First Eastern Counties: X1 better or worse with double deckers

[jamesontheroad]

I have another trip down south coming up shortly, which will be rail from GLC to PBO and then the X1 (Peterborough - Wisbeach - King's Lynn - Norwich - Great Yarmouth) First Eastern Counties bus. It's been a year or two since this route was 'downgraded' from Plaxton bodied coaches to WrightBus double deckers ... would anyone who's experienced this route care to suggest whether this change has been for the better or for the worse?

Personally I think the new buses are completely unsuited to length and type of this route. Admittedly I'm one of very few people who go for more than an hour on this service, but it's a whole lot less comfortable on a double decker than in coach. Plus there was the accident earlier this summer on the A47 Thorney Straight when (it seems) an X1 was hit head on by an overtaking car, sending the bus right off the road into the ditch.

Incidentally, I wrote an email of complaint about the change in fleet to FEC months ago, and never even got a reply, which is unusual even for First.

Thoughts?

 

[mbonwick]

How long is the route total? Round here, Stagecoach operate the 2 hour 555 (every hour) with bus seated Tridents and the X2 Preston - Liverpool with coach seated E400s

 

[jamesontheroad]

Here's the current weekday timetable: http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/easterncounties/easterncounties/timetables/timetable.php?day=1&source_id=2&service=X1&routeid=678561&operator=22&source=sp and a rough Google map.

End to end, it's roughly 125 miles, taking 4h 30m - 4h 45m:

Peterborough 0
Wisbeach 50m
King's Lynn 1h 30m
Dereham 2h 30m
Norwich 3h 10m
Great Yarmouth 4h
Lowestoft 4h 30m

As I said, very few people go all the way, since the train is quicker and more comfortable, but many people seem to go from Peterborough to Dereham, and it's still listed on the departure boards at PBO as a rail-equivalent bus connection. I get off between King's Lynn and Dereham, and 2 hours on basically the same seats and bus as a First city service in Glasgow is not fun

 

[Aictos]

The last time I used the service was about 2004ish, having said that I prefer to go by rail even though I could in theory travel with First all the way.

Can't really judge the newer stock but it's certainly a upgrade with the CCTV onboard which the other stock didn't have.

 

[90019]

Plus there was the accident earlier this summer on the A47 Thorney Straight when (it seems) an X1 was hit head on by an overtaking car, sending the bus right off the road into the ditch.

Oddly enough, I believe I know the driver who was involved in that crash. I'll check if it was him and ask about the route next time I hear anything from him (Could be a while).

Apparently the Geminis they have are cr*p, though.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Oddly enough, I believe I know the driver who was involved in that crash. I'll check if it was him and ask about the route next time I hear anything from him (Could be a while).

Apparently the Geminis they have are cr*p, though.

Would be good to hear a driver's perspective. In the instance of that crash (and I am just speculating, based on previous experience of that particular road, about it being the car overtaking into the path of the bus) I would imagine drivers would prefer the air-sprung seat of a Plaxton-bodied bus and the safety of a full size motorcoach.

I don't mind the Geminis per say, they're fine machines and I'm proud to see Northern Irish products in service, but they're not built for a four and a half hour limited stop regional service. I would imagine their increase in capacity has been justified by the huge number of pensioners now using buses in East Anglia with their cards. I know my family are delighted to use the X1 for free to connect from Norfolk to the ECML in Peterborough.

Plus, I have a hunch I saw one of the de-liveried Plaxton coaches in Glasgow a few weeks ago. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that First are bringing the cream of the fleet north of the border
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
On the X1 as of this moment. Call me a narky sod, but it's even worse than I remember. And the driver refused my Scottish notes :-/

 

[90019]

From what I've been told, essentially, the Geminis are comfier to drive, but the B12s were comfier for passengers and were more powerful.

Apparently they leak, run out of fuel, the computer shuts them down at random moments and the heating only comes on when it gets down to 15c so the passengers freeze in the winter. Apparently they've all been back to Volvo at least once to have things reset, and they were restricted to 56mph at first, so were always late, so they can do 63mph now. Apparently they're quite good fun though.

 

[jamesontheroad]

the computer shuts them down at random moments

Noticed that the other day. I'd have thought it was a fuel saving device, except it operates on a very random timescale...

and the heating only comes on when it gets down to 15c so the passengers freeze in the winter.

That would be the hardy Northern Irish design... until the frost is forming on bare skin you'll do fine without a coat.

Apparently they're quite good fun though.

Certainly plenty of opportunity for one or two wheels off the ground on the bumpy roads over the fens. There's a junction closely followed by a bridge over one of the bypasses about half an hour out of Peterborough that always has my heart in my mouth

Ta for the inf.