| 'Sutton Lines' | ||
| Routes | ||
| 110 | Birmingham - Sutton Coldfield - Tamworth | |
| 112 | Birmingham - Sutton Coldfield - Lichfield | |
| 115 | Birmingham - Erdington - Sutton Coldfield | |
| 902 | Birmingham - Erdington - Sutton Coldfield - Hillhook | |
| 904 | Birmingham - Erdington - Sutton Coldfield | |
| 905 | Birmingham - Erdington - Sutton Coldfield - Roughley | |
| 907 | Birmingham - Newtown - Perry Barr - Kingstanding - Sutton Coldfied | |
| 914 | Birmingham - Pype Hayes - Sutton Coldfield | |
| 915 | Birmingham - Erdington - Sutton Coldfield - Falcon Lodge | |
| Operation | ||
| Operator(s): | National Express West Midlands Arriva Midlands |
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| Previous Operator(s) | AM PM Travel and Central Connect | |
| Vehicles: | Alexander Dennis Enviro400 Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini Dennis Dart |
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National Express West Midlands operate the The Sutton Lines which are a group of bus services running between Birmingham City Centre and Sutton Coldfield, in the West Midlands area of England, often via Erdington.
The majority of the services then extend past Sutton Coldfield to multiple destinations such as Falocn Lodge, Hill Hook and Roughley. Two other services 110 and 112 follow the same corridor which are operated by Arriva Midlands.
Contents |
Currently multiple 'Sutton Lines' routes operate. These are detailed below:
The 115 is one of the longest routes between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield travelling via Aston railway station, Erdington, Pype Hayes, Walmley and Good Hope Hospital. It is operated by National Express West Midlands.
Half hourly Monday - Saturday daytime frequency, which is not combined with the main 'Sutton Lines' frequency.
The 902 is another route serving the 'Sutton Lines' corridor. It links Birmingham with Hill Hook, via the Aston Expressway, Erdington, Sutton Coldfield and Mere Green. Again, only operated by National Express West Midlands using Alexander Dennis Enviro400 buses.
902 operates to a thirty minute frequency during Monday - Saturday daytimes, and is part of the combined 7/8 Minute National Express West Midlands 'Sutton Lines' daytime frequency programme, with evening and Sunday cover given from the 905 between Mere Green & Birmingham.
The 904 is another route serving the 'Sutton Lines' corridor. It links Birmingham with Sutton Coldfield via the Aston Expressway and Erdington. It is operated by National Express West Midlands using Alexander Dennis Enviro400 buses.
Monday - Friday the services is run to a thirty minute frequency, playing part in the combined 7-8 'Sutton Lines' frequency. Sunday are run to a infrequent 10-20 minute frequency with the rest of the 'Sutton Line' routes to keep a 10 minute frequency between Sutton Coldfield & Birmingham Hourly operations are run during the evenings to create a 20 minute frequency with services 905 & 915 between Sutton Coldfield & Birmingham.
The 905 is another route serving the 'Sutton Lines' corridor. It links Birmingham with Roughley via the Aston Expressway, Erdington, Sutton Coldfield and Mere Green. The service is operated by National Express West Midlands, who use Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double deck buses on the route
Half hourly during the day frequency, playing part in the combined 'Sutton Lines' 7/8 Minute daytime frequency, also running hourly on evenings to create a 20 minute frequency with the rest of the 'Sutton Lines' and hourly on Sundays to help create a 10 minute frequency between Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham with the 904 & 915. One Monday - Friday working on the route, at approximately 5pm runs from Mere Green to Birmingham and is operated as a 'filling' journey by Diamond Bus.
The 907 is another route linking Birmingham with Sutton Coldfield, but not actually considered to be a 'Sutton Lines'. Route 907 is operated by National Express West Midlands, which travels out of Birmingham in a completely different direction, serving Perry Barr and New Oscott.
Monday - Friday frequencies: The 907 operates to a 12 Minute peak, and 20 minute off-peak frequency, with a half-hourly evening service. The 1955 and 2055 departures from city terminate at New Oscott giving an hourly frequency along this corridor between City and Sutton Coldfield during these hours. As a consequence the 2055 and 2155 arrivals into city commence at New Oscott (Tesco) at 2032 and 2132, again leaving a hourly frequency on the full length of service 907 between 1954 and 2154.
Saturday frequencies: The 907 operates to a 20 minute frequency for most of the day, with a half-hourly evening service. Again as the Monday - Friday evening schedules, the 1955 and 2055 departures from city terminate at New Oscott, again giving an hourly frequency along this corridor between City and Sutton Coldfield during these hours. So again as a consequence the 2055 and 2155 arrivals into city commence at New Oscott (Tesco) at 2032 and 2132, leaving this hourly frequency on the full length of service 907 between 1954 and 2154.
Sundays frequencies: The 907 operates to a 30 minutes frequency during the day time operations. During the evenings which is strange for a bus route, oddly the service aerations as Monday's - Saturday's are not implemented, which gives a full 30 minute frequency all evening.
Volvo B7TLs are the main allocations of the 907. It is worth noting that between Birmingham and Perry Barr the service is limited stop.
http://timetables.centro.org.uk/showtimetable.asp?file=3_a\807NXB#907
The 914 is another route linking Birmingham with Sutton Coldfield, but it does not form part of the main 'Sutton Lines' frequency timetable. Operated solely by National Express West Midlands
This route operates to a half hourly daily daytime frequency and a daily hourly evening service travelling via Aston University, Walmley and Falcon Lodge.
The 915 is another 'Sutton Lines' route and links Birmingham with Falcon Lodge via the Aston Expressway, Erdington and Sutton Coldfield. The service is only run by National Express West Midlands using Alexander Dennis Enviro400 buses
915 runs to thirty minute frequency during Monday - Saturday daytime, again forming part of the 7/8 Minute 'Sutton Lines' frequency, also an hourly evening service creating a 20 minute frequency with 904 & 905 between Sutton Coldfield & Birmingham, and an hourly Sunday service to fit in with the every 10 minute frequency with the rest of the 'Sutton Lines'.
Two Arriva Midlands services also serve the 'Sutton Lines' corridor, but do not form part of the 'Sutton Lines' timetable. The 110 links Birmingham with Tamworth via the Aston Expressway, Erdington, Sutton Coldfield, Bassetts Pole and Drayton Manor Park. The 110 runs to a twenty minute Monday - Saturday frequency, with an hourly Evening and half hourly - hourly Sunday timetable in operation. Arriva Midlands uses branded modern Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini buses on the 110.
The 112 meanwhile is an extensive service, stretching from Birmingham to Lichfield. It operates via the Aston Expressway, Erdington, Sutton Coldfield, Mere Green & Shenstone. The 112 only runs to an hourly Monday - Saturday daytime frequency.
In 1990, Travel West Midlands ran the 104 service between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield and the 104A, between Birmingham and Falcon Lodge, as per the current routes. The 104 ran to a fifteen minutes Monday - Saturday daytime frequency in addition to an hourly Evening & Sunday timetable. With a 10 integrated 10 minute Sunday frequencies between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield
In 1992 North Birmingham Busways started to run the 104X, between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield to a fifteen minute weekday peak, and 30 Minute Monday - Saturday daytime off-peak, running via the Aston Expressway, which became the 904 as we know today.
Following the changes to the routes in 2000, the Travel West Midlands 104 service was converted to run to a 30 Minute daytime frequency Monday - Saturday, with the Evening and Sunday timetables running as per the current timetables on the 104 and 104A. Journeys by North Birmingham Busways, who later became Central Connect, remained unchanged.
The 904 was also introduced during the changes, running between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield running at a fifteen minute Monday - Saturday frequency. This, inaffect was just a renumbered 104X.
August 2004 Service 104 Travel West Midlands withdrew daytime journeys.
In August 2007 when route 104X fell into the hands of Central Connect, who ran the route until they announced changed to the route in November. From the 31/12/07 route 904 was reduced to operate Monday-Friday peek-time only. The Monday - Friday and Saturday '104X' daytime service was to be replaced by route 903, which also ran during Monday-Friday peek-times. This service ran via the 902 route (departing from Birmingham on the top of each hour), as far as Bishops Way bus stop on the Lichfield Road. Where by following the Lichfield Road into Lichfield, before continuing onto Walsall via Muckly Corner, Brownhills and Walsall Woods.
From April 2008 - when service 903 was withdrawn, To try and gain passenger usage, Central Connect replaced their operations on 'Sutton Line' 904 service using the old North Birmingham Busways scheduling operations, with a vast array of vehicles on the route.
January 2009 - Again to try and produce more revenue Central Connect re-timed Monday - Friday 904 schedules so they departed at the same time as National Express West Midlands 904 service. Leaving the Saturday operations unchanged.
January 2010 - Again to try and gain passenger usage, Central Connect re-timed the whole 904 operating schedule. The Monday - Friday off-peek frequency and the Saturday frequency, were set at half-hourly, with 2 extra vehicles Monday - Friday peek times, to create up to a 15 minute frequency between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfiled.
December 2010 Central Connect - Following an announcement; due to low passenger usage service 904 is withdrawn... Central Connect have finally thrown in the towel on the 'Sutton Line' service and it is a now wander when the majority of journeys ran with 1 or 2 people on them, whiles other journeys ran simply empty for the entirety of the journey.
It is worth noting that two Central Connect journeys in each direction extend beyond Sutton Coldfield, one to Plantsbrook School, the other to Bishop Walsh School...Both service variants withdrawn.
In September 2010 - Following change to services all evening and Sunday operations were re-routed away from Lichfield Road via the Aston Expressway to give faster journey times to and from Sutton Coldfield.
The 902 service used to be West Midlands Travel's services 102 and 102A. In 1999, it is known that the service had been extended from Hill Hook, to Shenstone in Staffordshire. The 102 ran a similar route to the current 902 service, serving Aston railway station instead of the Aston Expressway and then extending to Shenstone, whilst the 102A ran exactly the same route of the current 902 service, with the exception of the extension. The 102A service ran to a steady 30 Minute Monday - Saturday daytime frequency, whilst an irregular frequency operated during the daytime on the 102. There was no Evening or Sunday service.
In 2001, following the amendments to the 'Sutton Lines' in 2000, the 102 and 102A were withdrawn, and replaced by service 902. The service followed a shortened route of the 102A, terminating at Hill Hook. However it had left Shenstone village without an imitate bus service, Staffordshire Council are reluctant to have the extension tendered from Hill Hook.
In August 2007 when Central Connect took over North Birmingham Busways, Route 104X fell into the ownership of Central Connect. They then ran the route until they announced changes to the service in November 2007. From the end of the year, route 903 was born. The 104X was reduced to operate Monday-Friday peak-time only and renumbered route 904, in-line with the West Midlands Travel Birmingham-Sutton Coldfiled service, whilst the Monday - Friday and Saturday '104X' daytime service was directly replaced by route 903, which also ran during Monday-Friday peak-times. This service ran via the 902 route, as far as Bishops Way bus stop on the Lichfield Road; departing from Birmingham on the top of each hour, whereby route 903 followed the Lichfield Road into Lichfield, before continuing onto Walsall via Muckly Corner, Brownhills and Walsall Woods. This service however was extremely short lived and was withdrawn within six months.
This service has come through many incantations, originating with Midland Red and using number 103.
After deregulation in 1986, and the launch of the new 'Timesaver' services, West Midlands Travel began operating service 901, linking Walsall with Birmingham, via Rushall, Streets Corner, Lichfield, Tyburn Road and the Aston Expressway. This route ran every thirty minutes during Monday - Saturday daytime, with additional evening services also operating.
In 1988, West Midlands Travel rerouted shopping hours (Monday - Friday off-peak daytime and Saturday journeys) services, so instead of travelling along the A38 and Tyburn Roads, services instead served Roughley, Mere Green, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington and then the Aston Expressway. The section of the route between Walsall and Lichfield was reduced to hourly, and the evening service was withdrawn.
In the early 1990s West Midlands Travel decided to withdraw the section of the 901 between Walsall and Lichfield completely, and this then became the 991. Meanwhile, the frequency on the 901 was adjusted to every twenty minutes during peak hours, and the shopping service route was renumbered the 901A.
In late 991, services left Birmingham bound for Roughley every 30 Minutes, with a bus every hour extending to Lichfield.
In late 1992, West Midlands Travel decided to completely withdraw off the 901 (Stevensons briefly retained the route but it was eventually completely withdrawn after multiple operator changes in early 2000). West Midlands Travel replaced the 901 and 901A with the 105 and 105A, which both terminated at Roughley.
This remained the way until the late 1990s, when service 105A was renumbered the 905.
January 2010 - One Monday - Friday working on the route, at approximately 5pm runs from Mere Green to Birmingham and is operated as a 'filling' journey by Diamond Bus.
November 2011 'filling' journey by Diamond Bus withdrawn.
In 2001 it is known that National Express West Midlands operate the 107 to a frequency of every 15 minutes on Monday - Saturday daytimes and every 30 minutes during Evenings and on Sundays. By 2007 this frequency had been increased to every 10 minutes during peak-times, but halfed in the Evenings and on Sundays to hourly.
In November 2009, service 107 was renumbered the 907. This will follow exactly the same route, but will be limited stop between Birmingham City Centre and Perry Barr.
It is worth noting that as with the majority of bus routes with a high frequency in the West Midlands region, from Mid-July until the beginning of September, a temporary Summer timetable, with a reduced frequency, is implemented on the 'Sutton Lines' services, operated by National Express West Midlands.
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