|
|
Post by wirewiper on Apr 26, 2022 12:26:54 GMT
It's not just London that faces losing links to towns and villages beyond its boundaries. A long-standing bus route between Birmingham and Worcester is about to be axed.
The 144 was originally part of the mighty Midland Red empire. In recent years it has been operated by First Worcester and a few years ago was given "the Salt Road" branding, after the saline springs at Droitwich Spa whose therapeutic properties were enjoyed by the Romans.
From 1st May the route will be cut back to operate between Worcester and Bromsgrove (Catshill) only, losing the hourly projections to and from Birmingham. There is of course a regular rail service linking Worcester, Droitwich Spa, Bromsgrove and Birmingham although this does not meet all travel needs along this corridor. A very limited service also operates on Diamond Bus 145 between Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Longbridge.
First is in discussions with West Midlands and Worcestershire County Council to see if any funding would be available to keep the Birmingham service going.
|
|
|
|
Post by greenboy on Apr 26, 2022 14:44:25 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Busboy105 on Apr 26, 2022 17:49:52 GMT
It's not just London that faces losing links to towns and villages beyond its boundaries. A long-standing bus route between Birmingham and Worcester is about to be axed. The 144 was originally part of the mighty Midland Red empire. In recent years it has been operated by First Worcester and a few years ago was given "the Salt Road" branding, after the saline springs at Droitwich Spa whose therapeutic properties were enjoyed by the Romans. From 1st May the route will be cut back to operate between Worcester and Bromsgrove (Catshill) only, losing the hourly projections to and from Birmingham. There is of course a regular rail service linking Worcester, Droitwich Spa, Bromsgrove and Birmingham although this does not meet all travel needs along this corridor. A very limited service also operates on Diamond Bus 145 between Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Longbridge. First is in discussions with West Midlands and Worcestershire County Council to see if any funding would be available to keep the Birmingham service going. I feel like something will be done about this. On TFWMs side, they are happy to provide cross-border routes namely the X3 which was recently extended to Lichfield. Some of the routes that run alongside the 144 could be extended to Bromsgrove and have journeys that make it easier to connect with 144 services onwards to Worcester. But it is a shame that another historic route will be nerfed. |
|
|
|
Post by greenboy on Apr 26, 2022 19:30:26 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by wirewiper on Apr 30, 2022 14:06:05 GMT
It's not just London that faces losing links to towns and villages beyond its boundaries. A long-standing bus route between Birmingham and Worcester is about to be axed. The 144 was originally part of the mighty Midland Red empire. In recent years it has been operated by First Worcester and a few years ago was given "the Salt Road" branding, after the saline springs at Droitwich Spa whose therapeutic properties were enjoyed by the Romans. From 1st May the route will be cut back to operate between Worcester and Bromsgrove (Catshill) only, losing the hourly projections to and from Birmingham. There is of course a regular rail service linking Worcester, Droitwich Spa, Bromsgrove and Birmingham although this does not meet all travel needs along this corridor. A very limited service also operates on Diamond Bus 145 between Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Longbridge. First is in discussions with West Midlands and Worcestershire County Council to see if any funding would be available to keep the Birmingham service going. There is a very partial replacement from Tuesday 3rd April. National Express West Midlands has been awarded an emergency contract by Worcestershire County Council to operate a route 144A between Longbridge Station and Bromsgrove Bus Station via Rubery and Catshill. One bus will operate at a frequency of 70-80 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays until around 19.00. All NXWM tickets will be valid including the £4 Daysaver. National Express are looking at ways of integrating the new link into their existing network and increasing the frequency. In the meantime the service is being supported for six months. nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/service-updates/new-144a-service-from-tuesday-3rd-may-2022 |
|
