Penicuik Bus Network - Speculation & Ideas

[CSB0241]

I think the 15 needs to be cut to Regent Rd and sent down as limited stop until Fairmilehead, then Easter Bush, U-turn at Gowkley Moss, then Easter Howgate, A702, Mauricewood, then terminates at Penicuik. Mon - Sat daytime.
The 4 needs an hourly extension after Hillend to Straiton - Lang Loan - Gilmerton Station Rd - Ferniehill - terminates at Danderhall.
evenings and Sundays the Fairmilehead - Easter Bush - Mauricewood - Penicuik section can be covered by hourly extension of the 4.

I think the simplest thing to do is to extend the 4 to Bush all the time. The new terminus at Hillend isn’t really a proper terminus and I’ve never seen why it stops there. The 15 could be rerouted to pick up Mauricewood and run onto Penicuik, being increased to half hourly. You could make a valid argument for it returning to be the X15 as well, but stopping at Regent Road.

I think your idea for Lang Loan, Gilmerton Station Road etc is too complicated. A bus from Liberton is better set up to pick this up, likely stopping at Gilmerton Terminus or continuing towards Dalkeith/Eskbank.

At that rate, they should just make the 4 a circular route.

In regards to the Penicuik corridor topic, I think the 15 being extended is the best option. I would have it following the current route to Gowkley Moss, then serve Auchendinny, along passed the high school, turn right and go up the hill on Mauricewood road, left onto Silurian road, then right following the 37 Silverknowes bound through Deanburn, terminate at penucuick town centre, then operating back the main road then up the hill passed Deanburn turning circle then back onto Silurian road. This route isn't ideal, I would've had it so a reverse and go back the same way rather than doing a loop around Penicuik if it were possible to turn around at Penicuik town centre from this direction

This isn't possible until sulurian road opens. The concreate bollards are still in place at the deanburn side stopping any though traffic. (unless they have been removed since last week). There is a possibility for a bus to turn at penicuk town centre the country buses 141 and 140 do it in the other direction at the roundabout at lidl. Terminus could be on penicuik high street on either side of the road.

This whole idea be one for the next set of changes though, looks close to opening up to me.

I thought about having it terminate there but the road is too narrow to have bus sitting there for any length of time

I was originally gonna post this in the original Lothian speculation/ideas thread, but considering that Lothian aren’t the only operators in Penicuik, I thought that making a seperate thread would be more than justifiable. Below, I have attached my own custom proposals for Penicuik’s local network;

15: Service extended to Penicuik Town Centre via Edinburgh Road.

37: Service curtailed to Roslin, with some peak journeys extending to Easter Bush Campus. Edinburgh Road will continue to be served by services 15, 47, X62, & 140, with Deanburn being served by new service 67.

47: Frequency increased to every 15min Mon-Fri.
47B: Service withdrawn & replaced by extra journeys on service 37.

X62: Service increased to every 20min Mon-Fri & every 30min on Sundays between Edinburgh & Peebles. Peebles-Galashiels section will run as service 62 at current service levels.

67: New local service between Deanburn & Gowkley Moss via Rullion Road, Carlops Road, Town Centre, Eskhill, Ladywood, & Auchendinny. Service will run every 30min Mon-Sat, & every 60min on Sundays. Would likely be ran by Lothian, East Coast Buses, or Handicabs.

101: Service will run at a consistently hourly frequency Mon-Sat, & every 2 hours on Sundays.
101A: Service renumbered to 103, & will run every 4 hours daily between Biggar & Dumfries only (passengers can connect onto service 101 at Biggar John Street for services to Edinburgh).
102: Service will run every 4 hours daily between Biggar & Dumfries only (passengers can connect onto service 101 at Biggar John Street for services to Edinburgh).

140: Service increased to every 30min Mon-Sat, with some peak journeys running as service 140B via 141 route.
141: Service withdrawn & replaced by service 140/140B.

67 Timetables

Mon-Fri

Deanburn			0830		1830	1900	1930	2025	2116
Penicuik High School		T	0837		1837	1906	1936	2031	2122
Town Centre Stances		0755	0840		1840	1909	1939	2034	2125
Ladywood		0801	0846		1846	1914	1944	2039	2130
Auchendinny	B	0809	0854	Then	1854	1921	1951	2046	2137
Gowkley Moss	0756	0813	0858	Every	1858	A	1954	2049	A
Auchendinny	0758	0815	0900	30min	1900		1956	2051
Ladywood	0806	0824	0909	Until	1909		2004	2059
Town Centre Stances	0813	0832	0917		1917		2011	2106
Penicuik High School	0815	0835	0920		1920		2014	2109
Deanburn	0822	0842	0927		1927		2021	2116

Saturday

Deanburn			0830		1830	1900	1930	2025	2116
Penicuik High School		T	0837		1837	1906	1936	2031	2122
Town Centre Stances		0810	0840		1840	1909	1939	2034	2125
Ladywood		0816	0846		1846	1914	1944	2039	2130
Auchendinny	B	0824	0854	Then	1854	1921	1951	2046	2137
Gowkley Moss	0801	0828	0858	Every	1858	A	1954	2049	A
Auchendinny	0803	0830	0900	30min	1900		1956	2051
Ladywood	0811	0839	0909	Until	1909		2004	2059
Town Centre Stances	0818	0847	0917		1917		2011	2106
Penicuik High School	0820	0850	0920		1920		2014	2109
Deanburn	0827	0857	0927		1927		2021	2116

Sunday

Deanburn		0830		1830	1930	2025	2116
Penicuik High School		0837		1837	1936	2031	2122
Town Centre Stances		0840		1840	1939	2034	2125
Ladywood		0846		1846	1944	2039	2130
Auchendinny	B	0854	Then	1854	1951	2046	2137
Gowkley Moss	0801	0858	Every	1858	1954	2049	A
Auchendinny	0803	0900	60min	1900	1956	2051
Ladywood	0811	0909	Until	1909	2004	2059
Town Centre Stances	0818	0917		1917	2011	2106
Penicuik High School	0820	0920		1920	2014	2109
Deanburn	0827	0927		1927	2021	2116

B - Starts at Bush Access 2min before Gowkley Moss.
T - Starts at Wilson Street 1min before Town Centre Stances.
A - Continues to Bush Access.

For clarification; I envision the 67 being ran by Lothian (under either Lothian using 7900Hs or ECB using Eclipse 3s/any potential new single deckers) or Handicabs Lothian (using either new EVM Citylines or perhaps a slightly bigger bus, potentially along the lines of a Rosero Connect or even some 8.9m E200MMCs).

 

[stevenedin]

Some nice ideas but I’m not sure about stopping the direct service from Dumfries to Edinburgh and the 141 being renumbered 140B other than that I think it looks good. It’s such a shame that Midlothian doesn’t have a bus depot anymore. I feel like a lot of Midlothian could be better connected.

 

[peterblue]

Some nice ideas but I’m not sure about stopping the direct service from Dumfries to Edinburgh and the 141 being renumbered 140B other than that I think it looks good. It’s such a shame that Midlothian doesn’t have a bus depot anymore. I feel like a lot of Midlothian could be better connected.

Are there many people going direct from Dumfries to Edinburgh by bus? I'm surprised to hear that. It's about 3 hours and it would be quicker to get a train from Lockerbie.

I wonder if Lanark to Edinburgh via Biggar would be a good idea. Two different operators now so we're in fantasy land territory but it wouldn't be as long of a journey, and also no direct rail link.

 

[JKP]

Are there many people going direct from Dumfries to Edinburgh by bus? I'm surprised to hear that. It's about 3 hours and it would be quicker to get a train from Lockerbie.

I wonder if Lanark to Edinburgh via Biggar would be a good idea. Two different operators now so we're in fantasy land territory but it wouldn't be as long of a journey, and also no direct rail link.

No there are not a great number of passengers travelling between Dumfries and Edinburgh but there is strong public support for a through service connecting Thornhill, Moffat, Crawford and Abington to the city.

Lanark to Edinburgh via Biggar has been tried before. Wilson’s of Carnwath ran 103 two journeys each way for a time, early to mid 1990s I think.

What would help the 101/102 would be if Midlothian Council put their hand in their pocket to provide some financial support to enable an increase in the frequency to hourly and City of Edinburgh underwrote the bus station departure fees.

 

[stevenedin]

Are there many people going direct from Dumfries to Edinburgh by bus? I'm surprised to hear that. It's about 3 hours and it would be quicker to get a train from Lockerbie.

I wonder if Lanark to Edinburgh via Biggar would be a good idea. Two different operators now so we're in fantasy land territory but it wouldn't be as long of a journey, and also no direct rail link.

I’ve done it numerous times due to cost and convenience as there is no direct train without going via Glasgow or Lockerbie.

 

[CSB0241]

Some nice ideas but I’m not sure about stopping the direct service from Dumfries to Edinburgh and the 141 being renumbered 140B other than that I think it looks good. It’s such a shame that Midlothian doesn’t have a bus depot anymore. I feel like a lot of Midlothian could be better connected.

I did the 140B change since every time I’ve used the 140/141 (which is fairly frequently, my nan stays in Bonnyrigg so I do find myself on the two routes frequently), the 140 is well used through Roslin, whereas the 141 is more or less a fresh air express through to Bilston, so I think making the 140 run every 30min to provide a more appropriate service in Roslin would be better. The 140B could even just still run as the 141, but it should definitely be peak only.

Are there many people going direct from Dumfries to Edinburgh by bus? I'm surprised to hear that. It's about 3 hours and it would be quicker to get a train from Lockerbie.

I don’t stay all that far from the 101, & I am a frequent user of it, & most of the time, I’ve mainly heard passengers buying tickets to places before the terminus at Biggar (normally half of the passengers I’ve heard get tickets to West Linton). & as you say, it’s over three hours. Besides; I had a look at fares, & a return ticket for both TransPennine Express to Lockerbie then the Stagecoach 81 to Dumfries is barely more expensive than a 101A/102 return, so I think if I were going to Dunfries, I’d opt for the train (of course, that’s if I were paying, I’m lucky to have a YoungScot, so…).

I wonder if Lanark to Edinburgh via Biggar would be a good idea. Two different operators now so we're in fantasy land territory but it wouldn't be as long of a journey, and also no direct rail link.

That’s not actually a bad shout. If there’s enough demand for the Stuarts 91 to run every 70min, & definitely enough for an hourly 101, then running one through service from Edinburgh to Lanark could maybe be a good idea. I guess it’s just a matter of how much through traffic there’d be, but if there’s demand for half hourly trains to Glasgow, then hourly buses to another big city alike Edinburgh could maybe be well used.

There is strong public support for a through service connecting Thornhill, Moffat, Crawford and Abington to the city.

Is “the city” Edinburgh or Dumfries?

Lanark to Edinburgh via Biggar has been tried before. Wilson’s of Carnwath ran 103 two journeys each way for a time, early to mid 1990s I think.

I wonder how well used it was. I doubt anyone here will be able to confirm, but who knows.

What would help the 101/102 would be if Midlothian Council put their hand in their pocket to provide some financial support to enable an increase in the frequency to hourly and City of Edinburgh underwrote the bus station departure fees.

I think it would be nice if the routes could get more funding, from what I can tell Houstons don’t get a lot of revenue for services so they most likely can’t just fund for it themselves.

 

[Bus9120UK]

Its not the most optimal thread for it but I can't find anything better, I've noticed the following in this weeks Notices and Proceedings:

CB004928 CB004929/SB0130
Midlothian Council, 80a/b High Street, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, , EH19 2AE
Service Number 800 operating between Pathhead, Midlothian, south bus stop, Pathhead Village and Penicuik, Midlothian, bus stop ai Lidl. Effective date Monday 31 March 2025

Any information about this?

 

[CSB0241]

Its not the most optimal thread for it but I can't find anything better, I've noticed the following in this weeks Notices and Proceedings:

Any information about this?

Certainly interesting if you ask me. I take it that, based off of what the contract says, Midlothian Council would be running the route themselves & not getting someone like Lothian or LCTs to run it, correct?

 

[musicman175]

Service 800 Penicuik to Pathhead via Dalkeith and Gorebridge now showing on Traveline, operated by Midlothian council.

 

[Bus9120UK]

Service 800 Penicuik to Pathhead via Dalkeith and Gorebridge now showing on Traveline, operated by Midlothian council.

Looks like it will run twice a day, Monday to Friday (with the afternoon round trip not running on a Friday).
Routing via Auchendinny, Straiton, Loanhead, Lasswade, Bonnyrigg, Esbank, Dalkeith, Newbattle, Newtongrange, Gowkshill, Gorebridge, Vogrie Country Park to Pathhead.

 

[Paul Anderson]

Looks like it will run twice a day, Monday to Friday (with the afternoon round trip not running on a Friday).
Routing via Auchendinny, Straiton, Loanhead, Lasswade, Bonnyrigg, Esbank, Dalkeith, Newbattle, Newtongrange, Gowkshill, Gorebridge, Vogrie Country Park to Pathhead.

From Midlothian View - https://www.midlothianview.com/news/launch-of-free-community-bus-between-pathhead-and-penicuik

A new, free community bus will run between Pathhead and Penicuik from Monday 31st March.

The new service [800] will be trialled for six months and delivered using some of the council’s dividend from Lothian Buses.

The service will be free initially but will eventually offer the same full and concessionary fares as Lothian Buses if the service becomes permanent.

You can find the full timetable here: www.midlothian.gov.uk/communitybus