National Express West Midlands limited stop routes

[pm2304877]

I can't find a thread for this operator and this is an enquiry about their 900 series or X routes. It appears not all these are limited stop and I would be grateful to know which is which, as their website isn't clear. I do know that X1 and X12 are limited stop but not clear about the others!

 

[OscarH]

I don't know much about the other X routes (depsite living there for 4 years!), but it does seem Nat Ex have a bit of a mess with these. The 12X in Coventry has always confused me, why not just the 12, and if its meant to count as an express why is it suffix not prefix like the rest

 

[bussnapperwm]

The limited stop routes are
907
934-937 Kingstanding Expresses
997
X1/X2
X3-X5 Sutton Coldfield Expresses
X8
X12
X13
X14
X30 Ansty Park
X51 Walsall Road Express

I don't know much about the other X routes (depsite living there for 4 years!), but it does seem Nat Ex have a bit of a mess with these. The 12X in Coventry has always confused me, why not just the 12, and if its meant to count as an express why is it suffix not prefix like the rest

That's because it's a more direct version of the 11 to the University

 

[OscarH]

That's because it's a more direct version of the 11 to the University

But why not the X11 if they wanted to make clear it's more direct, or even 11X if they wanted to distinguish it from proper X routes

 

[bussnapperwm]

But why not the X11 if they wanted to make clear it's more direct, or even 11X if they wanted to distinguish it from proper X routes

Because the 11 used to be numbered 12, and there was a 11U as well at one stage (iirc)

There used to be in the early 2000s a 112 and 12A which were variations of it too, plus a 12W to Westwood Business Park

 

[OscarH]

Because the 11 used to be numbered 12, and there was a 11U as well at one stage (iirc)

Ah, interesting! That explains it then, thanks. Must have been before my time

 

[pm2304877]

Thanks for the replies folks. Just one thing what's the USP of the other X routes? I would like to know about the 907 route please.

 

[bussnapperwm]

The X21 and the X22 are the direct to University from City buses, they only really skip 1 stop

The X8 and X10 is only limited stop so people have to use the 9 for intermediate stops

 

[Statto]

907 used to be 107, Birmingham - Sutton Coldfield via Perry Barr, National Express West Midlands decided to speed up the route & made the Birmingham - Perry Barr section limited stop section, thus renumbered the 107 to 907 to fit in with the 9xx series which were limited stop, & express routes in the West Midlands.

It's only in the last 10 years that some of the 9xx series routes, have been renumbered to the X series.

 

[Simon75]

The X51 Birmingham to Cannock via Walsall, is limited stop between around Great Barr and the city centre

 

[Statto]

X51 was the old 951 Birmingham - Cannock, at at one time their was a 950, 951, 952 & 953 Birmingham - Walsall - Cannock - Hednesford, with some journeys continuing to & from Brereton.

Eventually only the 951 survived, even that was scaled down to peak hour service, before being relaunched as X51 with an all day service introduced & is as busy as ever.

 

[WM Bus]

The limited stop routes are

X15 to Birmingham limited stop to Erdington, then Penns Lane, Walmley, New Hall, Sutton Coldfied.

There is also the new 25X service from Coventry to Rugby to. Which runs direct along the A45. Running once daily.

 

[pm2304877]

Of course the problem is TfWM publicity only indicates X1 and X12 as limited stop. Really NatExWM or MobicoWM needs to indicate more clearly which are which. It might be an idea to use the X prefix for all such routes with 934-937 becoming X34- X37, 907/A becoming X17/18 and 997 becoming X39. 997S should become 897 in the school series

 

[WM Bus]

997S should become 897 in the school series

If anything the 997S could just become the 997. As its just a 997 journey that starts at the School.
There are some other examples a 97 journey starts at Tile Cross School in the afternoon and a X2 journey starts and finish at the bus stop on Whitefields Road.

No need at all for it to become the 897.

 

[pm2304877]

Of course the problem is TfWM publicity only indicates X1 and X12 as limited stop. Really NatExWM or MobicoWM needs to indicate more clearly which are which. It might be an idea to use the X prefix for all such routes with 934-937 becoming X34- X37, 907/A becoming X17/18 and 997 becoming X39. 997S should become 897 in the school series

Correction 937A to become X38.

 

[Statto]

When West Midlands launched the regional express network, they numbered it into the 9xx series, it's only the last 10 years the network has had some routes numbered in the X series

 

[bussnapperwm]

Funnily enough the first "X" routes were the X51 and X96 (the latter being because it was initially limited stop Holly Hall to Dudley, then slowly made all stops to Dudley but was the most direct route to Merry Hill from Stourbridge and Dudley)

 

[barbette165]

X15 to Birmingham limited stop to Erdington, then Penns Lane, Walmley, New Hall, Sutton Coldfied.

There is also the new 25X service from Coventry to Rugby to. Which runs direct along the A45. Running once daily.

I suspect the 25X is nothing more than a positioning journey that would otherwise run empty to/from Rugby

 

[WM Bus]

I suspect the 25X is nothing more than a positioning journey that would otherwise run empty to/from Rugby

Might be something to do with the timings/running time maybe as there seems to be interworking with the 25/85.
The 25X has a shorter end to end running time than the 25.

841 - SN64 ODT

ADL Enviro200 Catrin

bustimes.org

 

[RT4038]

Might be something to do with the timings/running time maybe as there seems to be interworking with the 25/85.
The 25X has a shorter end to end running time than the 25.

841 - SN64 ODT

ADL Enviro200 Catrin

bustimes.org

All to do with running time, to fit in the number of journeys. The large 'loop' of the 25 via Bourton, Frankton, Birdingbury, Marton, Princethorpe takes a lot of running time through small affluent villages which produce few passengers. They are provided with daytime work, school and shopping facilities and the 25X are additional journeys serving the larger villages only.