TRIVIA: Places that National Express coaches no longer serve

[AY1975]

Apologies if there's already a thread on this, or if it has already been covered in the National Express Coaches discussion, but how many places can you think of that National Express coaches used to serve but no longer do?

Offhand the only example I can think of is Alfreton, Derbyshire, which as I recall used to be served by one coach per day to and from London. I think it was withdrawn in about the late 1990s or early 2000s, and I believe that the London-bound coach latterly left Alfreton quite early in the morning (maybe around 07.00ish) so probably wasn't very convenient for a lot of existing or potential new users.

At least NatEx coaches do still serve a number of other places fairly close by, such as Chesterfield, Derby, Mansfield and Nottingham, though.

 

[GusB]

Inverness, Aviemore and Pitlochry no longer have a National Express service. The overnight London service was withdrawn a few years ago.

 

[philthetube]

If you are talking villages there will be thousands, Sible Headingham, Brayfield on the Green, Caxton Gibbet etc.

 

[duncanp]

The National Express service from Edinburgh to Newcastle and beyond via Galashiels, Jedburgh, the A68 and Otterburn no longer runs.

 

[BanburyBlue]

Banbury has, I think, lost National Express coaches. There used to be the (310?) Poole - Bradford, and the Heathrow to Wolverhampton coaches.

 

[Martin2013]

Crewe and Worcester (Sixways) are two examples I can think of.

 

[GusB]

I mentioned Inverness in my earlier post, but has National Express stopped serving Aberdeen as well?

Maybe I'm just having trouble with the awful journey planner, but I can't seem to find any services all.

If you are talking villages there will be thousands, Sible Headingham, Brayfield on the Green, Caxton Gibbet etc.

I fear this may be a somewhat lengthy list!

 

[Deerfold]

There could be a lot.

Sowerby Bridge used to be on the (Leeds)- Bradford - Halifax - Blackpol route until around 30 years ago. A bus stop was marked with the National Express symbol for at least 10 years after this.

Keighley lost the Corby to Glasgow service around 2018 and its Skipton - London services during the pandemic (as did Skipton and Shipley).

 

[Swanny200]

I mentioned Inverness in my earlier post, but has National Express stopped serving Aberdeen as well?

Maybe I'm just having trouble with the awful journey planner, but I can't seem to find any services all.


I fear this may be a somewhat lengthy list!

You might have something there Gus, would we assume the same for Dundee and Perth too?

 

[robertclark125]

There used to be an overnight service between Glenrothes and London in the 1990s. Long gone, so you can add Glenrothes to the list.

 

[Typhoon]

Several places in the South East. Hastings, Bexhill, Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Deal, Ashford, Herne Bay and smaller places along the way - largely quicker by train.

 

[MadMarsupial]

Buxton and New Mills Newtown.

 

[Flange Squeal]

The once-daily 031 (London to Portsmouth) being withdrawn a few years ago saw Farnborough, Aldershot, Farnham, Petersfield and Waterlooville disappear from the National Express network map. I believe at one time it used to serve Alton as well. The opening of the Hindhead Tunnel on the A3 has also contributed to the loss of Hindhead being served by the main London to Portsmouth 030.

The Woking to Heathrow 'Railair' service (formerly 701, more recently 925) was suspended as a result of Covid and has now been withdrawn, with First having introduced a Woking stop to their Guildford to Heathrow RA2 'Railair' service. This sees Woking no longer part of the network as well.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Leigh and St Helens were both on the 570 Lake District / Lancashire - London service (once a day, albeit on different journeys).

Both removed, and both cases of not having a direct train to London (or at all in the case of Leigh).

Going further back in time, Leigh was on a once-a-day service from somewhere like Blackburn to London, which included calls in smaller places like Atherton.

 

[GusB]

There used to be an overnight service between Glenrothes and London in the 1990s. Long gone, so you can add Glenrothes to the list.

Was this a National Express service?

I recall that there was an overnight Citylink service from Aberdeen to London that went via Fife; I can't remember the exact stops it served, but Kirkcaldy was definitely one of them; Glenrothes might have been another.

I used it once to go as far as Edinburgh, probably in early 1993. The journey was notable (for me at least) because the coach was the Volvo B10MT/Plaxton Paramount 4000 that Citylink actually owned (B924BGA), although I think it was Bruce's Coaches that operated that route.

 

[route101]

Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee and Stirling. Last served by the 592 Aberdeen to London.

Peterborough
Kilmarnock
Stranraer

Newbury, surprised the 160 does not call here!

Bridport

Winchester Bus Station, Park and Ride is now served.

Lockerbie
Dalkeith
Jedburgh
Newcastle Airport

Leigh and St Helens were both on the 570 Lake District / Lancashire - London service (once a day, albeit on different journeys).

Both removed, and both cases of not having a direct train to London (or at all in the case of Leigh).

Going further back in time, Leigh was on a once-a-day service from somewhere like Blackburn to London, which included calls in smaller places like Atherton.

Surprised the Lake District services have not returned.

The National Express service from Edinburgh to Newcastle and beyond via Galashiels, Jedburgh, the A68 and Otterburn no longer runs.

I used that service in 2012. I believe it was the 534 from Glasgow to Hull. It was changed to run via the A1 the next time I used it.

 

[robertclark125]

Was this a National Express service?































































I recall that there was an overnight Citylink service from Aberdeen to London that went via Fife; I can't remember the exact stops it served, but Kirkcaldy was definitely one of them; Glenrothes might have been another.































































I used it once to go as far as Edinburgh, probably in early 1993. The journey was notable (for me at least) because the coach was































I recall that there was an overnight Citylink service from Aberdeen to London that went via Fife; I can't remember the exact stops it served, but Kirkcaldy was definitely one of them; Glenrothes might have been another.































I used it once to go as far as Edinburgh, probably in early 1993. The journey was notable (for me at least) because the coach was the Volvo B10MT/Plaxton Paramount 4000 that Citylink actually owned (B924BGA), although I ruce's Coaches that operated that route.















Yes it was.

Yes it was, I saw it a few times and it was National Express Coaches on it.

 

[londonbridge]

Pre pandemic the overnight service from London to Sunderland continued on to South Shields, but it doesn’t seem to have been reinstated and terminates at Sunderland AFAIK.

 

[JonathanH]

Lower Kingswood, Coulsdon, Hooley, Sutton, Rose Hill (London), the list is practically endless.

 

[Stan Drews]

I mentioned Inverness in my earlier post, but has National Express stopped serving Aberdeen as well?

Maybe I'm just having trouble with the awful journey planner, but I can't seem to find any services all.


I fear this may be a somewhat lengthy list!

They don’t serve anywhere north of Edinburgh/Glasgow.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

I suppose Crowden, Langsett and Midhopestones could be added to the list, since National Express withdrew the service which means that Crowden in particular is no longer served by public transport. The nearest would be the Friday only South Pennine CT 351 from Torside crossing, a ten minute walk away.

 

[Eyersey468]

Are we including places that had the service withdrawn due to the shutdown and not had it reinstated yet?

 

[philthetube]

Has anyone got a timetable from the mid eighties, or earlier, and can give us a number of places served? It would be interesting to be able to compare it with current day.

 

[Ken H]

Has anyone got a timetable from the mid eighties, or earlier, and can give us a number of places served? It would be interesting to be able to compare it with current day.

I have a 96/97 winter National Express timetable. I will scan the index over the next couple of days and put it on here. The whole book will be scanned eventually but its 1 and a half inches thick! Then it will be on Timetable World.

 

[317 forever]

In 2008 I caught a National Express coach from York to Driffield via Fridaythorpe. I don't think any coaches go that way anymore.

 

[820KDV]

Back in 1990 National Express coaches carried an advert on the back saying "1500 places, 10,000 times a day". No doubt the numbers were rounded for the campaign, but I wonder what today's equivalent figures would be?

Not my photo, but an example from Flickr https://flic.kr/p/2ijUnxz

 

[weepingwillowb]

Is Whitehaven no longer served? I once caught a NX service from Stoke-on-Trent to Whitehaven, some time in the 1980s.

 

[SCH117X]

Harrogate appears to be no longer served and the national express jouney planner uses Transdev Harrogate services to and from Leeds, at times ridiculously choosing the 2 1/2 hour journey on the 7 indirect via Wetherby rather than the direct c.40-50 minute journey on the 36

 

[Deerfold]

Back in 1990 National Express coaches carried an advert on the back saying "1500 places, 10,000 times a day". No doubt the numbers were rounded for the campaign, but I wonder what today's equivalent figures would be?

Not my photo, but an example from Flickr https://flic.kr/p/2ijUnxz

In the mid-90s they were advertising 1200 places.

 

[busestrains]

The routes in Sussex and surrounding counties have been massively reduced in the past five or ten years.

All of the National Express services to these places have been withdrawn in the past five or ten years:

• Arundel
• Battle
• Bexhill
• Biddenden
• Bognor Regis
• Chichester
• Cranbrook
• Crowborough
• Eastbourne
• East Grinstead
• Falmer
• Forest Row
• Hailsham
• Hastings
• Hawkhurst
• Heathfield
• Hickstead
• Hindhead
• Liphook
• Liss
• Littlehampton
• Newhaven
• Nutley
• Peacehaven
• Petersfield
• Pevensey
• Polegate
• Rottingdean
• Saltdean
• Seaford
• St Leonards
• Tenterden
• Tonbridge
• Tunbridge Wells
• Uckfield
• Woking

Hickstead is probably the biggest reduction. All of the other places on my list only had a few services a day. Hickstead however had two coaches an hour in each direction all day long until the corona virus started. Now they have nothing. What is even more ridiculous is that the coaches still pass Hickstead but just no longer stop there. I suppose it is a tiny rural hamlet in the middle of nowhere but it was a useful place to use as a park and ride for residents of nearby Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath and the other Mid Sussex towns.

There are probably hundreds if not thousands of other places. National Express used to have a huge coach network. But especially in the last twenty years it has been gradually reduced more and more every year. I guess most people in the UK use the train so coaches just do not name enough money.