End of the X50 bus

[Guest]

Today was the last day of the X50 bus between Keswick and Penrith(http://www.stagecoachbus.com/northwest/s...o_727.html). Keswick - Penrith is now served only by the hourly X4 / X5 bus service.

The connections at Penrith Rail Station to/from the south are now generally very poor (though to and from the north they are quite good) :

Buses from Keswick arrive at Penrith station at xx50. Day time southbound train departures from Penrith are 9:44; 11:24; 11:44; 12:31; 12:44; 14:29; 14:43; 16:27; 16:37; 17:39; 18:21 - a minimum wait of 31 minutes, often 54 minutes.

Buses for Keswick leave Penrith station at xx:30. Day time train arrivals from the south are at 9:27; 9:50; 10:18; 11:46; 12:37; 13:18; 13:45; 15:18; 15:44; 16:36; 17:18; 17:46; 18:38. This gives a few short connections, but most are lengthy, the average being 33 minutes.

This is despite the government's stated policy of encouraging rural public transport and improving interchange between various modes. From DFT website: "the Government has also stated its desire to see
good quality public transport, responsive to people's real needs; flexible, well marketed, well integrated, stable and reliable".

It is disappointing that the service has ended as soon as the rural bus challenge grant finished. One of the criteria for the rural bus challenge was that the application should show how the service would continue after the grant period. Another criteria was that the service should be promoted / publicised. For several months now the nationalrail.co.uk train planner and services such as virginstrains.co.uk have not given times for connecting buses to Keswick - until the autumn they did. (Bus challenge criteria: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/df...23546.hcsp)

Cumbria County Council boast in the new X4/X5 timetable of the improvements they have made to Penrith station - but these amount to resurfacing and errecting a small bus shelter, which will not be adequate for the lengthy waits users now face. They also heightened the kurb so disabled passengers could use the low floor X50 buses - but the X4 and X5 are operated by coaches, with 3 steps and no provision for wheelchairs.

I can accept that the bus service was not financially sustainable, but more effort should be made to ensure the service connects with trains, and is accesible. And why make the improvements to the station when there was no funding to continue the service?

I know a lot of people who read this will be car drivers - but the better the bus service, the fewer other cars there will be clogging up the road to Keswick.

But not all is bad - the Honister Rambler bus service restarts for the summer in the morning!

[Guest]

very interesting...

[Guest]

good, very good!
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