Service Changes in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear May 2026

We’ll be making changes to a number of services across Northumberland and Tyne and Wear from Sunday 10 May 2026.

These changes follow ongoing reviews of punctuality and reliability. Please check the latest timetables online or on the Arriva app before you travel.

Service 1 – Blyth to Ashington and Widdrington
Service will be revised due to ongoing traffic delays in the Bebside area. The service will no longer operate beyond Ashington Bus Station from Blyth. This means buses will terminate at Ashington.

Passengers travelling between Ashington and Widdrington will need to use Service X22, which will now cover this section of the route. This change is being made to improve overall reliability and reduce delays caused by congestion.

Service 2 – Blyth to Morpeth and Kirkhill
A revised timetable will be introduced due to increased delays in the Bebside area. The section between Morpeth and Kirkhill will be reduced to an hourly service at peak times.

Some peak-time journeys will no longer run straight through between Blyth and Kirkhill, meaning a change of bus may be required at Morpeth Bus Station.

To help improve reliability in Morpeth, buses will no longer run via Bridge Street and will instead operate via Manchester Street between the bus station and Kirkhill.

Service 35 – Morpeth to Ashington and Newbiggin
Service will be revised to improve performance and punctuality. It will no longer operate through Newbiggin as Service X21 during the main part of the day, instead, it will run as a clockwise loop via the A189 and Woodhorn before returning to Morpeth.

A revised timetable will increase frequency, with buses running up to every 15 minutes Monday to Friday and up to every 20 minutes on Saturdays. These changes are designed to improve reliability across the route.

Service 43 – Newcastle to Cramlington and Morpeth
On schooldays only, journeys that currently start or end at Bedlington Front Street will be revised to terminate at Cramlington Shops. This is a minor change, and no other parts of the route will be affected.

Services 57 and 57A – Ashington to Whitley Bay and Cramlington
Minor timetable changes will be introduced to improve reliability throughout the day.

In Ashington Bus Station, both services will now depart from Stand A. These changes are intended to help services run more consistently on time.

Service X14 – Newcastle to Morpeth and Thropton
A new weekday morning journey will be introduced. This service will depart Thropton at 09:04 and Rothbury at 09:11, connecting with the existing 09:27 departure from Longframlington towards Newcastle.

Service X20 – Newcastle to Ashington and Alnwick
New peak-time journeys will be introduced on weekdays.

• A morning journey will depart Ashington at 07:05 and arrive in Newcastle at approximately 08:00.
• An afternoon return journey will depart Newcastle at 17:14, operating on schooldays only.

These journeys are designed to better match peak commuter demand.

Service X21 – Newcastle to Ashington and Newbiggin
Frequency will be reduced from every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes Monday to Friday. This adjustment reflects current passenger demand and supports a more reliable timetable.

The service will no longer be linked with Service 35, although it will continue to operate an anticlockwise loop within Newbiggin as before.

Service X22 – Newcastle to Ashington and Widdrington
Service will be reduced to every 30 minutes Monday to Friday, with a revised timetable introduced.

The route will be extended beyond Ashington to serve Wansbeck Hospital and Widdrington, replacing Service 1 in this section.

This extension will provide new direct evening and Sunday journeys to Newcastle for passengers in Lynemouth and Ellington, improving connectivity in the area.

Journeys towards Newcastle will now depart from Stand B in Ashington Bus Station.

Check the updated timetable before travelling, as journey times may have changed.