NatEx off Route: Incident on the M1?

[MK Tom]

This evening I saw a large number of National Express coaches coming through Milton Keynes way off their normal routes - does anyone know why this is? Has there been some kind of major incident on the M1 or is some kind of event taking place?

This also lead me to wonder about what happens in the event of a motorway closure to NatEx and Megabus services. Do they have a set of pre-defined diversionary routes or do they just make it up as they go along?

 

[causton]

National Express are providing coaches to Reading Festival tomorrow. People with 'Earlybird' tickets got to enter today, so it may have been for them, or...? I presume you did not get the route or destination?

 

[enviro]

Must have been problems I'm the area as M20 megabus due into Newcastle at 2220 has still not arrived so atleast 2 hours late now.

 

[MK Tom]

I think it must be the same thing enviro because all the coaches I saw were joining the A5 northbound at Central Milton Keynes. I saw none heading the other way. My guess was they were using it and the A508 as a way of running from J14 to J15.

Which leads back to my question about what is standard practise in the event of motorway closures?

 

[185]

Must have been problems I'm the area as M20 megabus due into Newcastle at 2220 has still not arrived so atleast 2 hours late now.

Made the right move escaping from NX Coach ...since joining the railway, I'm now used to finishing my shift the same day I started it!

 

[Smethwickian]

Which leads back to my question about what is standard practise in the event of motorway closures?

Interesting question. If the service they're running still has registered sections (registered as a local service) would they have to stick as close as possible to the route along local diversions?

If the section they're running on isn't registered, I guess they're free to take whatever action seems necessary to get to the next calling point - any combination of driver knowledge, signposted diversions and/or advice phoned through to them by Nat Ex control.

 

[howittpie]

Drivers on Nat ex regularly go around congestion on the motorways used to use the 450 on a Sunday afternoon from Nottingham and most weeks the driver would come off at MK and take the A road around Dunstable and rejoin the M1 always arrived in Victoria early as well. Seem to be up to the driver as long as he doesn't miss any stops.

 

[185]

Lots of fun short cuts off the official routes, to save a valuable minute or two when traffic is bad.

One of my favourites.....

(it's only when your halfway across with a heavy Volvo, you're thinking.... didn't that sign say gross axle weight limit... err.... ah well.)

 

[westcoaster]

This evening I saw a large number of National Express coaches coming through Milton Keynes way off their normal routes - does anyone know why this is? Has there been some kind of major incident on the M1 or is some kind of event taking place?

This also lead me to wonder about what happens in the event of a motorway closure to NatEx and Megabus services. Do they have a set of pre-defined diversionary routes or do they just make it up as they go along?

There was a jack-knived lorry between 14-15 NB so j14 across to the a5, up the a5 right onto the a508 Join j15 carry on as you were, we passed a few natex between the city and Newport our 30 minute journey lasted an hour crawled all the way from Mk to olney.

 

[34D]

Lots of fun short cuts off the official routes, to save a valuable minute or two when traffic is bad.

One of my favourites.....

(it's only when your halfway across with a heavy Volvo, you're thinking.... didn't that sign say gross axle weight limit... err.... ah well.)

That's quite a wide bridge

 

[trentside]

I've been on a few NatEx coaches that have taken diversions to avoid hold ups - around Milton Keynes on the M1 does seem a common location for them to do this. I'd rather see some scenery on the A roads than be stuck in traffic on the motorway.

I did once arrange with a NatEx driver for us to both get home earlier, as a driver change was in progress and I was the only passenger left onboard the coach may not have been the vehicle used to the end of the route - it let the staff shuttle car stretch its legs though. I was home almost an hour earlier, and he was on track to make last orders at the pub - I won't say where or when for obvious reasons!