Yet More Buses for Catshill

Subforum for Diamond Bus Limited of Tividale, Redditch and Kidderminster (formerly The Diamond Bus Company Limited, The Birmingham Omnibus Company Limited, Go West Midlands Limited, etc.
chason
Posts: 242
Joined: 14:24 Friday 22nd July 2016
Location: Bromsgrove

Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by chason » 09:25 Friday 22nd May 2020

The currently suspended 202 (Halesowen to Bromsgrove) is to recommence on 1st June renumbered as 44. It will no longer serve Rednal, Lickey or Lickey End but will run via Lydiate Ash, Catshill and the Princess of Wales Hospital into Bromsgrove. This, with the hourly 144, will restore two buses an hour service between Bromsgrove and Rubery but leave the Old Birmingham Road with only two buses a day on the 182/3 to and from Bromsgrove.

I know it's going back a long time but some of us can remember when The Forest (at the junction of the Birmingham and Old Birmingham roads) was served by three 144s and two 143's (Birmingham to Bromsgrove via The Lickeys) every hour, all double decker operated.
Catshill of course will gain an even better service than it's ever had , probably giving it the most frequent bus service in North Worcestershire.

Sad about the 202 though. When it was operated by Ludlows, totally reliable with it's modern and well kept buses and friendly regular and helpful drivers, it was very well patronised but it's been in decline for several years now, said to be very unreliable with a marked decline in passenger numbers.

Adam V
Posts: 104
Joined: 15:28 Saturday 16th July 2016

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by Adam V » 10:41 Friday 22nd May 2020

I guess the new 44 that's replacing the 202 will still be operated by Kidderminster garage?

I will miss the 202, I used to use it regularly for a pint in The Hare & Hounds at Rednal.

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

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by ANDREW » 12:57 Friday 22nd May 2020

I wonder if there would be any scope for Clearway or MRD to fit in a couple of Bromsgrove to Rednals via the OBR ??

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

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by ANDREW » 13:05 Friday 22nd May 2020

Going back as chason mentioned , the "Forest Junction" was a unusual lay out , I can only describe it as a squashed letter X . . . . And also ,if my memory serves me right, the A38 in those days was marked out as a three lane carriageway with the "middle lane" being used by vehicles travelling in either direction - ideally not at the same time . . . :roll:

MattW
Posts: 979
Joined: 20:42 Sunday 3rd July 2016
Location: Cornwall

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by MattW » 17:24 Friday 22nd May 2020

ANDREW wrote:
13:05 Friday 22nd May 2020
And also ,if my memory serves me right, the A38 in those days was marked out as a three lane carriageway with the "middle lane" being used by vehicles travelling in either direction - ideally not at the same time . . . :roll:
Very likely mate, I remember when the Worcester-Malvern road used to be like that, absolute deathtrap :roll: :shock:

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

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by chason » 15:44 Saturday 23rd May 2020

A very good description of The Forest junction, now of course junction 1 of the M42.

I agree about three lane roads which Worcestershire Highways were quite keen on. To have two overtaking vehicles heading towards each other in the same centre lane sounds lunacy now........and it was then. Quite a few accidents on the Malvern to Worcester road as I recall. I wonder if we'll be talking in the same way in a few years about so called 'smart' motorways. Another recipe for disaster!

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Julie
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Joined: 00:25 Thursday 17th May 2018

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by Julie » 14:53 Wednesday 27th May 2020

Yes, "Smart Motorways" are anything but! Michael Green (aka Grant Shapps) gave us false hope that they were to be scrapped but then realised how much it would cost to upgrade the motorways properly and safely and did a hasty backtrack.

If I had 10p for every vehicle I have seen driving beneath "Red Xs", I would be a millionaire. I have also seen loads of near misses, including one on the M1 where a Transit van ahead of me in lane 1 came to a very sudden stop. Luckily, the emergency brake application bought me time to slot into a gap in lane 2 - not an easy task in a 50' tri-axle with 74 souls on board.

I have also been stuck in stationary traffic many a time and have seen the fire brigade or ambulances trying to force their way through to get through. Time costs lives.

I suspect that, when this Corona thing is over, there will be no money for anything so I don't expect any improvement for quite a while....

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

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by ANDREW » 21:16 Friday 5th June 2020

I observed my first 44 working this afternoon , being worked by one of Diamonds Metrocity buses. Small time table notices have been attached to the appropriate bus shelter and workings are displayed on the electric bus timetable display screen. The only thing missing was passengers . . . . . . ;)

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

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by chason » 22:23 Friday 5th June 2020

ANDREW wrote:
21:16 Friday 5th June 2020
I observed my first 44 working this afternoon , being worked by one of Diamonds Metrocity buses. Small time table notices have been attached to the appropriate bus shelter and workings are displayed on the electric bus timetable display screen. The only thing missing was passengers . . . . . . ;)
Agreed about the lack of passengers. I followed a 44 this morning from Marlbrook which pulled into the stop just before Lydiate Ash, clearly to wait for time as there was nobody waiting and, as far as I could see not a single passenger on board..

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

Re: Yet More Buses for Catshill

Post by chason » 12:08 Saturday 6th June 2020

This week's Bromsgrove Standard, in response to 'copius complaints' about the rerouted 202, quotes a Diamond spokesperson as saying that it operated at a financial loss which could no longer be sustained. She went on "The former 202 presented a number of operational difficulties and despite trialling a number of different vehicle options, all found the terrain difficult to cope with leading to a negative impact on reliability. As the service was making a loss investment in new vehicles was not possible."
She goes on to describe the benefits passengers will gain from the 44 which of course will be of no use to those from Rednal and Lickey.

If Diamond buses cannot cope with Rose Hill, which I assume is what she is referring to, it doesn't say much for their vehicles. Somewhere, I have seen a picture of a Midland Red pre-war FEDD double decker on the 143, then probably 20 years old, admittedly probably in bottom gear, ascending Rose Hill, apparently in fine style. What an admission from Diamond that 60 years or so later, their vehicles can't cope with it and I don't recall Ludlows ever having a problem either.

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