National Express West Midlands routes 394 & 395

Infobox West Midlands Buses
number=394, 394A, 394B and 395


operator=National Express West Midlands
garage=Walsall/Walsall
vehicle=MCW Metrobus (TWM)
pvr=11 (NXWM)
start=Walsall
end=394 & 394B = Brownhills, 394A = Brownhills West, 395 = Burntwood
length=About ?? miles
level=340/341/341E - Mon-Sat
frequency=Every 10+mins combined)
time=25 Minutes (394), 35 Minutes (394A), 27 Minutes (394B) & 43 Minutes (395)
day=05:02 - 23:58 Monday - Friday, 05:32 - 23:58 Saturday, 10:10 - 00:07 Sunday

National Express West Midlands Routes 394, 394A, 394B and 395 were bus routes operated in West Midlands, England. Some services travelled into South Staffordshire.

History

*1999 - National Express West Midlands, then Travel West Midlands operates several services along the Walsall/Brownhills corridor. These are services:
* 392: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Catshill - Ogley Hay - Brownhills
* 393:Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills - Ogley Hay - Catshill
* 394: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills - Ogley Hay - Newtown - Chasetown - Burntwood
* 395: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills - Ogley Hay - Newtown - Burntwood
* 395A: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills - Ogley Hay
*396: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills - Ogley Hay - Brownhills West - Norton Canes

The 392 runs hourly during Monday - Saturday Daytime, the 393 runs every 60 minutes all day every day including Evenings, as does the 394. The 395 runs hourly Monday - Saturday daytime, whilst the 395A runs half hourly. The 396 runs half hourly Monday - Saturday daytime, with irregular evening journeys everyday.
*2001 - Travel West Midlands introduce new service 394A operating between Walsall and Burntwood Church. This service follows a very similar route to the then service 394 and replaces Evening and Sunday journeys operated by that service at an hourly frequency. Additionally weekday evening journeys are introduced on the 395 at an hourly frequency.

*2005 - Travel West Midlands withdraw service 396 and replace it with new services, 396A and 396C. These services serve the same places as the existing 396 service.

*July 2007 - Travel West Midlands completely reroute services 394, 394A and 395. A new service, 394B is also introduced. As a result services 392, 393, 395A, 396A & 396C are withdrawn. The new services are as follows:
*394: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills.
*394A: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills - Ogley Hay - Brownhills West (The Rising Sun Pub)
*394B: Walsall - Rushall - Shelfield - Walsall Wood - Brownhills - Ogley Hay - Brownhills West - Chasetown - Burntwood Church
*395: Walsall - Rushall - Heath End - Pelsall - Brownhills - Ogley Hay - Burntwood Church

The 394 and 394A run every 20 minutes Monday - Saturday daytime, whilst the 394B runs hourly on Evenings and Sundays. The 394 also runs hourly on Sunday Evenings only. The 395 runs half hourly Monday - Saturday daytime.

These changes resulted in Norton Canes no longer being served by Travel West Midlands, much to the annoyance of residents.

*Early 2008 - A2Z Travel start operating the 394 hourly Monday - Saturday. Also TWM becomes National Express West Midlands.
*Mid 2008 - A2Z Travel withdraw off the 394.

Current

National Express West Midlands (NXWM) operate service 394, between Walsall and Brownhills via Shelfield and Walsall Wood and the 394A, between Walsall and Brownhills West via Shelfield and Shire Oak at twenty minute frequencies, giving a combined frequency of every 10 minutes. The 394 is operated every day of the week, whilst with the exception of one journey on a Sunday, the 394A only operates Monday - Saturday.

Additionally, NXWM also operate service 395 at a twenty minute frequency throughout the day between Walsall and Burntwood via Pelsall and Brownhills on Monday - Saturday.

During evenings and Sundays, National Express West Midlands also operate service 394B to Chasetown from Walsall via Shelfield and Brownhills. This service follows a mixture of the route services 394A and 395 take.

Quite unusually for a bus route, the latest journey taken on the route is on a Sunday, usually the quietest day.

Future

It is believed but not confirmed that NXWM will start to use Volvo B7RLEs on the 394 route within the next month.

Current route

=Service 394 - NXWM =

*Walsall
*Rushall
*Shelfield
*Walsall Wood
*Brownhills

=Service 394A - NXWM=

*Walsall
*Rushall
*Shelfield
*Walsall Wood
*Brownhills
*Ogley Hay
*Chasetown
*Burntwood

=Service 394B - NXWM=

*Walsall
*Rushall
*Shelfield
*Walsall Wood
*Brownhills
*Ogley Hay
*Chasetown
*Burntwood

=Service 395 - NXWM=

*Walsall
*Rushall
*Shelfield
*Walsall Wood
*Brownhills
*Ogley Hay
*Chasetown
*Burntwood

References

External links

* [http://www.travelwm.co.uk Official site] (Only for National Express West Midlands)
* [http://www.networkwestmidlands.co.uk Network West Midlands]
* [http://west-midlands-buses.fpic.co.uk West Midlands Buses] (Only for National Express West Midlands)