December round up

Blackpool Transport has announced its Boxing Day and New Year’s Day special services:

• Service 1 every 30 mins
• Service 5 every hour
• Service 6 every 30 mins
• Service 7 every hour, terminating at Lytham Square
• Service 9 every 30 mins
• Service 11 every 30 mins Blackpool to St. Anne’s
• Service 14 every 30 mins

Rail Replacement bus services will also be operating on New Years Day (but not Boxing Day) with the full timetable in place, requiring 18 BTS Buses in addition to the 23 used on their local network.

From Friday 22nd, the Town Centre diversions are revised as the work ceases until phase 2 starts on 8 January. Also the Gynn Square diversion on the 3 and 4 ended on 8 December. The new pattern is:

• Service 1 - resumes through route and reverts to Promenade throughout (first day Saturday 23rd)
• Services 2, 2C, 18 and 19 - continue to terminate at Abingdon Street - inbound via St John's Square, outbound via Talbot Road and Cookson Street
• Services 3 and 4 - northbound reverts to Topping Street/Dickson Road - but still uses Abingdon St (Library) and Springfield Road southbound
• Services 5 and 7 - southbound revert to Talbot Road and Market Street, northbound still diverted via Albert Road,  Cookson Street, Church Street and Topping Street, but now also serve Talbot Road (Wilkos)
• The 6 is as 5 and 7 - but from Grange Park uses Cookson St between Church Street and Talbot Road rather than its usual Topping Street
• Services 9 and 14 continue to terminate at Clifton Street but now via Talbot Road
• Services 11 and 17 terminate at Market Street as usual all day.

Catch 22 Bus will be providing a half hourly service 21 on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The 24 won’t run on these days. The company has had a clear out of redundant Dennis Darts, many of which were stored in the Weeton area. Ex Cardiff T145DAX, W363/5/6/71VHB, ex First X475SCY, ex EYMS W468UAG are understood to have gone for scrap. X617JCS, W466UAG and W362VHB have gone for preservation. Volvo B10M R898XVM has returned to Blackpool after a period stored in Liverpool.

LTT owned Blackpool PD3 529 has been fully repainted into 1970s all over cream, topped with the iconic ‘See the CIS for Insurance’ offside advert and a nearside one for TSB. Swift 570 has been prepared for test and is expected to return to the road in 2018. City Pacer 575 has been moved to the Catch 22 depot for storage, after periods off site. Restoration work has resumed on Blackpool PD2 346 now other projects have concluded. 

Preston Bus revised services 75 to 77 commenced on 11 December. Their current Blackpool allocation is reported to be:

• Volvo B10B Coach 11525 and 13115 (Hallmark livery)
• Mercedes Coach 12000 and 14003 (Elite)
• Ford Transits 15039 and 15041 (Elite)
• Optare Solos 20004, 20013, 20810, 20811, 20831, 20832 (Preston Bus)
• Dennis Trident 40004, 40586, 40598, 40599 (Preston Bus)

More information on the Preston Bus fleet here