Trivia: National Express routes that use mostly A roads

[route101]

Anyone know of any NX routes that use mostly A roads . I imagine the West Country services. Any use long sections of single carriageway roads?

Any use the A14 and A50 for long lengths?

 

[randyrippley]

does anything now go down the A30 or A303?

 

[route101]

does anything now go down the A30 or A303?

Not sure. I thought they may go via M4/M5.

Thinking of the Scottish routes , most go down M74 from Central Belt , few go down A1 . A7/A68 was used in past

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

315 was still running Plymouth to Eastbourne? Apart from the M27, that’s mainly A roads

 

[Unstoppable]

National Express 592 service from London - Aberdeen uses A roads from Dunblane Roundabout to Aberdeen which is around 115 miles.

 

[route101]

315 was still running Plymouth to Eastbourne? Apart from the M27, that’s mainly A roads

Thats interesting route, will need to look that up.

I suppose Norwich on the A11.

Is there any services that use the A14 or A50?

 

[AB93]

925 Woking Railair - bit of an obscure one but due to the short length of the route, it terms of distance, it just about scrapes it at about 50/50 M25/A-roads.

But in terms of time spent, it spends less time on the motorway that it does off it. Apart from if it's stuck in traffic obviously!

 

[MotCO]

Any routes in Cornwall - there are no motorways in that county!

 

[Pat1105]

The 409 uses A roads between Telford and Aberystwyth - a distance of 90 miles.

 

[MotCO]

Likewise, any routes in Wales apart from the M4 corridor in the south, but Traws Cymru probably take care of that.

 

[Pat1105]

Likewise, any routes in Wales apart from the M4 corridor in the south, but Traws Cymru probably take care of that.

The 409 is the only coach service to serve Mid Wales.

 

[route101]

On their interactive route map, they have the Glasgow to London going via A50 then M1.

Noticed a Northampto to Leicester on the A6 , not sure how accurate these are

 

[Edirim]

Interactive Map is incorrect. It just connects dots together rather than using the route guides.

 

[route101]

Interactive Map is incorrect. It just connects dots together rather than using the route guides.

Is there anywhere that details the routes, other than the timetables?

 

[CBlue]

Is there any services that use the A14 or A50?

At one point the "long" 010 service to Victoria from Wisbech via Cambridge would use the A14, although I think that was driver discretion more than an offical route at the time!

 

[Robertj21a]

Anyone know of any NX routes that use mostly A roads . I imagine the West Country services. Any use long sections of single carriageway roads?

Any use the A14 and A50 for long lengths?

Not sure but I guess the 349/350 Stansteds must use the A14. May also use bits of the A50.

 

[JonathanH]

With some routes there is a bit of leeway to use different routes.

I caught a 035 from Victoria to Bournemouth which took the A3 / A31 to get to Winchester instead of the M4 / M25 / M3 to avoid an incident but still made good time.

There is (or was) a daily coach (402) which used the A4 from Newbury to Beckhampton and then other A roads to Frome.

 

[matt_splat]

the 302 sort of depending on the driver most only use the M4 between Swindon and Chippenham a few use the M4 to get from Bath to Bristol but most of it runs along A roads the old 300 service use to follow the A36 most of the way i would say the 315 is 100% A road the 333 service is fully A road south of Bristol.

Also Portsmouth to London via the A3? and the 090 from southend? and do one or two of the Dover services use the A2 fully?

 

[matt_splat]

With some routes there is a bit of leeway to use different routes.

I caught a 035 from Victoria to Bournemouth which took the A3 / A31 to get to Winchester instead of the M4 / M25 / M3 to avoid an incident but still made good time.

There is (or was) a daily coach (402) which used the A4 from Newbury to Beckhampton and then other A roads to Frome.

the 402 indeed is fully A road after Newbury i know before covid plans were to make tweeks to it so will be interesting if they still happen

 

[Pat1105]

Interactive Map is incorrect. It just connects dots together rather than using the route guides.

NX/Megabus don’t have specified routes that drivers must take. As long as they serve the timetabled stops, they can take any reasonable route. For example, the 343 (when it used to run) would either go along Hagley Road, Bristol Road or Pershore Road into/out of Birmingham.

 

[Edirim]

NX/Megabus don’t have specified routes that drivers must take. As long as they serve the timetabled stops, they can take any reasonable route. For example, the 343 (when it used to run) would either go along Hagley Road, Bristol Road or Pershore Road into/out of Birmingham.

Fair enough. Anytime I've taken an NX its always gone the same route each time so assumed they had a definitive route guide of sorts. Certainly the routes shown on the interactive map are definitely not those a coach would take, at least within Scotland.

 

[route101]

At one point the "long" 010 service to Victoria from Wisbech via Cambridge would use the A14, although I think that was driver discretion more than an offical route at the time!

I see , i was wondering if there is any or was NX services from say the Midlandsto Ispwich?

 

[route101]

Fair enough. Anytime I've taken an NX its always gone the same route each time so assumed they had a definitive route guide of sorts. Certainly the routes shown on the interactive map are definitely not those a coach would take, at least within Scotland.

The NX between Glasgow and Edinburgh is shown to go via the M9, M876 and M80 !

 

[dgl]

Looking online supposedly there is (or was) the 315 service from Helston to Eastbourne. The only bits of motorway I can think of would be the possibly the M5 although as it goes into Exeter it might miss it, the M27 and M271 into Southampton and M27 again to Portsmouth.
I would guess the approximate route looking at maps (from Plymouth at least) would be,

A38->A30 (Exeter)->A35 (Honiton)->A354 (Dorchester)->A353 (Weymouth)->A352 (Owermoigne)->A35 (Poole)->A338 (Bournemouth)->A31 (Ferndown/Ringwood) ->M27 (Cadnam)->M271 (Nursling)->A3025 (Southampton)->M27 (Bursledon)->M275 (Portsmouth)->A27 (Drayton)->A293 (Brighton)->A270 (Brighton)/A259 (Brighton)->A270 (Brighton)->A27 (Brighton)->A2270 (Eastbourne)->A259 (Eastbourne)

https://www.nationalexpress.com/media/1239/r315.pdf

 

[route101]

NX/Megabus don’t have specified routes that drivers must take. As long as they serve the timetabled stops, they can take any reasonable route. For example, the 343 (when it used to run) would either go along Hagley Road, Bristol Road or Pershore Road into/out of Birmingham.

I think on the Scotland - London overnights , there can be variations.

Do any services go up the A1 from London?

 

[route101]

Looking online supposedly there is (or was) the 315 service from Helston to Eastbourne. The only bits of motorway I can think of would be the possibly the M5 although as it goes into Exeter it might miss it, the M27 and M271 into Southampton and M27 again to Portsmouth.
I would guess the approximate route looking at maps (from Plymouth at least) would be,

A38->A30 (Exeter)->A35 (Honiton)->A354 (Dorchester)->A353 (Weymouth)->A352 (Owermoigne)->A35 (Poole)->A338 (Bournemouth)->A31 (Ferndown/Ringwood) ->M27 (Cadnam)->M271 (Nursling)->A3025 (Southampton)->M27 (Bursledon)->M275 (Portsmouth)->A27 (Drayton)->A293 (Brighton)->A270 (Brighton)/A259 (Brighton)->A270 (Brighton)->A27 (Brighton)->A2270 (Eastbourne)->A259 (Eastbourne)

https://www.nationalexpress.com/media/1239/r315.pdf

Thats a cracker of a route , even a few refreshment breaks. If its still running, ill put it on the to do list

 

[Pat1105]

Fair enough. Anytime I've taken an NX its always gone the same route each time so assumed they had a definitive route guide of sorts. Certainly the routes shown on the interactive map are definitely not those a coach would take, at least within Scotland.

I think it all depends on where you are and how big/busy the place is and whether there are any accidents, roadworks etc that could delay the service. Last time I used NX, the coach went via the M4 and M25 to get onto the M40.

I think on the Scotland - London overnights , there can be variations.

Do any services go up the A1 from London?

I’m not 100% sure. There are variations, as some services go through Birmingham. I would guess that the non Birmingham services use the M40 and M1, as that is the quickest route.

 

[route101]

I think it all depends on where you are and how big/busy the place is and whether there are any accidents, roadworks etc that could delay the service. Last time I used NX, the coach went via the M4 and M25 to get onto the M40.

I’m not 100% sure. There are variations, as some services go through Birmingham. I would guess that the non Birmingham services use the M40 and M1, as that is the quickest route.

Not NX but in Feb , my megabus went M6 Toll then M40 to London. They used to go M1

 

[JonathanH]

Thats a cracker of a route , even a few refreshment breaks. If its still running, ill put it on the to do list

The 315 was cut back to Plymouth to Bournemouth in 2019
http://www.plymothiantransit.com/2019/03/national-express-315-cutback.html

 

[Eyersey468]

I think on the Scotland - London overnights , there can be variations.

Do any services go up the A1 from London?

We run a service which goes to Peterborough from London and go A1.