Sprint

[danny]

What will be intresting to see is how sprint is marketed... so will buses be in dedicated livery separating them from platinum/standard NXWM buses... if it is decided in the future too use articulated buses, simular to a scheme in Belfast (the name escapes me) would NXWM be expected to buy them or would the ever photogenic Mayor Street be putting some towards it. Thanks in advance for your answers/insight. 

[2206]

What will be intresting to see is how sprint is marketed... so will buses be in dedicated livery separating them from platinum/standard NXWM buses... if it is decided in the future too use articulated buses, simular to a scheme in Belfast (the name escapes me) would NXWM be expected to buy them or would the ever photogenic Mayor Street be putting some towards it. Thanks in advance for your answers/insight.

The Hydrogen buses at least are in grey platinum livery.

[BBS]

The Hydrogen buses at least are in grey platinum livery.

I swear 2206 and a few e200s are now in a grey livery too

[Tony]

I swear 2206 and a few e200s are now in a grey livery too

You certainly haven't seen 2206 in grey. It is currently in BC having floor repairs before going back to Walsall for the seats to be refitted, and as yet there's no more E200s than 871

[Stu]

What will be intresting to see is how sprint is marketed... so will buses be in dedicated livery separating them from platinum/standard NXWM buses... if it is decided in the future too use articulated buses, simular to a scheme in Belfast (the name escapes me) would NXWM be expected to buy them or would the ever photogenic Mayor Street be putting some towards it. Thanks in advance for your answers/insight.

For the interim, until the dedicated articulated vehicles arrive, it has always been stated that the Sprint service would be operated with regular double-decks, including the hydrogen vehicles bought by Birmingham City Council currently based at Walsall.

I wouldn't expect any of these to receive any special branding.

The original documents I remember reading stated that WMCA/TfWM would be purchasing the articulated vehicles, and then an operator would be contracted to run the service. That then changed at some point, to an expectation that the successful bidding operator would be providing the vehicles. Oh, and they had to be 'zero-emission' vehicles. That pretty much ruled out any other operator from winning the contract.

[Stu]

OK, so I took an opportunity today to travel by bus along parts of this new Sprint route to see how things have progressed.

After getting the 11A from Billesley up to Swan Island, I boarded an X1 bound for Birmingham.

Traffic along Coventry Road and Small Heath Highway is running much more smoothly now all the cones have been removed.

To be honest, I think the bus lanes on SHH should have been put in years ago. I still remember when I lived in South Yardley, how often it was sometimes quicker to get the 60, due to the traffic congestion that the X1 and X2 would get stuck in towards Poets Corner.

Got stuck in heavy congestion through Digbeth, that was the slowest part of the journey.

On arriving in the city centre, I then got on an X51 bound for Cannock, though I only intended on travelling as far as Scott Arms.

I have travelled in the past on the X51 prior to all these roadworks and demolition of the Perry Barr flyover, and distinctly recall the journey from city centre to Scott Arms taking less than 20 minutes. (Did it in 15 minutes the once!)

Perry Barr is still a mess, though the roadworks aren't yet complete. (Lanes closed off through the underpass so workers could paint some new murals for the Games!)

The only sign of any actual bus priority measures I saw on my journey that I was impressed with, was my return journey to Swan Island on the X1. I don't know if it was just coincidence, but the bus was able to glide along the new bus lane, and through the Heybarnes Circus island, without stopping, due to timing of traffic light sequences.

One other observation I made is that X1/X2 drivers seemed unsure about using the new stops at Poets Corner, also the onboard next stop announcements need updating to add these in. (May I suggest "Poets Corner, for Small Heath station"?)

[Tony]

OK, so I took an opportunity today to travel by bus along parts of this new Sprint route to see how things have progressed.

After getting the 11A from Billesley up to Swan Island, I boarded an X1 bound for Birmingham.

Traffic along Coventry Road and Small Heath Highway is running much more smoothly now all the cones have been removed.

To be honest, I think the bus lanes on SHH should have been put in years ago. I still remember when I lived in South Yardley, how often it was sometimes quicker to get the 60, due to the traffic congestion that the X1 and X2 would get stuck in towards Poets Corner.

Got stuck in heavy congestion through Digbeth, that was the slowest part of the journey.

On arriving in the city centre, I then got on an X51 bound for Cannock, though I only intended on travelling as far as Scott Arms.

I have travelled in the past on the X51 prior to all these roadworks and demolition of the Perry Barr flyover, and distinctly recall the journey from city centre to Scott Arms taking less than 20 minutes. (Did it in 15 minutes the once!)

Perry Barr is still a mess, though the roadworks aren't yet complete. (Lanes closed off through the underpass so workers could paint some new murals for the Games!)

The only sign of any actual bus priority measures I saw on my journey that I was impressed with, was my return journey to Swan Island on the X1. I don't know if it was just coincidence, but the bus was able to glide along the new bus lane, and through the Heybarnes Circus island, without stopping, due to timing of traffic light sequences.

One other observation I made is that X1/X2 drivers seemed unsure about using the new stops at Poets Corner, also the onboard next stop announcements need updating to add these in. (May I suggest "Poets Corner, for Small Heath station"?)

The inbound bus lanes from Walsall to Birmingham are excellent, I have been bringing the hydrogens into the city in the morning peak the last two weeks and have overtaken several hundred cars, and completed the journey in as little as 25 minutes and that is before Perry Barr is finished which will take another few minutes out.

[cardew]

According to the published WMCA meeting agenda, the Walsall-Solihull cross city service will now not start until early 2023.

They say  this is to allow the most disruptive works on Digbeth/Deritend to be completed first

[2206]

There are still several standard stops on the Lode Lane and Hobs Moat Road on the A45 corridor. As well as several sprint stops.
Are the standard stops staying or are they going to be replaced at some point.
On the Hobs Moat Road there is one new sprint stop at Castle Lane out of Solihull, 2 at Solihull Ice Rink. The others older stops.

At the Swan Island the 2 old stops are both still there as well. 1 used by the 58/S16 and the old Coventry Road stop is still used by the 877 once a day.

[cardew]

If true, that's a major supplier of BRT artics (e.g. Belfast Glider) leaving the market. Sprint procurement implications?

https://www.sustainable-bus.com/news/van-hool-stop-production-buses/

[Steve3229vp]

If true, that's a major supplier of BRT artics (e.g. Belfast Glider) leaving the market. Sprint procurement implications?

https://www.sustainable-bus.com/news/van-hool-stop-production-buses/

Great, we'll have double deckers instead !
Artics will be unpopular with passengers.