Improved services in 2025

[ANDREW]

Not "Midland Red" news but I see on the West Midlands Bus Forum that in June there will be an X20 service between Birmingham and Bromsgrove.

The timetable for this service is now on the Transport for West Midlands website.

[bmmoboy]

Not exactly an express service, it takes 1 hour and 3 minutes for the journey, which goes via Five Ways, Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Weoley Castle, Bournville, Northfield, Rubery, Catshill and Bromsgrove. In the good old days, we did Brum to Bromsgrove in 43 minutes - such is progress!

[TimBrown]

Not exactly an express service, it takes 1 hour and 3 minutes for the journey, which goes via Five Ways, Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Weoley Castle, Bournville, Northfield, Rubery, Catshill and Bromsgrove. In the good old days, we did Brum to Bromsgrove in 43 minutes - such is progress!

And the higgledy-piggledy new 144 timetable allows anything up to 74 minutes, that's 1 hour 14 minutes between Bromsgrove and Worcester in both directions. It is no longer clock face i.e. 00 / 30 past the hour with fixed timings to, and past, the hour for main listed intermediate destinations and the web page is a bad fit on a mobile phone which makes it a nightmare for intending passenger to know when the next bus should arrive. Not helped by lack of printed pocket timetables these days either - railways no better in this respect!

[SEVERNLINK]

Not "Midland Red" news but I see on the West Midlands Bus Forum that in June there will be an X20 service between Birmingham and Bromsgrove.

The timetable for this service is now on the Transport for West Midlands website.

I believe it will be operated by Birmingham Central garage as opposed to West Bromwich as now so seeing a NX 03 plate Gemini in Bromsgrove yesterday evening will be a thing of the past

[SEVERNLINK]

Not exactly an express service, it takes 1 hour and 3 minutes for the journey, which goes via Five Ways, Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Weoley Castle, Bournville, Northfield, Rubery, Catshill and Bromsgrove. In the good old days, we did Brum to Bromsgrove in 43 minutes - such is progress!

Back in my train bashing days in the summer of 88 I used to catch the 0541 off Bromsgrove due Birmingham 0628 hoping to make the 0620 BNS to Aberystwyth hauled by a pair of 37's Surprisingly I did make it on several occasions I got off the stop before the Bullring Bus Station and a sprinted up Smallbrook Queensway. I distinctly remember the first week not going to plan though ten minutes late to start with and a very light footed driver of National 255

[ANDREW]

Not "Midland Red" news but I see on the West Midlands Bus Forum that in June there will be an X20 service between Birmingham and Bromsgrove.

The timetable for this service is now on the Transport for West Midlands website.

And now in the timetable display in the bus shelter at stand 1 in Bromsgrove bus station. Well done WCC.

[ANDREW]

I travelled to Worcester and back today , both journeys 'off peak' ,my thoughts are if there are the same amount of passengers travelling now as when there were 3 buses an hour on the 144 then the 2 buses an hour are going to be full to capacity a lot of the time. Travelling south - well after the 09.30 bus pass rush - we had a good load on leaving Bromsgrove and seemed to pick up and set down at more stops than previously , all taking more time which resulted in the driver having to 'give it some stick' at times just to keep to time [ driven in a safe manner I may add].As we got towards Worcester we were pretty much full before the gradual reduction of passengers as we neared Crowngate. The return journey was [if the clock on the wall is showing the right time] a late departure due to the best part of 40 passengers [estimated by the number of empty seats after Foregate Street] boarding ,including people with pushchairs and the like and passengers with restricted mobility. I know not what time a driver is expected to start loading before departure time but a few minutes earlier may have helped on this occasion.Even with only one set of temporary traffic signals between Worcester and Bromsgrove we were still eleven minutes late arriving at Bromsgrove. May I add that the bus appeared to be in reasonable nick and did not seem to struggle even with a full load. Please do not think this is a 'moan' , just some of my observations. I would like to hear what any of the Worcester bus drivers think about the 'new' timetable , their buses or any other matter. Thanks . Andrew.