The new look Quaylink bus service

The new look Quaylink bus service starts on Sunday 26^th July and they're looking forward to welcoming you on board. As well as having a refreshed look, they’ll be serving some new destinations, creating new links to Gateshead Quayside, Newcastle and across Newcastle City Centre too.  Here’s what your new look Quaylink routes will look like:- Newcastle to Gateshead Q1/Q2 The current Q1 route from Central Station to Gateshead will merge with our Orbit 51/52 route, with buses running every 15 minutes during the day on Mondays to Saturdays and every 30 minutes on evenings and Sundays. The new routes will be numbered Q1 & Q2, with buses on Q1 running from Gateshead Interchange to Central Station via Felling Square, Heworth Interchange, Leam Lane Estate, Springwell Estate, Wrekenton, Easedale Gardens, Dryden Road, Gateshead Town Centre, Sage Gateshead, Gateshead College, Gateshead Quays, Guildhall & Theatre Royal.  Buses on the Q2 will run from Central Station to Gateshead Interchange via Theatre Royal, Guildhall, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead College, Sage Gateshead, Gateshead Town Centre, Dryden Road, Easedale Gardens, Wrekenton, Springwell Estate, Leam Lane Estate, Heworth Interchange & Felling Square. The new Q1 & Q2 have some great benefits :-

• New connections across Gateshead to Gateshead College and new employers at Gateshead Quays & Newcastle Quayside,
• Direct links to Newcastle from Easedale Gardens & Dryden Road,
• A new timetable to improve the reliability and cope better with peak time traffic,
• Combined timetable with The Loop 93/94 between Gateshead Interchange and Gateshead College,

St Peters Basin to City Centre & Newcastle Great Park Q3 The current Q2 route from St Peters Basin to Haymarket Bus Station will merge with their Great Park Park & Ride X40 route, with buses running every 15 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays and every 30 minutes on evenings and Sundays. The new route will be numbered Q3 with buses running from St Peters Basin to Newcastle Great Park via Newcastle Quayside, Guildhall, Theatre Royal, Haymarket Bus Station, Gosforth High Street, Regent Centre Interchange & Great Park, Park & Ride. The new Q3 also has some great benefits :-

• New connections across Newcastle City Centre such as direct buses from Gosforth to the Quayside, from St Peter’s Basin to employment sites at Regent Centre & Great Park plus Gosforth to Newgate Street & Theatre Royal,
• More buses between Newcastle Great Park, Regent Centre, Gosforth High Street and Haymarket Bus Station,
• A new timetable to improve the reliability and cope better with peak time traffic,

Quaylink Fares Fares on the Quaylink routes haven’t changed in over two years and they’ll be revising fares from Sunday 26^th July and here are a few samples:-

Central Zone Single*	£1.40
Gateshead Area & Gosforth to Newcastle Single	£1.50
Gateshead or Great Park to Newcastle Single	£2.10
Great Park to Quayside Single	£2.50
Great Park to Grey Street	£3.30
Central Zone Day Ticket*	£2.30
Newcastle/Metrocentre Day Ticket ~	£3.50
Central Zone Weekly*	£8.60
Newcastle/Metrocentre Weekly ~	£11.50

* Central Zone covers the existing Quaylink routes (Haymarket Bus Station to St Peter’s Basin and Central Station to Gateshead Interchange). ~ Newcastle/Metrocentre Tickets are valid in Newcastle City Centre and to Byker, Scotswood Road (Michell Bearings), Coast Road (Benfield Road, Denton (Fox & Hounds), Metrocentre Interchange, Newcastle Great Park & Gateshead Interchange (via Quaylink only). Their range of Buzzfare day, weekly, 4-weekly and annual tickets will be available, along with their great value Get Around range of tickets for young people and students. http://www.simplygo.com/buzzfare/ http://www.simplygo.com/getaround/ They’ll also still be accepting Network One, Transfare, Plusbus, Concession Passes & Explorer Tickets on Quaylink buses.  Metrosaver Season tickets will continue to valid in the Central Zone, along with the Pay As You Go smartcard scheme that they have been piloting in partnership with Nexus. Quaylink Standards

• The buses will have a new look inside and out, with buses on the Q1/Q2 routes wearing a new yellow and purple livery, with buses on the Q3 route wearing a yellow and green livery.  They’ll have new look internal panels too.
• They’ll be adding next stop announcements across both routes, with new recordings voiced by Alan Robson from Metro Radio.  The next stop will also be displayed on a screen inside the bus (see sample below).
• Nexus will be installing new real time displays at Central Station and also inside The Sage Gateshead.
• Bus Shelters in the Central zone will still carry dedicated Quaylink bus stop displays, with bus stops in Newcastle Great Park also being branded as Quaylink.