Service 20 alteration

[Justin Tyme]

Warwickshire County Council have posted details of the April 2023 Stagecoach changes on its website: -

     https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/4050/stagecoach-warwickshire-timetable-changes-april-2023

Most of it is a copy of a recent Stagecoach Midlands' news item, but it also mentions that "National Express Coventry have now agreed to extend their 20 service to serve Bedworth and George Eliot Hospital from Saturday 15th April."

I look forward to seeing what this actually means.  Will at least some journeys on 20 currently terminating at Bedworth (Wootton St) be extended over the current Stagecoach 55 route to George Eliot Hospital (and perhaps Nuneaton), or will the existing Nuneaton journeys be rerouted via the hospital instead of Hill Top?

[Coventrybususer95]

Warwickshire County Council have posted details of the April 2023 Stagecoach changes on its website: -

    https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/4050/stagecoach-warwickshire-timetable-changes-april-2023

Most of it is a copy of a recent Stagecoach Midlands' news item, but it also mentions that "National Express Coventry have now agreed to extend their 20 service to serve Bedworth and George Eliot Hospital from Saturday 15th April."

I look forward to seeing what this actually means.  Will at least some journeys on 20 currently terminating at Bedworth (Wootton St) be extended over the current Stagecoach 55 route to George Eliot Hospital (and perhaps Nuneaton), or will the existing Nuneaton journeys be rerouted via the hospital instead of Hill Top?

Wonder if its a replacement for the 55 that stagecoach are withdrawning


National Express Coventry have now agreed to extend their 20 service to serve Bedworth and George Eliot Hospital from Saturday 15th April. (Link will be updated when the revised timetable is published).

Has GEH ever had double deckers go on site

[Rachvince53]

Wonder if its a replacement for the 55 that stagecoach are withdrawning


National Express Coventry have now agreed to extend their 20 service to serve Bedworth and George Eliot Hospital from Saturday 15th April. (Link will be updated when the revised timetable is published).

Possibly as the direct link from Coventry to George Eliot will be lost otherwise.

[Justin Tyme]

No doubt it is a replacement for Stagecoach 55, and I imagine Warwickshire County Council would be anxious to maintain a Furnace Road and Marston Lane (Bedworth) to GEH and Nuneaton link above all.  Retaining a Coventry GEH link may well be a bonus.

Yes, the occasional double decker has served George Eliot Hospital in the past - when Stagecoach Nuneaton depot had a small double deck allocation (going back over 15 years now).

[gc802002]

Now Registered :

• PD0001111/843 Registered (Short notice)
  WEST MIDLANDS TRAVEL LIMITED
  Route: Nuneaton to Coventry via Foleshill Road
  Service number: 20 (20A, 20B)
  Service type: Normal Stopping
  Effective date: 15 Apr 2023

Note supplied is: "Amended route between Bedworth and Coventry to service Furnace Road and George Eliot Hospital, replacing withdrawn Stagecoach service 55"

Would it not be between Nuneaton and Bedworth to serve the Hospital?

[Rachvince53]

Now Registered :

• PD0001111/843 Registered (Short notice)
  WEST MIDLANDS TRAVEL LIMITED
  Route: Nuneaton to Coventry via Foleshill Road
  Service number: 20 (20A, 20B)
  Service type: Normal Stopping
  Effective date: 15 Apr 2023

Note supplied is: "Amended route between Bedworth and Coventry to service Furnace Road and George Eliot Hospital, replacing withdrawn Stagecoach service 55"

Would it not be between Nuneaton and Bedworth to serve the Hospital?

It's the just the legal way the variation is worded, it doesn't always reflect what's actually happening in practice.

[ellspurs]

Are they going to try and squeeze the buses up College Street to get to the hospital from Hill Top? Or just loop it from the Coton Arches up to the hospital and back?

[JPC]

The wording might suggest and I would hope it is the current Coventry to Bedworth trips which are amended, i.e extended, along Furnace Rd, Marston Lane, Coventry Road and A444 to GEH, this extension would take approx. 10 minutes each way. Assuming these journeys do not go all the way to Nuneaton if passenger wants to travel from the Furnace Rd area to Nuneaton they can change bus on the Coventry Rd to the Nuneaton 20 which will likely be scheduled just a few minutes behind at this point. 'Merging' routes can sometimes reap certain benefits such as a generous 20 minute frequency here (potentially). Surely this GEH route will need to have a suffix such as '20H'?
NXC will unlikely want to tinker with the route of the current Nuneaton trips for now.

[JPC]

UPDATE Timetable is now on bustimes clarifying that it will be in fact the Nuneaton journeys which will change to operate via Johnson Road, Furnace Rd and Marston Lane. then closer to Nuneaton it will take the A444 and call to GEH, no longer serving the six bus stops along Coventry Rd, Hilltop between Griff and Coton Arches. 

[Justin Tyme]

UPDATE Timetable is now on bustimes clarifying that it will be in fact the Nuneaton journeys which will change to operate via Johnson Road, Furnace Rd and Marston Lane. then closer to Nuneaton it will take the A444 and call to GEH, no longer serving the six bus stops along Coventry Rd, Hilltop between Griff and Coton Arches. 

This is the current Stagecoach 55 route between Bedworth town centre and Nuneaton, except that some 55 journeys also serve Bermuda Park - looks like this will be left to Arriva 78/79.

The next thing is the Coventry - Bedworth journeys on the 20.  These currently do a loop in Bedworth along Marston Lane, Furnace Road and Johnson Road.  But looking the new timetables on bustimes I wonder if they will continue to do that or just use Johnson Road both ways to the Wootton Street island.

[JPC]

This is the current Stagecoach 55 route between Bedworth town centre and Nuneaton, except that some 55 journeys also serve Bermuda Park - looks like this will be left to Arriva 78/79.

The next thing is the Coventry - Bedworth journeys on the 20.  These currently do a loop in Bedworth along Marston Lane, Furnace Road and Johnson Road.  But looking the new timetables on bustimes I wonder if they will continue to do that or just use Johnson Road both ways to the Wootton Street island.

The Bedworth journeys currently use and will still use Johnson Rd both ways and turnaround Wootton St island.
That loop around Marston Lane was removed a number of years ago, possibly in the 2012 review.
With the Nuneaton journeys now going this way there is no longer a deviation in the 20 route and Johnson Road gets an improved frequency to/from Coventry, albeit a strange place (or effort) for buses to terminate/turnaround just one stop from the town centre.

[Justin Tyme]

The Bedworth journeys currently use and will still use Johnson Rd both ways and turnaround Wootton St island.
That loop around Marston Lane was removed a number of years ago, possibly in the 2012 review.
With the Nuneaton journeys now going this way there is no longer a deviation in the 20 route and Johnson Road gets an improved frequency to/from Coventry, albeit a strange place (or effort) for buses to terminate/turnaround just one stop from the town centre.

Thanks.  I have double checked and the loop around Marston Lane etc ended back in 2009.

[Justin Tyme]

The change is now on the National Express Coventry website.

  https://nxbus.co.uk/coventry/service-updates/route-changes-from-15th-april

[ellspurs]

If, as part of the bridge works, they were to open up Barling Way and make it a bus gate, then the buses could run via St. Georges Way (past Bermuda Park train station) and then up Barling Way to the hospital. I know it probably won't happen but the idea is there.

[paulb1973]

Looking at the NXC website and Google Maps/Street view etc - the Nuneaton journeys are now essentially just an extension of the Bedworth ones.

The outbound 20 route being as this? (buses heading back to Coventry traverse Newtown Road, Bond Street, Leicester Road, Vicarage Street, Church Street, back to Coton Road in Nuneaton itself - and make their way towards George Eliot Hospital inbound as well?)...

Trinity Street, Ironmonger Row, Cross Cheaping, The Burges, Bishop Street, Tower Street, Foleshill Road, Longford Road, Bedworth Road, Longford Road – Exhall, Coventry Road - Exhall, Black Bank, Coventry Road, Park Road, Mill Street, Leicester Street, Rye Piece Ringway, Johnson Road to junction with Wootton Street. Nuneaton journeys traverse; Johnson Road, Furnace Road, Marston Lane, B4113 Nuneaton Road, B4113 Coventry Road, Griff roundabout, Griff Way, Eliot Way (George Eliot Hospital), A444 Chilvers Rise, A444 Coton Road, Vicarage Street, Church Street, Justice Walk, Wheat Street, Bond Gate, Bond Street, Newtown Road, Nuneaton Bus Station.