TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Yeah, that does look good. Almost a hint of Anglian Bus about it....
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First Eastern Counties
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Yeah, that does look good. Almost a hint of Anglian Bus about it....
Yes it does doesn’t it!
Would be good to see some of the fleet branded for the Coastal Clipper services as well.
Coastal Clipper 1|1A & 99 | Norfolk & Suffolk | First Bus
Our UK Bus division operates around a fifth of local bus services in the UK and is one of the largest bus operators with a fleet of approximately 6,400 buses around the England, Scotland and Wales. We have bus routes serving 40 of the UK’s largest towns and cities providing great value public...
www.firstgroup.com
I notice that FEC are launching "Ipswich reds Village Links" as the brand for their rural routes to the east of Ipswich. Described as "south Suffolk" in the news item, but I think most people would say they're east Suffolk!
Ipswich reds - Village Links
G
Ipswich reds - Village Links
I also notice that the phrase "rural reds" is used in the diversion announcement for the 64 and 65 - has that made it on any buses or publications?Introducing 'Village Links' from Ipswich Reds - from 1st September 2020
We're delighted to announce that from Tuesday 1st September 2020, we will be launching a brand new network of services - Village Links - linking many South Suffolk villages and towns to the north and east of Ipswich with the centres of Ipswich, Woodbridge or Felixstowe.
Many of these services are operated with funding with Suffolk County Council and have been designed to build on a number of contracted services that were already in place operated by a number of operators, including First Eastern Counties. As well as providing direct point-to-point services into major towns, the services are also ideal for linking onto other services at some of our already busy hubs at places such as Woodbridge, Martlesham Heath or Felixstowe.
Most services operate around every two hours on Mondays to Saturdays, with journeys across the day designed to meet the needs of commuters, students, shoppers and leisure travellers with some services also including links to additional villages off the main service at the morning and afternoon peak times.
The services included are:
Timetables for all of the above services can be found as printable PDFs at the links below, or click on the map below for a map of our entire Ipswich Reds network.
Village Links 59 Ipswich - Chelsworth Avenue - Rushmere St Andrew and onto Playford & The Bealings (one journey in each direction) around every hour - Monday to Saturday off peak only Village Links 70|70A Ipswich - Tuddenham St Martin - Grundisburgh - Woodbridge
with some journeys including Charsfield - Dallinghoo - Bredfield - Hasketonaround every 2 hours - Monday to Saturday Village Links 71 Orford peak journey only - Sutton Heath (Rock Barracks) - Melton Rail Station - Woodbridge (for buses to Ipswich or Felixstowe) around every 2 hours - Monday to Saturday Village Links 73 Woodbridge - Martlesham - Bucklesham - The Trimleys - Felixstowe - Old Felixstowe around every 2 hours - Monday to Saturday Village Links 78 Levington - Nacton - Ipswich once a day - Monday to Friday Village Links 79 Waldringfield - Newbourne - Bucklesham - Ipswich once a day - Monday to Friday Village Links 116 Ipswich - Coddenham - Debenham 5 journeys per day - Monday to Saturday
G
90sWereBetter
Member
As the old thread seems have been locked, I thought I'd start a new one and await for it to be merged. 
Now that the X1/X11/X2/X22 Coastlink repaint programme is complete, First have now made a start on the Coastal Clipper 1/1A service between Lowestoft and Martham. 37571 has been painted into a two-tone blue scheme, bringing blue buses back to Great Yarmouth for the first time in nearly 20 years. This batch of B9s have been strictly kept on Bernard Matthews closed contracts for the last year due to them having tachographs, but with the COVID situation improving it looks like they'll be moved back into the general fleet and B7s will take their place. The 1/1A has always seemed to be a "dustbin" route, as literally every type of vehicle FEC run can and will turn up on it, will be interesting to see if standardisation takes place with the AU58 B9s.
www.flickr.com
In addition, Great Yarmouth is receiving a new open-topper. Volvo B7 32348 has been taken away to be converted, likely to replace the W-reg Trident that has run the seafront service for the last 5 years. A good choice imo, 32348 was always a bit of an oddball in the fleet.
Now that the X1/X11/X2/X22 Coastlink repaint programme is complete, First have now made a start on the Coastal Clipper 1/1A service between Lowestoft and Martham. 37571 has been painted into a two-tone blue scheme, bringing blue buses back to Great Yarmouth for the first time in nearly 20 years. This batch of B9s have been strictly kept on Bernard Matthews closed contracts for the last year due to them having tachographs, but with the COVID situation improving it looks like they'll be moved back into the general fleet and B7s will take their place. The 1/1A has always seemed to be a "dustbin" route, as literally every type of vehicle FEC run can and will turn up on it, will be interesting to see if standardisation takes place with the AU58 B9s.
Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini
37571 First Eastern Counties "Coastal Clipper" AU58ECV seen turning into Lowestoft Bus Station. The latest livery in the Eastern Counties very colourful fleet these days! The "Coastal Clipper" brand has existed for a couple of years, except only on timetables, so its nice to see a vehicle to...
www.flickr.com
In addition, Great Yarmouth is receiving a new open-topper. Volvo B7 32348 has been taken away to be converted, likely to replace the W-reg Trident that has run the seafront service for the last 5 years. A good choice imo, 32348 was always a bit of an oddball in the fleet.
In the main First thread Eastern Counties is apparently now one of the stars of the First network.
Recently the 13 in Norwich has diverted to skip the a11 from Wymondham to Norwich. Been ongoing since Jan as a covid move I think though didn't happen last year. It wouldn't be a bad idea keeping it full time. It barely slows down journeys if at all and serves many new homes being built. Better than the meandering 14 and 15 through Hethersett. It's got me using buses a lot more anyway.
Recently the 13 in Norwich has diverted to skip the a11 from Wymondham to Norwich. Been ongoing since Jan as a covid move I think though didn't happen last year. It wouldn't be a bad idea keeping it full time. It barely slows down journeys if at all and serves many new homes being built. Better than the meandering 14 and 15 through Hethersett. It's got me using buses a lot more anyway.
Your wish is my command! For future reference, threads are "autolocked" after a certain amount of inactivity. If this happens, report the last post in the old thread and it'll flag it up to us.As the old thread seems have been locked, I thought I'd start a new one and await for it to be merged.
StreetLite 47504 has been repainted into 'coastal reds' livery (similar to Ipswich reds) for the local routes around Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
First Eastern Counties 47504 - SN64CPY | Wright StreetLite D… | Flickr
First Eastern Counties 47504 - SN64CPY | Wright StreetLite D… | Flickr
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Last little travelogue for a bit as you're probably getting bored. Work had meant that I was in the East for a change and so was able to pinch a half day to experience First Eastern Counties. Unlike the First Opcos in the West and South West that have rightly garnered a lot of attention for the good work that they've done in improving services, FEC seems to have had much less coverage yet from what I have heard, sounds like there's been a bit of work going on there in recent months.
Unfortunately, best-laid plans and all that meant I was delayed, and this was compounded by a late-running first bus so my plans had to be amended on the hoof so a bit more of an exploration wasn't really possible. However, I was still able to get about as I purchased my day ticket for the XL. I was keen to travel the Eastern end of the route having only done the Peterborough end previously, and not experiencing the new fleet that arrived last year. Well, I was generally very impressed. The external presentation and marketing is superb - they really stand out. However, it was the interior that I was keen to see and they are very well specified for the route. The leather seats are perhaps the most comfortable bus seats I've ever experienced. I had an upstairs table seat on the outbound but USB ports are available throughout with wireless phone charging on the seat backs, along with bus stop pushes and even coat hooks. The flooring is mock wood, there are roof skylights, the colour scheme is distinctive without being tacky, and with the air chillers, it was a very comfortable and impressive beast. We started off on the A47 and I was on a fast version that omitted Dereham on the way to Norwich. The only downside was there was some telltale ADL squeaking from the front bulkhead which is something I've noticed is quite common on ADL products. The uprated performance of these vehicles couldn't get us back on schedule so my plan to visit Bungay was abandoned, and I bailed out at Cringleford Bus Interchange which is really 3 bus shelters just off the A47/A11.
I decamped onto the Turquoise 13 to Wymondham, a gorgeous little town just outside of Norwich. It arrived on time, operated by a non-route branded B9 that had been an early transfer from Leeds. Have to say it was rather disappointing. The 2012 era standard First Bus ads inside had no local relevance. Moreover, the seats looked really tired with one headrest that had been slashed and then comically stitched up. Think these Olympics vehicles are now at midlife and the eLeather etc hasn't worn well. Into Wymondham on an uneventful journey, and wandered past the various pubs that are now shops, nurseries etc, and to catch the Green 15 back on the longer route via Hethersett. It was to be my only single decker, a Wright Streetlite that had been diverted from my local subsidiary and sent to Norwich in exchange for some Streetdecks. We left Wymondham and my nemesis (that bloody emergency door handle) interrupted the entire time. At one point, we encountered a Konectbus Citaro being driven rather aggressively on a narrow suburban road; it looked internally not bad but the exterior presentation of an all blue, fleetnameless machine, isn't exactly great. We made our way around and I noticed a reasonable amount of bus priority into the city, which was good. Also, this Streetlite had branding externally and internally - FEC are pretty good at it tbh.
We arrived in St Stephens Street in Norwich city centre, not far from the bus station, which is where most city services congregate though the Bungay route also runs from here. Confession time...last time I was in Norwich, the old bus station was still in use; it's been that long! I only had a little time to observe but it was interesting to see the number of older deckers in use on city services. I saw two 51 plate Tridents (one very smartly painted, one looking atrocious and very scabby) and plenty of others of a 2002 vintage running around in Barbie colours though some have been repainted indicating that they'll be staying a little longer. I wandered round to the bus station which is now a much smaller affair after the redevelopment of the adjoining depot. Oddly, the bus station is served by the Park and Ride services of Konectbus; routes that are clearly the smartest part of their operation. I caught the X2 to Lowestoft operated by an e400 that had been cascaded from the XL last year. These e400s and some B9s have been treated to a new Coastlink yellow and blue scheme and the new image looks great in the flesh. Very impressive. The interior of the vehicles was a little disappointing; the good seats are still there but they don't look they've even had a clean let alone a refurb. However, they are very comfortable, the internal branding is superb (more Stenning touches) and we followed a similar X1 out south of the city before it headed off east. The X2 is a tremendous run and is quite quick to get down to Beccles, crossing into Suffolk as you traverse the river. Beccles has a history in printing and many references to it as you pass through the town. Incidentally, I was wondering if Beccles had always had such a good service to Norwich and Lowestoft (every 15 mins) - in the good old days and for many years, it was hourly at best with a few shorts between there and Lowestoft whereas now, it's every 15 minutes during the day. Part of the enhancement may be at the expense of local routes in Lowestoft as we made our way through the southern 'burbs but it's still impressive. The traffic through the town was slightly tricky which is a reflection of roadworks and bridges.
I had time at Lowestoft to have a walk and a toilet stop at Costa, and soak up a bit of England's most easterly town. It seems very much on its uppers with lots of empty shops on the main drag. The rail station really does have a period feel to it and it didn't seem a bad town but clearly there's a level of deprivation. I made my way back to the bus station and perhaps this is where First need to be a little imaginative (or maybe they have a plan). The travel centre is long closed, with 2012/3 general advertising vinyls - you can see on this photo (not mine) https://englandscoast.com/en/listing/lowestoft-bus-station - perhaps replace those vinyls with ones extolling the virtues of the excellent Coastlink services, the Coastal Clipper routes or even the remaining town routes that are now Coastal Reds? Or even have the travel office as a waiting room, with leaflets available? Or a local network map (as First South West do at their locations)? Also, each stand had timetables but the double sided sticky tape wasn't really working so again, a bit more care would work wonders. Lowestoft bus station needn't be quite so unloved. I elected to catch the 1A, recently rebranded as the Coastal Clipper. This was a B9, and another earlier cascade from the XL, via the Coastlink routes, to now operate the stopper services along the coast from Martham to Southwold. This was a short Lowestoft to Yarmouth run and follows the old rail line that was removed in 1970. The seating on these vehicles had fared much better and it was an excellent machine as we weaved our way. I like coastal communities and it was fun to see the differing industrial and leisure developments, often side by side. We arrived via Gorleston and more elderly Barbie deckers were spotted as we made our way through in Market Gates bus station in Lowestoft. Not much you can say about it and I wasn't hanging around as various Phil Mitchell types got redder in the sunshine whilst quaffing cheap beer at the adjoining 'spoons. I had chance to see various Streetlites newly painted in Coastal Reds livery (i.e. same design as Ipswich and South Wales) and also a couple of similarly repainted 06 plate Geminis; again, these had the original seating and you do wonder why FEC don't sort that kind of thing out. The liveries look great; the interior less so. I got the X1 back to Norwich and have to say, the views on the first half of the route as we follow the river Yar are really quite something. They also have the rail line with various elderly carriages stored there including a First era Caledonian Sleeper! After Acle, the route becomes less interesting but the e400, another XL cascade, was performing mightily. Despite it being rush hour, we made our way into Norwich without a hitch, arriving virtually on time. Again not long to wait and get the XL A out. Another of the stunning Scania e400city vehicles and this one didn't squeak!! This service does go via Dereham, which is the corridor where it seems that FEC are trying to make life harder for Konectbus. We purred along and it was sad to leave these excellent machines.
All in all, FEC seem to be heading in the right direction. Marketing is generally good, service patterns are excellent, and the new image is being rolled out in Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth - very little First and possibly saw as much Barbie as Urban! The XL is a great service and the vehicles top notch, aside from a squeak or two. However, they still need to cull some rather superannuated fleet from Norwich and that might be part of the plan with funding made available to Norfolk CC to improve transport with a contribution from First under partnership for new and refurbed fleet - kill the Tridents and B7s with new stuff and smarten up the B9s? We shall see if they continue to exert pressure on Go Ahead (Konectbus) too! Hope this wasn't too dull and an interesting review of an operation that is quieting upping its game quite significantly.
Unfortunately, best-laid plans and all that meant I was delayed, and this was compounded by a late-running first bus so my plans had to be amended on the hoof so a bit more of an exploration wasn't really possible. However, I was still able to get about as I purchased my day ticket for the XL. I was keen to travel the Eastern end of the route having only done the Peterborough end previously, and not experiencing the new fleet that arrived last year. Well, I was generally very impressed. The external presentation and marketing is superb - they really stand out. However, it was the interior that I was keen to see and they are very well specified for the route. The leather seats are perhaps the most comfortable bus seats I've ever experienced. I had an upstairs table seat on the outbound but USB ports are available throughout with wireless phone charging on the seat backs, along with bus stop pushes and even coat hooks. The flooring is mock wood, there are roof skylights, the colour scheme is distinctive without being tacky, and with the air chillers, it was a very comfortable and impressive beast. We started off on the A47 and I was on a fast version that omitted Dereham on the way to Norwich. The only downside was there was some telltale ADL squeaking from the front bulkhead which is something I've noticed is quite common on ADL products. The uprated performance of these vehicles couldn't get us back on schedule so my plan to visit Bungay was abandoned, and I bailed out at Cringleford Bus Interchange which is really 3 bus shelters just off the A47/A11.
I decamped onto the Turquoise 13 to Wymondham, a gorgeous little town just outside of Norwich. It arrived on time, operated by a non-route branded B9 that had been an early transfer from Leeds. Have to say it was rather disappointing. The 2012 era standard First Bus ads inside had no local relevance. Moreover, the seats looked really tired with one headrest that had been slashed and then comically stitched up. Think these Olympics vehicles are now at midlife and the eLeather etc hasn't worn well. Into Wymondham on an uneventful journey, and wandered past the various pubs that are now shops, nurseries etc, and to catch the Green 15 back on the longer route via Hethersett. It was to be my only single decker, a Wright Streetlite that had been diverted from my local subsidiary and sent to Norwich in exchange for some Streetdecks. We left Wymondham and my nemesis (that bloody emergency door handle) interrupted the entire time. At one point, we encountered a Konectbus Citaro being driven rather aggressively on a narrow suburban road; it looked internally not bad but the exterior presentation of an all blue, fleetnameless machine, isn't exactly great. We made our way around and I noticed a reasonable amount of bus priority into the city, which was good. Also, this Streetlite had branding externally and internally - FEC are pretty good at it tbh.
We arrived in St Stephens Street in Norwich city centre, not far from the bus station, which is where most city services congregate though the Bungay route also runs from here. Confession time...last time I was in Norwich, the old bus station was still in use; it's been that long! I only had a little time to observe but it was interesting to see the number of older deckers in use on city services. I saw two 51 plate Tridents (one very smartly painted, one looking atrocious and very scabby) and plenty of others of a 2002 vintage running around in Barbie colours though some have been repainted indicating that they'll be staying a little longer. I wandered round to the bus station which is now a much smaller affair after the redevelopment of the adjoining depot. Oddly, the bus station is served by the Park and Ride services of Konectbus; routes that are clearly the smartest part of their operation. I caught the X2 to Lowestoft operated by an e400 that had been cascaded from the XL last year. These e400s and some B9s have been treated to a new Coastlink yellow and blue scheme and the new image looks great in the flesh. Very impressive. The interior of the vehicles was a little disappointing; the good seats are still there but they don't look they've even had a clean let alone a refurb. However, they are very comfortable, the internal branding is superb (more Stenning touches) and we followed a similar X1 out south of the city before it headed off east. The X2 is a tremendous run and is quite quick to get down to Beccles, crossing into Suffolk as you traverse the river. Beccles has a history in printing and many references to it as you pass through the town. Incidentally, I was wondering if Beccles had always had such a good service to Norwich and Lowestoft (every 15 mins) - in the good old days and for many years, it was hourly at best with a few shorts between there and Lowestoft whereas now, it's every 15 minutes during the day. Part of the enhancement may be at the expense of local routes in Lowestoft as we made our way through the southern 'burbs but it's still impressive. The traffic through the town was slightly tricky which is a reflection of roadworks and bridges.
I had time at Lowestoft to have a walk and a toilet stop at Costa, and soak up a bit of England's most easterly town. It seems very much on its uppers with lots of empty shops on the main drag. The rail station really does have a period feel to it and it didn't seem a bad town but clearly there's a level of deprivation. I made my way back to the bus station and perhaps this is where First need to be a little imaginative (or maybe they have a plan). The travel centre is long closed, with 2012/3 general advertising vinyls - you can see on this photo (not mine) https://englandscoast.com/en/listing/lowestoft-bus-station - perhaps replace those vinyls with ones extolling the virtues of the excellent Coastlink services, the Coastal Clipper routes or even the remaining town routes that are now Coastal Reds? Or even have the travel office as a waiting room, with leaflets available? Or a local network map (as First South West do at their locations)? Also, each stand had timetables but the double sided sticky tape wasn't really working so again, a bit more care would work wonders. Lowestoft bus station needn't be quite so unloved. I elected to catch the 1A, recently rebranded as the Coastal Clipper. This was a B9, and another earlier cascade from the XL, via the Coastlink routes, to now operate the stopper services along the coast from Martham to Southwold. This was a short Lowestoft to Yarmouth run and follows the old rail line that was removed in 1970. The seating on these vehicles had fared much better and it was an excellent machine as we weaved our way. I like coastal communities and it was fun to see the differing industrial and leisure developments, often side by side. We arrived via Gorleston and more elderly Barbie deckers were spotted as we made our way through in Market Gates bus station in Lowestoft. Not much you can say about it and I wasn't hanging around as various Phil Mitchell types got redder in the sunshine whilst quaffing cheap beer at the adjoining 'spoons. I had chance to see various Streetlites newly painted in Coastal Reds livery (i.e. same design as Ipswich and South Wales) and also a couple of similarly repainted 06 plate Geminis; again, these had the original seating and you do wonder why FEC don't sort that kind of thing out. The liveries look great; the interior less so. I got the X1 back to Norwich and have to say, the views on the first half of the route as we follow the river Yar are really quite something. They also have the rail line with various elderly carriages stored there including a First era Caledonian Sleeper! After Acle, the route becomes less interesting but the e400, another XL cascade, was performing mightily. Despite it being rush hour, we made our way into Norwich without a hitch, arriving virtually on time. Again not long to wait and get the XL A out. Another of the stunning Scania e400city vehicles and this one didn't squeak!! This service does go via Dereham, which is the corridor where it seems that FEC are trying to make life harder for Konectbus. We purred along and it was sad to leave these excellent machines.
All in all, FEC seem to be heading in the right direction. Marketing is generally good, service patterns are excellent, and the new image is being rolled out in Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth - very little First and possibly saw as much Barbie as Urban! The XL is a great service and the vehicles top notch, aside from a squeak or two. However, they still need to cull some rather superannuated fleet from Norwich and that might be part of the plan with funding made available to Norfolk CC to improve transport with a contribution from First under partnership for new and refurbed fleet - kill the Tridents and B7s with new stuff and smarten up the B9s? We shall see if they continue to exert pressure on Go Ahead (Konectbus) too! Hope this wasn't too dull and an interesting review of an operation that is quieting upping its game quite significantly.
A great read, thanks
This was almost certainly an ex-Konectbus Citaro now with H Semmence & Co (hard to tell without fleetnames!).
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Hi there - thanks for that. Had a look and I think that's probably the case. Checked the Konect 6 from Friday and they were deckers so thanks for the correction
It’s funny how interior refurbishments seem to get missed. Kernow for example are refurbishing their cascaded Geminis meaning with that an the new livery, they look fairly new.
You mention good marketing, are First Eastern Counties doing maps and timetables like Kernow are, or are they still in the ‘no paper cos Covid’ mode with all the travel shops shut?
You mention good marketing, are First Eastern Counties doing maps and timetables like Kernow are, or are they still in the ‘no paper cos Covid’ mode with all the travel shops shut?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
I picked up an Excel leaflet on my first bus of the day. I didn't see any others but I wasn't looking to be fair.
The refurbishment issue is one of the areas where FEC doesn't quite meet the level of First South West. I was impressed by the strides that they have made and it does seem churlish to criticise; just that they are getting there though need to pay attention to a few areas.
vla50
Member
LJ51DKN is now with FEC. Is it permanent?
cnjb8
Established Member
On loan from Ensignbus.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
It is 35014 and is indeed on loan to provide cover for the 3 Cabriolet Clippers (against a PVR of 3)
I’ve travelled around on First Eastern Counties over the last few days, and I would agree with @TheGrandWazoo’s summary above.
The Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft fleets look much better now with the Coastal Reds, Coastlink and Coastal Clipper brands quite well advanced. I also agree that Lowestoft bus station doesn’t have to be quite as run down as it is and they could replace those ‘we believe that buses are the future’ era brandings for something more up to date.
The Coastal B9s look nice from the outside, but the e-Leather seats are in a dreadful state. I also travelled on one that had been slashed and had received a comedy stitched up repair. They need an interior refurbishment really. In fact this goes for the ones in Norwich too as well.
Norwich itself doesn’t seem to have moved on since last time I visited which was in either 2018 or 2019. They are still holding out for whatever they are holding out for meaning ancient Presidents are still extensive, with some even still in Barbie. That practically qualifies as a heritage livery these days. Quite odd to see the coast operations looking smarter than the main city fleet.
Regarding paper timetables, there seems to be ones for the Excel, Coastlink and Coastal Clipper 1 but nothing else. So better than many places who don’t do anything, but falling short locally as KonnectBus, Sanders and BorderBus seemed to have a full set of paper timetables available. They have done quite a nice illustrated map of the whole non Ipswich Eastern Counties network though, which looks fairly similar to those that Transdev do in the North, which shows geographically where all the routes go. The fact they’ve still got a staffed travel shop is to be applauded as well, you don’t see many of those these days.
The Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft fleets look much better now with the Coastal Reds, Coastlink and Coastal Clipper brands quite well advanced. I also agree that Lowestoft bus station doesn’t have to be quite as run down as it is and they could replace those ‘we believe that buses are the future’ era brandings for something more up to date.
The Coastal B9s look nice from the outside, but the e-Leather seats are in a dreadful state. I also travelled on one that had been slashed and had received a comedy stitched up repair. They need an interior refurbishment really. In fact this goes for the ones in Norwich too as well.
Norwich itself doesn’t seem to have moved on since last time I visited which was in either 2018 or 2019. They are still holding out for whatever they are holding out for meaning ancient Presidents are still extensive, with some even still in Barbie. That practically qualifies as a heritage livery these days. Quite odd to see the coast operations looking smarter than the main city fleet.
Regarding paper timetables, there seems to be ones for the Excel, Coastlink and Coastal Clipper 1 but nothing else. So better than many places who don’t do anything, but falling short locally as KonnectBus, Sanders and BorderBus seemed to have a full set of paper timetables available. They have done quite a nice illustrated map of the whole non Ipswich Eastern Counties network though, which looks fairly similar to those that Transdev do in the North, which shows geographically where all the routes go. The fact they’ve still got a staffed travel shop is to be applauded as well, you don’t see many of those these days.
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F Great Eastern
Established Member
Here's an observation you never expected to see in Ipswich.
Unidentified Coastal Reds 2007 plated Gemini B7TL on the X7 to Felixstowe.
And no, you don't need to check if it's 1st April.
Unidentified Coastal Reds 2007 plated Gemini B7TL on the X7 to Felixstowe.
And no, you don't need to check if it's 1st April.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Bit tall for the depot, that!
F Great Eastern
Established Member
Indeed, hence my shock at it working out of Ipswich!
Bustimes.org has confirmed it was 37174 - SF07 FDE
Here for an additional last minute college contract; we’ve got one of our B7s back from storage in Norwich too. Hopefully the first of many full-height deckers in Ipswich and one of the main reasons we now share a livery with the Coast.
F Great Eastern
Established Member
How are they going to maintain it and stable it at the depot if they can't take full height deckers?
They've always spun the line that it could never happen no matter what until that was addressed, so what has changed? Is it going to sit in the yard in Ipswich and go elsewhere in FEC every time it needs depot based attention?
Having seen it about, it stands out a mile alongside the ALX400, the panelling shines and the livery and bonded glazing makes it look far better and more modern than the other Ipswich fleet.
There are plans to relocate the fuel lane and wash to the current running shed which can accommodate full height deckers (same as the main workshop) in the future. The only place it can’t go at the moment is the fuel lane and wash, but it can be fuelled through a hole in the side of the building and pressure washed when it gets back from its college run in the mornings.
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It's the first day back for the University of East Anglia students today, and the first day for the additional Blue Line extras on the 25X/26X at peak times. It seems that Great Yarmouth Depot are covering a diagram, with 36215 working it today - and Bus Times shows the morning dead run coming from GY depot.
www.flickr.com
Link to a photo above.
DSC_0411
I’m currently away in Norfolk, and whilst sat at my grandparents, spotted something a little unusual on the Bus Times tracker… Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini2 36215, usually seen running around Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth on local town routes under the ‘Coastal Reds’ brand, was instead...
www.flickr.com
Link to a photo above.
I'm quite surprised they're running the extra buses, considering they cancelled a significant number of services indefinitely from yesterday due to driver shortages:
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You and me both! Bizarrely, it turns out that all three diagrams are actually being worked by Great Yarmouth depot - as a result, there’s more dead mileage than there is in service mileage!I'm quite surprised they're running the extra buses, considering they cancelled a significant number of services indefinitely from yesterday due to driver shortages:
vla50
Member
Are there any plans to replace the unrefurbished London tridents/ex Yorkshire ALXs in the Norwich fleet?
cnjb8
Established Member
Norwich don’t run the ALXs, Great Yarmouth does and I believe they are being withdrawn soon.
The Presidents may be getting replaced soon, but First are awaiting potential funding. It’s been discussed on this thread before
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
The Great Yarmouth ALXs are generally used on schools/Bernard Matthews works services IIRC so not overly worked but believe they are due to be replaced by cascades. Most of FECs ALXs are actually at Ipswich and this subject (and the Ipswich garage roof) has also been discussed at length.
Ultimately, the older Tridents or B7TL/ALX will be getting chopped as will various other older fleet as a) new vehicles arrive in Weston super Mare and Bradford and b) there are substantial reductions to services, and a programme of cascading takes place.
90sWereBetter
Member
A very timely message, as it's emerged that this weekend will see the end of several elderly Eastern Counties deckers. Great Yarmouth heritage livery 32059 is having a photoshoot in the town tomorrow with the "new" GY heritage vehicle 37562 and a preserved Great Yarmouth Corporation AEC Swift to mark its final day in service (having outlasted its fellow W-reg B7TLs by almost two years). It's believed to be heading back to Leicestershire for preservation, eventually to be restored to its 2000 condition. 21 and a half years of service, she's certainly earned her keep!
Meanwhile, there's a clearout of unrefurbished Presidents in Norwich, five of the six remaining Tridents (33055, 33060, 33245, 33246 and 33247) and B7TL 32204 will be stood down imminently. No replacements expected, so guessing it's COVID service reductions which have swung the axe, and in turn finally renders Barbie extinct in Norwich. 33154 is the sole unrefurbished Trident to survive these cuts apparently. Barbie livery still clings on at Yarmouth on three B7TL/Presidents, but the end is surely near. There's still a quartet of older ALX400s at GY but their higher seating capacity makes them ideal for Bernard Matthews contracts so would imagine they will outlast the Presidents.
The last of the ex-South Yorkshire B7RLEs are due to be withdrawn in a few days as well.