Route History

[Gillmoss 0324]

RE: Route History

(28/05/2019 04:46)MTL0201 Wrote:  Come to think of it my February 1988 Liverpool map has 56A/56B listed as Bootle/Netherton-Pier Head Circular, the Netherton-City Centre via Bootle route was the old 28 which was withdrawn at d-reg, unfortunately i don't know when this section was withdrawn, & how long it lasted

I'd forgotten/didn't know the 56's did a circular route via Bootle. I've always known them as the more straightforward 56 route from Bank Hall via Melrose Road/Southport Road/Netherton Way etc. so makes me think they got revised around 1988/89.

Speaking of which when Walton depot closed around June 89 did any of the brand new F-YLV Metrobuses ever operate out of there briefly? I know all this batch were at Gillmoss but I have a hazy memory of some of these being on Walton routes just before the garage closed?

Generally before the closure did Walton operate any other commercial routes than the 20/21/21A, 25, 53, 55/55A/55B, 56 as they're the only ones I can remember them having back then?

Gillmoss took on the 20/21/21A, 53, 55/55A/55B and Green Lane took on the 25 and 56 with the 56's getting interworked with the 11's. Fleetwise I think Walton's older Atlantean's went to Gillmoss with the newer W to A reg ones along with the last Atlantean 1070/B926KWM going to Green Lane.

When the July 91 review happened the 25's got transferred to Garston and again not 100% sure on this but wasn't there a 25A variant which ran to Maghull as well? The 25's also had their route which skirted the city centre tinkered with around this time too which I think saw it serve the Gyratory rather than cut off at the Royal Hospital and it was one of the first ex-Merseybus routes which got transferred to Mersey Rider in 1993 although I think it was ran out of Gillmoss - who I think ran it from 1992 onwards, rather than the re-opened Speke depot at that time? Don't know exactly when but the 25's were gone by 1994/95 - still the original 25 route could be workable today as it would by-pass much of the city centre traffic you get and would provide some handy links we don't really have now.

The 12/13's were Gillmoss routes throughout their time with Merseybus/MTL. It was only when Arriva purchased MTL and the Competition Commission took an interest in the acquisition that Arriva transferred them and the 14's to Green Lane in April 2000 before the order to dispose of Gillmoss.

Interesting stuff about the Southport - Liverpool routes too. I know this like other routes on the Merseyrail network got altered to encourage use of the trains with feeder routes like the 15* network in Kirkby and the M* routes in Maghull. I'm fairly certain Tyne & Wear adopted a similar feeder bus route approach when the Metro opened there too. I'm sure before de-reg apart from the long distance routes which ran from Middlesbrough/Durham - Newcastle etc. routes in Gateshead terminated at the Interchange and you'd have to use the Metro on to Newcastle. I think some routes in Newcastle also got altered to become feeders to the Metro too and wasn't Heworth Interchange in Gateshead built for that reason too?

I suppose more recently if Merseytram got built this might have have been the plan for the established bus corridors in Liverpool. Mind you if the operator of Merseytram was competing with at the time Arriva/CMT/GTL etc. would these operators have been willing to work with/or compete against Merseytram? We've seen been both approaches with bus operators running against trams in the UK recently.