Route News 2014

Changes to bus services in and around Peterborough in 2014 (latest items first). For older news see the Archive page.

National Express changes

bullet I've just caught up with some recent changes (possibly from October 6th) to National Express schedules affecting Peterborough:

bullet Service 447 to Lincoln has been extended to Hull, arriving at 2230 (2215 at weekends), leaving there southbound at 0600. This gives a faster journey to Hull than service 448 via Grimsby. The extension makes sense given that these services have been operated for a while now by East Yorkshire Motor Services based in Hull (the subject of a recent TV documentary series).

bullet Mablethorpe service 449 now makes an additional stop at Market Deeping in both directions. Northbound this adds 5 minutes to journey times as far as Skegness. Southbound, however, the service has been retimed to leave Mablethorpe 20 minutes later at 0820; from Skegness it leaves 10 minutes later than before but the arrival time into Peterborough is maintained at 1125, despite the additional stop at Market Deeping.

08/12/14

Christmas and New Year Alterations

bullet Wednesday December 24 - Stagecoach, First Excel, Centrebus and Judds will run a normal Monday to Friday service with early finish (see below for last buses). Delaine will run a SATURDAY service with early finish (see below for last buses).

bullet Thursday December 25 - NO SERVICE.

bullet Friday December 26 - NO SERVICE. National Express will run four journeys to and from London.

bullet Saturday December 27 - normal Saturday service except that Judds 701 will NOT be operating at all today.

bullet Sunday December 28 - normal Sunday service.

bullet Monday December 29 - Stagecoach, Delaine and Centrebus will run a SATURDAY service. First Excel X1 and Judds have a normal Monday to Friday service.

bullet Tuesday December 30 - Stagecoach, Delaine and Centrebus will run a SATURDAY service. First Excel X1 and Judds have a normal Monday to Friday service.

bullet Wednesday December 31 - Stagecoach, Delaine and Centrebus will run a SATURDAY service with an early finish (see below for last buses). First Excel and Judds have a normal Monday to Friday service with early finish (see below for last buses).

bullet Thursday January 1 - NO SERVICE. National Express will run one journey to London at 1250, returning at 1630.

bullet Friday January 2 - Stagecoach will run a SATURDAY service. Delaine, First Excel, Centrebus and Judds will run a normal Friday service.

bullet Saturday January 3 - Normal service resumes.

04/12/14

Early finish on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

bullet Stagecoach last journeys:
citi 1 Orton - 1939 Orton to City Centre, 2015 City Centre to Orton.
citi 1 Werrington - 1935 Werrington to City Centre, 2012 City Centre to Werrington, 2035 Werrington to Millfield.
citi 2 Paston - 1941 Paston to City Centre, 2030 City Centre to Paston.
citi 2 Hospital - 2007 City Centre to City Hospital, 2040 City Hospital to City Centre.
citi 3 Park Farm -1945 City Centre to Park Farm , 1957 Park Farm to City Centre.
citi 4 Parnwell - 2007 City Centre to Parnwell, 2023 Parnwell to City Centre.
citi 5 Dogsthorpe - 1954 Dogsthorpe to City Centre, 2041 City Centre to Dogsthorpe.
citi 5 Yaxley - 1934 Yaxley to City Centre, 2015 City Centre to Yaxley.
citi 5 Welland - 1928 Welland to City Centre, 2011 City Centre to Welland.
citi 5 Cardea - 1945 City Centre to Cardea, 2018 Cardea to City Centre.
citi 6 Hampton - 1945 City Centre to Hampton, 2020 Hampton to City Centre.
route X4 - 1925 and 2032 Peterborough to Northampton will terminate at Kettering.
route B - 1820, 1920 and 2020 Peterborough to Cambridge will terminate at Huntingdon.

bullet Delaine last journeys:
route 101/102 - 1630 Bourne to Peterborough; 1700, 1715, 1730 Peterborough to Bourne.
route 201 - 1600 Stamford to Peterborough, 1715 Peterborough to Stamford.

bullet First Excel last journeys:
X1 to Peterborough - 1900 Kings Lynn to Peterborough.
X1 from Peterborough - 1715 from Peterborough will terminate at Swaffham; 1750, 1820, 1850 will terminate at Kings Lynn as normal; 1920 and 2020 will also terminate at Kings Lynn; 2140 and 2330 from Peterborough will not operate.

bullet Centrebus last journey:
route 9 - 1740 Peterborough to Melton Mowbray as normal.

bullet Judd's last journeys:
route 701 - Whittlesey to Peterborough 1545, Peterborough - Whittlesey 1600 and 1630.

04/12/14

Centrebus AMVC school service 71

bullet From November 10th Centrebus school service 71 will have a revised afternoon timetable, leaving Arthur Mellows Village College 10 minutes later at 1515. In addition the journey time of the afternoon journey will be extended.

04/11/14

Stagecoach changes from November 2nd

bullet From Sunday November 2nd Cardea will gain an evening and Sunday service on Stagecoach Citi 5. At the same time, routes 20, 21, 22, 36 and 37 will have revised timetables, and Ashton will no longer be served. There will also be minor retimings to routes 23 and 24 and a school journey on Citi 1. Further details are below:

bullet Citi 1: the school journey from Corfe Avenue to Queensgate is retimed from 1525 to 1515.

bullet Citi 5: Cardea gains an hourly evening and Sunday service, with the added result that Fletton High Street will benefit from a bus every 30 minutes at these times (previously hourly). On Mondays to Fridays there will be earlier journeys from Cardea to Queensgate at 0650 and 0710. Note that timings to Yaxley, Welland and Dogsthorpe are not affected.

bullet Route 20: Departures from Queensgate on this route to Stanground (North Street and Oakdale Avenue), continuing to Hampton and Orton Northgate, will be four minutes later at 0849, 1149 and 1449.

bullet Route 21: this route (to Fengate, Showcase Cinema and Sainsbury's, with a couple of journeys continuing to Keys Park) will be slightly retimed with all journeys from 1030 onwards running 5 minutes later.

bullet Route 22: Timings on this route to Newborough, Peakirk and Maxey are slightly adjusted, with all journeys from Queensgate running 5 minutes later. Ashton will no longer be served, so all journeys will terminate at Maxey.

bullet Routes 23/24: On Mondays to Fridays the 0800 Queensgate to Lynch Wood (route 24) will be retimed to 0755, whilst the 0820 (route 23) will run 5 minutes later.

bullet Route 36: This route to Eye and Thorney will have a revised timetable, with extra running time to improve reliability. Departure times from Queensgate are broadly the same as now until mid-afternoon, but timings towards Peterborough will change completely.

bullet Route 37: This route (to Eye, Crowland and Spalding) also has a revised timetable with extra running time. Departures from Queensgate are similar to now until mid-afternoon, but departures from Spalding will mostly be at 10 minutes past the hour (until 1510, then 1615, 1945). Note that the last journey from Spalding to Peterborough on Mondays to Saturdays will be 30 minutes later than before at 1945. The Sunday service has also been retimed.

bullet Links to the revised pdf timetables are on the ROUTES page and the destination pages have also been updated, with, in some cases, separate versions valid from November 2nd.

16/10/14 revised 21/10/14

New rail operator replaces FCC

bullet Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is the new operator of the local electric trains between Peterborough and London from Sunday 14 September, taking over from First Capital Connect due to FCC's franchise period coming to an end. GTR will operate under the names Thameslink and (in our area) Great Northern, whilst the new web address is www.thameslinkrailway.com. Govia is a partnership between the Go-Ahead Group and Keolis.

16/09/14

Service B now serving Huntingdon railway station

bullet From September 1st Busway service B has been rerouted in Huntingdon to serve the railway station on its way from Peterborough to Huntingdon bus station, and similarly Peterborough bound buses call at the railway station 4 minutes after leaving Huntingdon bus station.

03/09/14

Service 24 schoolday change

bullet From Monday September 1st the 1524 journey from Lynch Wood on route 24 will leave at 1510. This journey runs only on schooldays, calling at Nene Park Academy where it will leave at 1520, 10 minutes earlier than before the school holidays.

29/08/14

First Excel X1 changes from July 27th

bullet From July 27th service X1 will have a new timetable, with major changes to the evening service. The 1820 from Peterborough (1805 Sundays) will now run only to Kings Lynn, and the last departures from Peterborough will now be at 2140 and 2330 instead of 2115 and 2315 (on Sundays last departures are retimed to 2120 and 2320). There are corresponding evening changes on journeys towards Peterborough, as well as minor timing alterations during the daytime. For further information see the relevent pages listed under Country destinations, which have all been updated with the new timings.

bullet Due to long-term roadworks on the Norwich to Great Yarmouth road, journeys beyond Norwich will now require a change of bus at Norwich bus station to improve reliabilty. The Norwich - Great Yarmouth - Lowestoft section will continue to be numbered X1 but will run separately. The roadworks are expected to last until late 2015.

bullet Further information from the X1 timetable leaflet: "The X1 will no longer serve Toftwood, and instead will operate via Scarning (Chestnut Road and Scarning Church) and Wendling (Station Road). Owing to customer feedback we have added new stops at Cromwell Road Tesco in Wisbech and Bawburgh Road in Easton, as well as Tesco in Castleacre Road, Swaffham. The stop at Newmarket Road/Eaton Road in Norwich is changed to Newmarket Road/Lime Tree Road as this is nearer to schools and colleges. Between Norwich and Lowestoft, the X1 will now operate every 20 minutes (previously 15 minutes between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, and every 30 minutes between Norwich and Lowestoft) and will serve ALL stops between Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Lowestoft, using Southtown Road between Gorleston and Great Yarmouth on all journeys. The X1 will still operate on the A47 between Norwich, Acle and Great Yarmouth, but drivers will be able to use alternative routes in the Norwich area to avoid congestion when unexpected heavy traffic is causing delays."

bullet Regarding tickets, including a noteable fare reduction: "Passengers will still be able to buy tickets between any two points along the route, even if they have to change buses. Also from 27 July the existing £14 Adult/ £9.50 Young Person Eastern Counties Network Day ticket will be reduced to only £10 for Adults and £7 for Young People. This fare reduction will cover any longer return journeys taken on the X1 service (single fares continue to be available). For any passengers travelling together as a group on the X1, the NEW High-5 day ticket is available costing only £15. This ticket offers unlimited travel on the First Bus 'Eastern Counties' Network for up to 5 passengers (a maximum of 2 to be Adults).

09/07/14

Peterborough Bus Rally

bullet Free Vintage Bus Services will operate to the Peterborough Bus Rally on Sunday 6th July at Sacrewell Farm. For those arriving by car there will be a £5 parking charge (refundable against admission to Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre).

03/07/14

Summer weekend Skegness service

bullet Stagecoach is once again running the popular service X12 to Skegness this summer, on Saturdays and Sundays from July 26th to August 24th, also on Bank Holiday Monday August 25th. Departure from Peterborough (Bay 20) is at 0945, arriving Boston at 1105 and Skegness at 1140. The bus will also pick up at Market Deeping Market Place (1005) and Spalding Bus Station (1035). The return journey will leave Skegness at 1730 and Boston at 1800, arriving back in Peterborough at 1910.

bullet Adult fare is £11.50 return, children (aged 5-15) and OAP passholders £7.50 return, family fare (up to 4 people, no more than 2 adults) £25. Pay the driver on the bus.

02/07/14 updated 14/07/14

2nd Fenland Vintage Vehicle Gathering

bullet Just a reminder that this event will be taking place on Saturday 17th May, based at Whittlesey Market Place between 10.00 hrs and 17.00 hrs. Free vintage bus services will be operating between Whittlesey and Thorney Abbey where there will be a display of heritage cars and lorries. Events planned include a mystery tour to a local village and several other free services to Turves. At the end of the day there will be a cavalcade of buses from Whittlesey to Peterborough. Further details are on the Eastern Bus Enthusiast Group website.

11/05/14

Stagecoach Fares from March 30th

bullet I'm back from two weeks away to find that Stagecoach has increased its fares from March 30th. The Dayrider has gone up 10p to £4.00, whilst the Dayrider Plus (covering Peterborough plus Cambridgeshire) has increased 20p to £6.20. Weekly tickets are now available as Smartcards online, remaining at the old price, but paper tickets from the driver are now £13.50 for Megarider and £24.00 for Megarider Plus, an increase of 50p in both cases.

For other tickets, including the best value monthly Xtra versions payable online by recurring direct debit, please see the Fares page.

03/04/14

New X4 timetable from March 2nd

bullet The current temporary X4 timetable which has been in force since December is because of diversions due to work on the Pytchley Road bridge over the railway in Kettering. Work is due to be completed this week and the road will reopen on Friday February 28th. With the opening of the new bus station in Northampton two days later on Sunday March 2nd (see below), Stagecoach has issued a new X4 timetable from March 2nd. It is not entirely clear what timings will apply on Friday 28th February and Saturday March 1st but it is safest to assume that the temporary (earlier) timings will remain in force for these two days.

bullet In the new timetable Monday to Saturday timings from Peterborough revert to those in force before the diversion, but timings towards Peterborough vary in some respects. An innovation is that Sunday journeys will now serve Stoke Bruerne (between Northampton and Milton Keynes) enabling a visit to the Canal Museum there. As a result Stoke Bruerne has been added as a destination on this website.

bullet Stagecoach has issued a new timetable for routes 23 and 24 dated February 28th, but the only changes are to the X4 journeys shown (the ones via Lynch Wood and Elton Black Horse). This of course begs the question whether the X4 timings actually change on Friday rather than Sunday, as commented on above.

25/02/14

New Bus Station in Northampton

bullet Greyfriars bus station in Northampton will close on March 1st and will be replaced from Sunday March 2nd by the new North Gate bus station, with entrances from Greyfriars and Sheep Street just west of the old bus station. Stagecoach service X4 for Peterborough will leave from Bay 12.

20/02/14

Rail Fares to London

bullet The spreadsheet of rail fares from Peterborough to London has been updated for 2014 following the average 2.8% increase in fares from January 2nd. You can find the pdf file on the menu on the left (last year's is now available on the Archive page). First Capital Connect's special weekend fares have once again remained at the same price: £18 return to Kings Cross (or £24 including tubes and buses for the whole of London) - with a Railcard that's only £11.90 (£15.85 with tube etc), and since I now have my Senior Railcard I certainly intend to take advantage of it!

bullet Restrictions remain similar to before, except that the FCC off-peak period return (valid one month) is not available before the 0946, and the evening restriction is reduced to 1730-1830 (previously 1700-1830 I think). FCC off-peak day returns (and Travelcards) remain valid on the 1640 from Kings Cross - this is a special dispensation for Peterborough passengers only, as normally the restriction applies from 1630.

bullet First class fares are largely unchanged, apart from a small increase to One Day Travelcard tickets. However, the highest fare of all, the First Class Anytime Day Travelcard, has actually reduced by £1.00 to £145.50.

11/01/14

Minor changes to Delaine 201

bullet Delaine 201 Stamford - Peterborough has a reissued timetable from January 6th, but the only change of note is that the first journey towards Peterborough now leaves Arran Road at 0724 and runs 3 minutes earlier to Stamford Bus Station, where it leaves for Peterborough at the normal time of 0740.

11/01/14

New timetables for routes 36, 37 and 46

bullet From January 5th 2014 there are changes to routes 36 to Thorney, 37 to Spalding, and 46 to Stilton. In each case, buses will run 10 minutes earlier for much of the day (not sure why). In the case of routes 36/37 this affects departures from Peterborough between 0835 and 1505. In the other direction buses leaving Thorney between 1002 and 1502, and departures from Eye between 0945 and 1545 will also run 10 minutes earlier, as will buses from Spalding between 0905 and 1505. On route 46 all deparures up to and including the 1440 from Peterborough and the 1408 from Stilton to Peterborough will also run 10 minutes earlier throughout. Sunday services are unaffected.

bullet From the same date there will be minor changes to the citi 1 timetable, with an extra journey on schooldays between Walton and Queensgate at 1525, and on Mondays to Fridays the 1541 Queensgate to Orton Wistow will start from Queensgate, being duplicated by the bus from Werrington also due from Queensgate at 1541, which will run as far as Orton Centre. These changes will not affect destination pages on this site. EDIT: these are not changes, but were not previously shown in the printed timetable.

bullet A further change is that citi 4 towards the City Hospital will now depart from Queensgate Bay 1A instead of the adjacent Bay 1.

29/12/13