Revealed: Bus timetable changes across Dudley and Sandwell in major service shake-up
A major shake-up of bus routes and timetables will see services carved up across Dudley and Sandwell.
National Express has unveiled a raft of new timetables, which it claims will make buses more reliable.
The changes to 29 services will see some routes axed. And extra time will be added to allow buses to recover more easily from delays and they will be ‘better spaced’.
A National Express spokesperson said: “Following an extensive public consultation, we are making a number of changes to bus routes in the Dudley and Sandwell area from Sunday, September 2.
“This will include minor changes, such as timetable improvements, to help our services run more reliably.
“There are also some bigger changes to cater for new and emerging travel needs, to help us overcome increasing traffic congestion and slower speeds around busier areas.
“New express services and new links will be introduced, with our Platinum buses able to serve more areas, including Blackheath, Oldbury and Smethwick.
“Many route numbers will change to create a new Dudley and Sandwell network.”
The full list of timetable changes:
A new timetable during the evenings and on Sundays for the 4H service through Hayley Green and Halesowen to Walsall.
Route 9, from Stourbridge to Birmingham via Halesowen, will see buses run up to every five minutes along Hagley Road between Quinton and Birmingham.
Route 13 from Dudley to Walsall will now be known as the 11A, while timetable changes will be made to 27, 27A and 82.
Routes 120, 121 and 120 A will be replaced with four new, modified routes for West Bromwich and Oldbury. Buses will run up to every 15 minutes between the town and Blackheath, and every 30 minutes to Merry Hill.
Rowley Regis Hospital will no longer be served by the 3 service – but the 4M service will continue to stop at the hospital.
Passengers will also be unable to travel directly from Lion Farm to Birmingham and will instead have to change in Oldbury, along with residents travelling to West Bromwich from Oakham.
Route 126 is also set to change, with two new express services introduced.
It will now only run between Birmingham and Dudley, while new X7 and X8 services will run every 10 minutes between Wolverhampton and Dudley.
The new X7 will offer an express service from Dudley to Birmingham, with platinum buses offering comfier seats, extra legroom, free wifi and USB charging points.
It will mean there will be fast links from City Hospital to Oldbury, Dudley and Wolverhampton.
The new X8 service will see buses run up to every 20 minutes, which will mean more buses for passengers between Dudley, Springfield, Blackheath and Birmingham.
Passengers will see the current 127 service, replaced with new, modified routes - with the 13A running from Blackheath to Birmingham via Brandhall and Warley and the 14 running from Dudley to Halesowen via Blackheath.
Route 128 will change to the 13 service, with more buses from Warley to Oldbury every 20 minutes.
The 13B service will replace the current 129 route between Birmingham and Blackheath, but the route between Blackhetah and Merry Hill will no longer be served by National Express.
Diamond Bus’ 24 service will instead serve this route.
Passengers will find the current 140 service is to be replaced with the new X8 route, with fewer stops between Quinton and Birmingham to reduce journey times.
Low customer demand means the current 205 from Dudley to Kingswinford - which will be known as 5 - will operate only every hour, with a service approximately every 30 minutes between Russells Hal Hospital and Pensnett.
Residents will be able to use the 2 and 2A services instead of the current 222 to travel between Dudley and Merry Hill, with a new stops along Dudley Road and Wallows Road in Brierley Hill.
The 14 from Dudley to Halesowen via Blackheath will replace the 241, which will mean buses will no longer link Springfield and Halesowen.
Route 243 will be known as 18, 244h as 19, 246 as 6, 255 and 255A as 15 and 15A, 256 as 16, 257 as 17, 276 as 7 and X96 as 8.
There will be no changes to the routes or timetables, except for minor changes to the timetable for the 7 service.
National Express said residents will see its route 289 replaced with the new 3 and 3A services from West Bromwich, while the X10 route will have changes to its timetable as the route is extended from Merry Hill to Gornal Wood via Brierley Hill and Russells Hall Hospital.
