M6 can suffer congestion which might affect the timetable. Its a useful service but it wont make much money. Limited stops mean limited passengers. If there was enough demand the X61 would still exist.
sconehead85
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ratty
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Post by ratty on Oct 4, 2013 8:30:26 GMT 1
5-4-3-2-1, we have lift off!!!Seen here leaving the second stop at 'Pleasure Beach Parkway', in essence, the Esso station on Yeadon Way, on its 'maiden flight', is MAL 49. sorry about the quality of the photo, but it was pouring it down, and the photo was very much rushed due to the efforts of a Stagecoach Trident running empty from Fleetwood to Blackpool for the 68's, that proceeded to drive down the middle of the road at 19mph!!!!!! flickr.com/photos/tcp52/10080842845
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ratty
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Post by ratty on Oct 23, 2013 1:49:30 GMT 1
Well here we have it. About 2 hours after delivery, ex Harrogate and District 601 is seen basking in the Blackpool sun, after a downpour!! 611 is the other vehicle to arrive, and is going to enter service within the next couple of days. They are the first two of 6, as it is now to arrive, the others are coming at 2 a month. Very tidy inside, bit tacky outside, but will look better when painted. To please Sconehead, they will go to eradicating step entries from the 22 and the soon to be operated 80. However, I would suggest that in the next couple of years, if there is a shortage, then the odd step entry may appear. When the B6's have arrived, we will have 13 low floor buses, so the steps will be relegated, probably, to seasonal use on the prom. flickr.com/photos/tcp52/10430922663/
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Post by sconehead85 on Oct 25, 2013 23:41:26 GMT 1
ratty- Single deck step-entries have only until the end of 2014 before they have to be finished off. Im not so concerned about the 12 because there are LF alternatives, and its summer/autumn only.
sconehead85
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kuyoyo
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Post by kuyoyo on Oct 26, 2013 7:53:44 GMT 1
Think a refresh on DDA deadlines is called for:
Single Deckers under 7.5 tonnes must meet DDA guidelines by 1/1/2015 Single Deckers over 7.5 tonnes must meet DDA guiidelines by 1/1/2016 Double Deckers must meet DDA guidelines by 1/1/2017 Coaches must meet DDA guidelines by 1/1/2020
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SF07
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Post by SF07 on Dec 20, 2013 20:54:22 GMT 1
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Post by driver6540 on Dec 20, 2013 22:01:35 GMT 1
Maybe ratty could enlighten us, he'll know the fact's, which should quell the speculation.
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ratty
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Orange,Green and Cream Best livery ever
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Post by ratty on Dec 21, 2013 12:32:30 GMT 1
All I will say, is that the owner is closing Classic Bus North West down, and the discs will be returned. A skeleton staff has been kept on to run the 22's and any private hires there are until the new year. A number of staff have been laid off, just at the wrong time of the year. Other than that I am not prepared to comment any further I am afraid.
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Dec 21, 2013 17:46:22 GMT 1
catch 22 are now run by Oakwood Travel aparantly.
The 80 only started a few weeks ago and resulted in Cumfybus pulling out of the Blackpool area
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Post by www.buseireann.ie on Dec 21, 2013 20:02:10 GMT 1
In my own opinion it's the Red Rocket Express what has caused a lot of the problems, poor vehicle choice (this opinion is justified by the fact several have been off the road time after time and one needed a new engine!), with regard to capturing Manchester to Blackpool passengers their's been a sevear over reliance on marketing through word of mouth and the internet, bodies on the street pushing the services SGI style is what's needed, so be it if it gets up some peoples noses, their are others who will want to use it when the benefits over the train/car have been sold to them, the Leeds to Blackpool train service is non existent due to the tunnel works, Blackpool is supposed to be an all year round resort, surely linking the service into arrival/departure times of National Express coaches from Leeds and maybe other places like Bradford and teaming up with them to offer a joint through fare (a bit like Coastliner did) would have been worth trying, especally given the marketing power of National Express, I'm a bit bullish, want things right first time and very in yer face but at the end of the day it's that attitude what gets results, not planning badly cocking up then giving up!
Oh and what's this about re-starting the Roket in Easter? Is he going to have a load of bendi's parked up doing nothing all winter each year? Who's going to want to work only so many months a year? I don't think thinking is the owners strong point.
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Post by driver6540 on Dec 21, 2013 20:18:57 GMT 1
Maybe you're right, busireann or maybe you're wrong. You're quite rightly entitled to your opinion, However my opinion is, that i feel very sorry for the staff who've lost their jobs. there's never a good time to become unemployed, but at this time of year it must be particularly galling. I do hope the ex-CBNW staff have a better start in the new year.
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Post by www.buseireann.ie on Dec 22, 2013 0:10:06 GMT 1
Maybe you're right, busireann or maybe you're wrong. You're quite rightly entitled to your opinion, However my opinion is, that i feel very sorry for the staff who've lost their jobs. there's never a good time to become unemployed, but at this time of year it must be particularly galling. I do hope the ex-CBNW staff have a better start in the new year. That's exactly why I'm ranting, people have lost their jobs at the wrong time of the year because of poor planning, the company situation is so bad that if reports on other websites are correct, wages won't be paid. Same websites say their possibly in administration (North West Bus Blog and East of the M60). Before the Red Rocket was launched things were going good, now this has happened. Maybe poor loadings on the 12 may have added to the situation but it's a sure fire bet the Red Rocket with poor loadings for Manchester to Blackpool passengers (Blackpool to Manchester day tripper loadings did look healthy), and constantly failing bendi's has drained resources to the bone!
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Post by sconehead85 on Dec 22, 2013 2:20:28 GMT 1
Cries of "I told you so" I'm afraid. CBNW's routes were USEFUL but not commercial. They expanded too quickly instead of sticking to the catch-22. As for the promenade 12 service that was up against Blackpool's state-of-the-art trams and one wonders whether there is any call for open tops in Blackpool. And I'm sorry but Ive never seen anything like a full load in any of the pictures of open tops and Routemasters. Another one bites the dust.
sconehead85
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Dec 22, 2013 16:34:28 GMT 1
The Promenade service may have worked if they had have just used Routemasters and Open Tops, as they would have had a usp that Blackpool Transport were not offering. Holidaymakers may have wanted to travel on an open top.
As it is they used standard Olympians on half the journeys meaning it was just another slow bus along the prom, much less frequent that BTS's number 1.
The Red Rocket was never going to work. Nobody wants to travel on a bendy bus from Manchester to Blackpool every few hours in the Winter.
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wbc
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Post by wbc on Dec 22, 2013 18:17:15 GMT 1
I spent a few days at the end of July near Blackpool and I saw quite a few of their service 12 trips, like you mentioned it was a random mix of Open Top, Routemasters, Olympians and B10Ms, therefore no real selling point to Holidaymakers.
I also found the loads to be very sparse, surprising at the height of summer.
In regards to the Red Rocket I was very surprised at the bendy bus purchase, the benefit of high capacity associated with such buses is ruled out by the nature of the route, if they wanted capacity why not get deckers or slightly smaller (seating wise) single deckers? I assume Ensign must have been offering them quite cheaply? The cost of running them must have been higher than other alternatives as well.
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Post by SCH117X on Dec 22, 2013 18:41:25 GMT 1
At least one of the ex Transdev B6s was used, seemingly regularly judging by Flickr photos, on the RedRocket, still in its Harrogate colours and promos although they could not be bothered to programme the display correctly and if not blank used Park & Ride! Wonder if any intending passengers let it pass. Presumably they have fully paid for those B6s.
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Post by driver6540 on Dec 22, 2013 22:16:50 GMT 1
There's an interesting link on the LTT website regarding CBNW. The only comment i'll make (If the article's true), is buseireann has got it bang on. I feel sorry for ratty, He's a good bloke is Chris.
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Post by Arriva Wakefield on Dec 22, 2013 22:57:50 GMT 1
There's an interesting link on the LTT website regarding CBNW. The only comment i'll make (If the article's true), is buseireann has got it bang on. I feel sorry for ratty, He's a good bloke is Chris. Any chance of posting the link, as I can't seem to see it on the LTT website.
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