SPRINT and CROSS CITY - What service numbers could be used

[Owen]

Wow. I expected longbridge to castle vale,
And Bartley Green to chelmsley wood.
The others come as a bit of a surprise.

Will all these by 'tram articulated' vehicles?.. Or just Solihull to Walsall? And druids Heath - Bearwood...

[Steve3229vp]

This what I would do:

C53 West Brom-Chelmsley Wood replacing part of 74 and all of 97
74 Dudley to West Brom only.

C55 Bartley Green-Chelmsley replacing 23 and 95
C56 Quinton Road West-Chelmsley replacing 24 and 94

C63 Frankley-Castle Vale replacing 61 or 63 and 67

C64 Longbridge-Hamstead replacing 16 and 45/47

[Owen]

I don't think they'll start in double digit numbers, when (C)1-10 haven't been used yet.

I think they'll come up with a strategy to make the routes 'sound familiar' like 51 and X2 would be C2

[Owen]

Are these sprint services likely to takeover the actual services and alltogether ? 

Meaning the X2, 67, 74, 87, 97 exc.. be terminated as a 'regular' route and wholly dependent on sprint? 

[EK40]

Are these sprint services likely to takeover the actual services and alltogether ?

Meaning the X2, 67, 74, 87, 97 exc.. be terminated as a 'regular' route and wholly dependent on sprint?

Makes sense to do that tbf although i can see the 74 being curtailed between dudley and WB seeing how sprint only goes west brom

[Owen]

Makes sense to do that tbf although i can see the 74 being curtailed between dudley and WB seeing how sprint only goes west brom

While I appreciate that,
It just doesn't make sense with the tram going to West Brom literally just of the soho rd. it's surprising.

I'm sure the trams were meant to go up bordsley Green rd... to Cwood, NEC, Solihull.
~ Connecting wolves to Solihull. So sprint along this route would be temporary?

[winston]

Are these sprint services likely to takeover the actual services and alltogether ?

Meaning the X2, 67, 74, 87, 97 exc.. be terminated as a 'regular' route and wholly dependent on sprint?

If you read the articles posted, there is no mention of Sprint & articulated vehicles whatsoever, they're just new 'cross-city bus routes' with various bus priorities / improvements.

[Stu]

All that has been announced today is what many people already know about.

This has all been in the planning for some time.

As Winston has already pointed out, these are cross-city services, not Sprint.

[MasterPlan]

I'm sure I've asked this before but are these cross City routes definitely replacing some regular routes or running alongside them?

I'd have thought the latter really with the regular service maybe dropping slightly in frequency. 

[Owen]

Well the tram is meant to go via the 97 route some time in the future. So what's the point making the 97 and 74 cross city when a tram is destined to take there place?

I thought they were sprint but I'm mistaken. I'm still wondering wether the whole of these service are going to be cross city. you know, with some journeys been terminated in city.

I suppose we'll be seeing the 6970  - 7505 e400mmcs rebranded or de-branded completely.

I take it by the time these changes happen the 97 brands would have either been withdrawn or just removed branding

[2206]

I'm sure I've asked this before but are these cross City routes definitely replacing some regular routes or running alongside them?

I'd have thought the latter really with the regular service maybe dropping slightly in frequency.

Bartley Green/Quinton to Chelmsley is the 94/95 and 23/24 merged. Could see it just replacing them.

It could probably be up to a couple of years before some of these are introduced I would guess. Which won't be until bus lanes, amendments to junctions/bus stops etc have been introduced. By which time the tridents on the 97 will probably have been withdrawn.

[Owen]

Bartley Green/Quinton to Chelmsley is the 94/95 and 23/24 merged. Could see it just replacing them.

It could probably be up to a couple of years before some of these are introduced I would guess. Which won't be until bus lanes, amendments to junctions/bus stops etc have been introduced. By which time the tridents on the 97 will probably have been withdrawn.

I was thinking that. Any speculation yet in what might merge with the Suttons or Hagley road lines? 

[Mike K]

I was thinking that. Any speculation yet in what might merge with the Suttons or Hagley road lines?

The initial plans are shown in the map on Stu's website here:

https://wmbu.org.uk/2023/02/first-cross-city-bus-routes-edge-closer-to-reality-but-are-they-really-needed/

Hagley Road isn't down as one of the cross-city routes on that map.

[Tony]

I was thinking that. Any speculation yet in what might merge with the Suttons or Hagley road lines?

Nothing. The money is for the routes listed.

[Owen]

Nothing. The money is for the routes listed.

Just a question, as if these were to become bountiful in the midlands in the next few years. I've made an appropriate thread for it now if people are interested.