Stagecoach changes in April

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Timetables have now been included for services in Basingstoke & Coastliner 700

With the latest round of Hampshire County Council re-tendering, we have already heard that companies have pre-emptively registered cancellations for supported services. Stagecoach South however have started to register alterations for theirs.

Some timetables are starting to appear on open-data reliant sites, but when I see the official timetables on Stagecoach then I will update this post with the links.

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Eastleigh & Winchester

From Sunday 2nd April, Stagecoach South E2 from Winchester to Eastleigh will be re-routed in the Eastleigh area.

The current E1 & E2 services, supported by Hampshire County Council, currently run from Allbrook Hill via Boyatt Wood (and Crestwood Community School) and then back to the Twyford Road before heading to Eastleigh Town Centre.

This will change next month when the E2 will run direct via Twyford Road, which on the Stagecoach South service registration is to partly replace another operators (XelaBus) withdrawn service and so suggests that Xelabus are definitely withdrawing the X9 from at least that part of the route.

There is also a minor change to departure times from each end of the route by around 5 minutes.

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Update 14 March Stagecoach South are also partly replacing the other withdrawn Xelabus services in the Eastleigh area from the same date.

The new service 49 will run a loop from Hedge End, serving Horton Heath, Bishops Waltham and Botley. Well, I say loop as most services either start or terminate at Swanmore, but one full loop does run in each direction.

This is certainly not the X10 that some customers are used to, it does not go to either Eastleigh or Southampton, but does promote the fact you can get there by changing buses.

Also included in the tender is two trips a day on new service 49h from Hedge End to Hamble. This is a replacement for the X15 which was withdrawn last year and provides two round trips every weekday. It allows around 90 minutes shopping time at Bursledon Tesco or just over an hour at Hedge End superstores.

Hampshire County Council has provided funding for this service for an initial 4 years. I can see the 49h having potential, but the rest of it…. I think limited viability is a phrase I would tentatively use.

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On Sunday 16th April the country route 67 to Petersfield will be a withdrawal the Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday (only) journey at 0930

There are also other timetable (but not route) changes in the Winchester City area from Sunday 16th April:

• 1 to Winnall will now be re-numbered as service 2 and will have minor timetable changes, mostly to Sunday journeys
• 3 to Harestock – minor changes to better connect with trains
• 4 to Teg Down – reliability based timetable changes
• 5 to Badger Farm – Increased weekday frequency and later buses on Sundays
• 46 to North Baddesley – reduced timetables due to HCC budget
• 64 to Alton – minor changes on weekdays and increased to every 30 minutes on Sundays (Schools service 664 is withdrawn though – possibly associated with the weekday change)
• 66 to Romsey – additional trips on weekdays, timetable revised connect with trains
• 86 to Whitchurch – minor changes on weekdays
• Schools service 662 to Romsey and Ower has a timetable change
• Spring to Springvale – reliability based timetable changes

Petersfield

From Sunday 2nd April there is also a minor route change within the Petersfield Railway Station / Town Centre area on route 38. This will add to a small increase in running time, changing timetables in the area.

Some late afternoon times on service 37 between Petersfield and Havant will be extended to allow for the college rush in the Petersfield Tesco area.

Portsmouth (the one I forgot)

From Sunday 2nd April there are changes to the Coastliner 700.

If you remember back a few years, the 700 used to be a whole through service and you would be able to go from Gunwharf Quays (or was it South Parade Pier?) all the way through to Brighton. It would be one bus and a very long trip along the coast.

Then it got split into sections, with Portsmouth to Littlehampton and Arundel to Brighton.

Now it is being split again:

• Portsmouth to Havant and Chichester (There will no longer be a through service to Flansham Park or Bognor Regis)
• Chichester to Bognor and Flansham Park
  • with every other bus extended to Littlehampton
• Wick (Littlehampton) to Worthing and Brighton

The important bit – as in Portsmouth to Chichester – will run up to every 20 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytime and every half-hour on Sundays. There will be later buses on Coastliner 700 as well, running into the late evening.

Basingstoke

There is a full timetable change within the Basingstoke area from Sunday 16th April. It looks from the registration details that most services within the town will see some kind of timetable increase:

• Brighton Hill’s service 1 (currently on a diversion and service decimation due to roadworks at the Brighton Hill roundabout) will increase to every 12 minutes Monday to Saturday & 15 minutes Sundays.
• Service 2 to North Hampshire Hospital and Baughurst will have reliability-based timetable changes
• South Ham service 3 will increase to every 20 minutes, seven days a week and will run via the Bus Station (after the Railway Station)
• Old Basing will see less service 10 trips, due to the use it or lose it effect
• QMC’s college service on service 12 will no longer continue past the college to Cranbourne
• Tadley’s service 14 will have one less trip from Basingstoke
• Black Dam will see less buses on service 17 – with some timing point changes as well.
• Service 20 to the new Vyne Park estate will have a reliability-based timetable change

Service 5 will no longer serve North Hampshire Hospital on a Sunday. I do remember somewhere, but can’t be sure, that the extension from West Popley to the Hospital was paid for by either Hampshire or Basingstoke council.

The service will run a new frequency of every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays.

Service 8 for Buckskin and Beggarwood will increase to every 20 minutes, seven days a week. It will run to and from the Bus Station (Stand K) once again. It appears that this will become a largely stand alone service, with the interworking with the 3 and 1 removed.

Service 11 will still run to Oakley, however some trips will run the opposite way around the Oakley loop than currently.

The hourly service runs alternate hours each way around the loop. I wonder if this means that they will now all go the same way?

Service 13 will be subject to a more substantial change.

The route will no longer run to Liphook, but will terminate in Whitehill (presumably at or near the bus turning circle) with a new route taking over the parts of the service that the 13 will no longer serve.

Presumably this will be service 23 which will now run between Liphook, Bordon and Haslemere (Service 23X is withdrawn and some college services 113 and 123 will now operate instead)