Wednesfield Garage

[Bob]

Did Arriva even bid for the tenders that Diamond have won? It seems like the perfect opportunity to close Wednesfield, many of the routes lost would be the ones that were awarded to Hill Top 5 years ago. Since then it has been apparant that Arriva have been losing interesting in the Centro area, with numerous withdrawals and fleet size shrinking.

Every commercial route they launched was an epic failure

[Kevin]

Couldnt they link it with the 9 somehow?

In fact wasnt there a Wolves to Bridgnorth via Pattingham a few years back?

At this point it looks like it'd make sense to merge the two

*tries to suppress hysterics*

Walsall to Tamworth...by Dart?

*fails to suppress hysterics*

Well if it's extended to Tamworth, then logic says it's becoming a part of the x65, and so likelihood of Mercs which I'm not gonna lie excites me somewhat

In fact. With the Walsall - Aldridge and Lichfield - Tamworth sections being half hourly, you never know they might just up it to half hourly for the entire length

[Solo1]

Would think it would run placing journeys run 3 from Tamworth  to litchfield to start service or the first 3 trips & last 3 trips to/from Tamworth

[Westy]

Are there normally major delays on any of those sections like there is when Cannock interwork the Cannock to Lichfield & Lichfield to Stafford?

[Pete50492]

Did Arriva even bid for the tenders that Diamond have won? It seems like the perfect opportunity to close Wednesfield, many of the routes lost would be the ones that were awarded to Hill Top 5 years ago. Since then it has been apparant that Arriva have been losing interesting in the Centro area, with numerous withdrawals and fleet size shrinking.

Which is the point I made on the April tenders thread....I find it more than a coincidence that Diamond announced their expansion at Tividale on more or less the same day that Arriva announced they were pulling out of Burton. It seems to me that perhaps following a review that led to Burton's sale they looked at getting out of Wednesfield then. Most interesting that Diamond bid in a block for the whole lot & that the belief is that Arriva didn't bother.

[MrB]

From what I know, they pulled all Hilltops route out to prop up wedensfield, the depot has made no money since the day it opened and has been losing money hand over fist. But thats the arriva way, close a small profitable depot to prop up a lose making one.

[winston]

From what I know, they pulled all Hilltops route out to prop up wedensfield, the depot has made no money since the day it opened and has been losing money hand over fist. But thats the arriva way, close a small profitable depot to prop up a lose making one.

Wednesfield not making is money since it opened is different to what Arriva staff have posted on here previously. Also, I was under the impression that the Centro contracts won for Hill Top of a 5 year contract where what was hurting Wednesfield in th latter years of the contract at leass?

[MrB]

Wednesfield not making is money since it opened is different to what Arriva staff have posted on here previously. Also, I was under the impression that the Centro contracts won for Hill Top of a 5 year contract where what was hurting Wednesfield in th latter years of the contract at leass?

Wednesfield didn't open until a year later, Hilltop was making money, Centro was unhappy with the amount of break downs and poor service Wednesfield was conducting, so the put Hilltops fleet and revenue into Wednesfield. Apparently Wednesfield were losing 80K a week. the contracts that they took over from midland were c**p any how. Wednesfield original had a PVR of 80.

[Solo1]

Why did arriva buy midland if the contracts were c**p & who ran the hill top services before arriva took them over

[Westy]

Why didn't they compete on some NX routes?

Diamond did. Examples, the Walsall to Bloxwich corridor, the 4, the 50, the 16 & they're still going.

Once they had familiarity in the area, then introduce some other routes.

Out of curiosity, how is Diamond doing with the 19 in Walsall since Arriva gave up recently?

Basically, it's going to be split NX & Diamond on the Black Country evening & Sunday tendered work in future, as I can't see anyone else having a crack at that work in future.

[Bob]

Wednesfield didn't open until a year later, Hilltop was making money, Centro was unhappy with the amount of break downs and poor service Wednesfield was conducting, so the put Hilltops fleet and revenue into Wednesfield. Apparently Wednesfield were losing 80K a week. the contracts that they took over from midland were c**p any how. Wednesfield original had a PVR of 80.

Fancy an Arriva garage suffering poor reliability and breakdowns 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Kevin]

Why didn't they compete on some NX routes?

Diamond did. Examples, the Walsall to Bloxwich corridor, the 4, the 50, the 16 & they're still going.

Once they had familiarity in the area, then introduce some other routes.

Out of curiosity, how is Diamond doing with the 19 in Walsall since Arriva gave up recently?

Basically, it's going to be split NX & Diamond on the Black Country evening & Sunday tendered work in future, as I can't see anyone else having a crack at that work in future.

After a fashion they did, their extension of the 19 from Bloxwich to Wolves against the NX 89, just never persevered with it.
Would mention the 10 to Perton but not entirely sure you can class that as their competiton, they just took on the old Midland route

[Walsall1955]

A study of Midland's accounts (Liyell Ltd) over a 15 year period shows:
As at 31 Dec 1999 net assets (= accumulated over the years profits) £ 299k
As at 31 Dec 2001 - net assets £371k
As at 31 Dec 2004 - net assets £354k
As a 31 August 2005 - net assets £254k
As at 31 August 2006  net assets £158k
As at 31 August 2007 - net liabilities now £148k infers serious losses incurred in year to 31 August 2007
As at 31 August 2008 - net liabilities now £695k - more serious losses inferred 2007/08
As at 31 August 2009 - the low point - net liabilities now £851k so more losses, 2008/09
As at 31 August 2010 - net liabilities now £818k - infers profits achieved 2008/09
As at 31 August 2011 - net liabilities now reduced to £460k, again infers (significant) profits 2010/11
As at 31 August 2012 - net liabilities now further reduced to £83k, so again looks like good profits 2011/12
Finally wound up in 2014 and £287k distributed to shareholders - inferring good profits from 31 Aug 2012 (last published accounts) to November 2014 winding up (MVL - all creditors paid off in full).

So, based on the above Liyell Ltd started going downhill around 2001-2004, with a low point in 2010 then started recovering each year from past losses.

"k" - £1,000 above so £851k = £ 851,000 net losses accumulated as at 31 Aug 2009 got turned around into net assets for shareholders of £ 287k, ie. £287,000 by November 2014... presumably about £1million of profit achieved over 2009-2014 period.

So, my conclusion is that a profitable entity was taken over by Arriva from Midland (Liyell Ltd), which I speculate was ruined by low-ball tender prices by Arriva in 2012 lumped into the former Liyell Ltd (Midland) operation.

[winston]

So, my conclusion is that a profitable entity was taken over by Arriva from Midland (Liyell Ltd), which I speculate was ruined by low-ball tender prices by Arriva in 2012 lumped into the former Liyell Ltd (Midland) operation.

That's how I understand things happened, Arriva submitted a package bid to gain the Black Country tenders to operate out of Hill Top depot on a 5 year basis as opposed to the usual 3 with nearly new E200's. Obviously even if there were profitable at the start, 5 years on based on a fixed price I'm they would costly Arriva money to keep operating.

[Daveheggerty]

Looks like it's finished. Union awaiting call from the scoucer Cheveroux regarding talks with diamond to offer drivers currently at wednesfield jobs with diamond. Rumours of 80% tender losses.  Staff at Wednesfield kept totally in the dark.