"along the Salt Road" !

Bus and Coach operations, new or changed services and timetables for First Midland Red Buses Limited or its predecessor, Midland Red West Limited.
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AdamH
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Location: Worcester
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Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by AdamH » 10:01 Thursday 9th January 2020

Adam V wrote:
23:50 Wednesday 8th January 2020
Maybe another option would be to run the short 144 that will terminate at Bromsgrove Bus Station on to Bromsgrove Railway Station via Aston Fields and / or around Charford estate.
I remember this option or similar being talked about a lot a few years back when Bromsgrove Station had it's big upgrade work. I've no idea why it never went ahead.

Matt
Posts: 47
Joined: 22:17 Tuesday 26th June 2018

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by Matt » 12:46 Thursday 9th January 2020

AdamH wrote:
10:01 Thursday 9th January 2020
Adam V wrote:
23:50 Wednesday 8th January 2020
Maybe another option would be to run the short 144 that will terminate at Bromsgrove Bus Station on to Bromsgrove Railway Station via Aston Fields and / or around Charford estate.
I remember this option or similar being talked about a lot a few years back when Bromsgrove Station had it's big upgrade work. I've no idea why it never went ahead.

Maybe First were worried people would transfer onto the train (presumably faster into town, thus not travel with them into B'ham. However since they've cut that part of the route it would seem very logical!

TimBrown
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Joined: 05:59 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Worcester

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by TimBrown » 13:59 Thursday 9th January 2020

It may be because of the services already using the Bromsgrove Railway station stop;

Diamond 42, hourly each way between Redditch and Kidderminster.
Diamond 43, hourly each way between Bromsgrove Hospital and Redditch.
Diamond 145/145A, every hour between Rubery/Longbridge and Wychbold or Droitwich.
Kevs 147, to and from Halesowen nominally two hourly four times per day.
Kevs 318, to and from Stourbridge nominally two hourly four times per day.

The station has a substantial car park which seems to be well used now; not surprising as there is a twenty minute frequency service to and from New Street since completion of electrification, plus hourly train in both directions between New Street, Worcester, Malvern and Hereford.

Whenever I have used the 144/144A recently around lunchtime it has always seemed busy between Bromsgrove and Worcester picking up and dropping off en route, with near full seated load on the approaches to Worcester. Is this the norm throughout the day, and why is this not repeated on the Catshill to Birmingham section?

chason
Posts: 242
Joined: 14:24 Friday 22nd July 2016
Location: Bromsgrove

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by chason » 19:26 Thursday 9th January 2020

TimBrown wrote:
13:59 Thursday 9th January 2020
It may be because of the services already using the Bromsgrove Railway station stop;

Diamond 42, hourly each way between Redditch and Kidderminster.
Diamond 43, hourly each way between Bromsgrove Hospital and Redditch.
Diamond 145/145A, every hour between Rubery/Longbridge and Wychbold or Droitwich.
Kevs 147, to and from Halesowen nominally two hourly four times per day.
Kevs 318, to and from Stourbridge nominally two hourly four times per day.

The station has a substantial car park which seems to be well used now; not surprising as there is a twenty minute frequency service to and from New Street since completion of electrification, plus hourly train in both directions between New Street, Worcester, Malvern and Hereford.

Whenever I have used the 144/144A recently around lunchtime it has always seemed busy between Bromsgrove and Worcester picking up and dropping off en route, with near full seated load on the approaches to Worcester. Is this the norm throughout the day, and why is this not repeated on the Catshill to Birmingham section?
Whilst waiting for my wife near a local hairdresser in Aston Fields near to the railway station, I often see the buses going to and from the station and am pleasantly surprised by their frequency. However, I have to say that many are very lightly loaded and for quite a few, the deviation is unnecessary as there are no passengers for them either to drop or collect. I'm not sure how long some will survive although I tend not to see it at peak times when I assume they would be busier.

I agree with Tim about the car park which is now pretty full. In fact, early in December I had an appointment at lunchtime in Brum and decided I would go by train. However the car park was completely full (except for half a dozen disabled spaces) so I couldn't park there and as I didn't have time to investigate the 144 as an alternative had to drive into Birmingham where it cost me £11 to park!

DD12
Posts: 1650
Joined: 19:49 Monday 4th July 2016

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by DD12 » 13:12 Monday 13th January 2020

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... m-51088499

Further opportunities for enterprising bus operators in the Bromsgrove / Rubery / Longbridge area ???

TimBrown
Posts: 1280
Joined: 05:59 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Worcester

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by TimBrown » 08:54 Tuesday 14th January 2020

DD12 wrote:
13:12 Monday 13th January 2020
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... m-51088499

Further opportunities for enterprising bus operators in the Bromsgrove / Rubery / Longbridge area ???
Perhaps First should reconsider the planned reduction of 144 to hourly from Bromsgrove to Birmingham in the light of proposed 'car free' central Birmingham zone and attempts at getting commuters back on to public transport. How about a 15 minute 144 / 144A frequency throughout between Worcester and Birmingham?

ANDREW
Posts: 765
Joined: 00:38 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Bromsgrove.

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by ANDREW » 18:28 Wednesday 22nd January 2020

The figures 30 that denote the current frequency between Bromsgrove and Birmingham have been removed from some Salt Road vehicles.

ANDREW
Posts: 765
Joined: 00:38 Monday 4th July 2016
Location: Bromsgrove.

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by ANDREW » 18:35 Wednesday 22nd January 2020

Oh , and new timetables for the north and south departures in Bromsgrove bus station , interestingly , the bus to Brum does not run every hour , sometimes it is over an hour gap and sometimes it is less than an hour ? ! ? I know absolutely zero about scheduling and composing time tables but would it not have been possible for the hourly bus to depart at the same minutes past every hour ?? :?:

DD12
Posts: 1650
Joined: 19:49 Monday 4th July 2016

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by DD12 » 21:14 Wednesday 22nd January 2020

ANDREW wrote:
18:35 Wednesday 22nd January 2020
Oh , and new timetables for the north and south departures in Bromsgrove bus station , interestingly , the bus to Brum does not run every hour , sometimes it is over an hour gap and sometimes it is less than an hour ? ! ? I know absolutely zero about scheduling and composing time tables but would it not have been possible for the hourly bus to depart at the same minutes past every hour ?? :?:
I too noticed that the M-F departure times from Brum vary throughout the day, - which is disappointing, but (without rechecking) I believe the time needed for the round trip from Worcester also varies throughout the day, and don't bus operators have to be able to book their desired time slots at central B'ham bus stops ??

asb
Posts: 46
Joined: 16:33 Thursday 21st July 2016

Re: "along the Salt Road" !

Post by asb » 21:34 Wednesday 22nd January 2020

It looks like they have done what they can to stay as close to hourly as possible, whilst keeping a consistent headway from Worcester to Bromsgrove (except at school time) and allowing for what must be very different running times around Birmingham during the peak compared to off peak. You're not going to get anything better from a low frequency bus operated from the other end of the route!

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