Thursday, 23 February 2017

Demonstrator and Changes

Blackpool Transport has ADL Enviro 400 City demonstrator SN66WLK on loan. It arrived on Monday and is operating on service 9 today. It is passing through on a UK tour, having operated at Manchester Airport last week. It features different interior specification to the existing and new buses.

Further details of the service changes from 2 April have been received:

  • 1  route unchanged, summer timetable introduced every 20 minutes
  • New 2 will run Blackpool to Cleveleys via Hospital, Poulton and Carleton - every 30 minutes Blackpool to Poulton and hourly to Cleveleys Monday to Saturday
  • 3, 4 and 5 are unchanged
  • 6 returns to its old Mereside to Grange Park route with a 12 minute service. Peel Park will be served at peak hours using Palladium Buses
  • 7 is increased back to every 15 minutes for the summer
  • 8 is withdrawn
  • 9 remains every 12 minutes but returns to its usual route - no mention of the 9A returning - presumably the 2 will cover the Hospital-Cleveleys link
  • 10 is withdrawn - Blackpool Council has withdrawn the revenue support for this service.
  • 11 unchanged
  • 14 Town Centre to Fleetwood only increased back to every 10 minutes M-F using Palladium buses
  • 15/16 return to every 30 minutes Mon-Sat and hourly Sundays - double deckers are to replace Solos for summer capacity reasons
  • 17 Blackpool to St. Annes only, will run via Common Edge Road not Lindale Gardens, it will run every 30 mintues, offsetting the loss of the 10.
  • 20 reintroduced school holidays and weekends only
Town Centre stops changes took place from 20 February with phase 1 lasting until 2 April and phase 2 until 14 May. Market Street stops M1 to M3 are closed to enable an extra stop to be added. The 5, 10, 11 and 17 southbound are serving a temporary stop on the Promenade by West Street. The 6, 11 and Stagecoach 68 are terminating at M4 on Market Street, 10, 14 and 17 northbound are turning from the Promenade right into Church Street to reach Corporation Street, but the evening 17s which start from Blackpool are turning via Market Street and West Street and using stop CO4. There is also a temporary stop on Talbot Road westbound between Topping St and Abingdon St for the 5, 7, 10, 14 and 17.