- National Express West Midland Route 66, 66A and 66E
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66
Overview Operator National Express West Midlands Vehicle Scania OmniCity Route Start City Centre Via Nechells, Star City, Birmingham, Gravelly Hill, Erdington, Perry Common, New Oscott and Boldmere End Sutton Coldfield Length 9 Miles 66AOverview Operator National Express West Midlands Vehicle Scania OmniCity Route Start City Centre Via Nechells, Star City, Birmingham, Gravelly Hill, Erdington, Perry Common and Boldmere End Sutton Coldfield Length 8 Miles 66EOverview Operator National Express West Midlands Vehicle Scania OmniCity Route Start City Centre Via Nechells End Star City, Birmingham Length 3.5 Miles Contents
History
Pre 1990
WMPTE (formerly Birmingham City Transport) routes 43 (Old Square to Nechells) and 95 (Congreve Street to Ladywood), whose combined routes were similar to the pre-2010 routes 66 and 66A for the section from Nechells to Soho.
Recent history
Around 1995 the route was operated with the last journey departing Sutton Coldfield at 18:30, the last journey into Sutton departed Ladywood at 1750 and ran into Sutton, arriving at 1845, however this returned to the garage empty. The route at the time was operated by twelve two-step entrance single decks, E F G and H registration plate 'Leyland DAF Lynx's' Around 2000 the 'Lynx's', were gradually phased out and National Express West Midlands invested in low-floored single decks, using around eighteen on the route at one stage. In the later years route 66 was simplified and now used just ten low-floor Mercedes-Benz O405 single decks.
Service 111 was created in 2004 and is the extended vision of 66 (66A) via the 111/A route into Sutton Coldfield. It is worth noting however, that in Boldmere route 66A runs from Boldmere Road via Stonehouse Road, Monmouth Drive and Summerville Road, joining Jockey Road near The Horse & Jockey pub, whereas route 111 and 111A operate direct via Jockey Road into Sutton Coldfield. Up until 2010, the route was extended across the city centre to serve Ladywood, however this ceased and is now served by NXWM service 80 to West Bromwich via the old 66 route up to Ladywood. The terminus is now fixed at Priory Queensway.
Present
Service are provided every 15 minutes between Birmingham City Centre and Erdington with joint services 66 and 66A.
Currently National Express West Midlands (NXWM) operate the 66 Monday - Saturday at a 30 minute frequency during daytime hours (0630-1815). On evenings, NXWM operate the service at an hourly frequency (only to Starcity).
Service 66A operates Monday - Sunday daytime at a 30 minute frequency with evenings operate an hourly frequency, making a half hourly timetable with the 66E. Sunday daytime half-hourly, with the evening services from 1847 ex-Birmingham being every hour.
Route 111
Route 111 was the full extension off route 66 before 2004, when National Express West Midlands (NXWM) split the route due to reliability problems. Route 111 was operated exactly the same as the present 66A is to-date. However due to Perry Barr picking up route 111, since then the 111 has gone though a number of changes. This means that it could even now be considered a route in its own right. However, as the 111A has just be introduced, it had brought the Daytime operations slightly back in-line with the 66A route.
111 operates from Goosemore Lane into Gravelly Lane and follows this into Summer Road to SixWays Erdington.
111A operates from Goosemore Lane into Gravelly Lane, then Station Road, Edwards Road, Orphanage Road, Sutton New Road to SixWays Erdington.
In August 2010 the service was withdrawn and replaced by the 66A. This was to absorb the 68 route in Kingstanding by service 66. The route now is operated every 30 minutes during day time on both routes.
Routes
- Service 66 (Monday to Saturday Daytime)
- Birmingham City Centre
- Nechells
- Star City, Birmingham
- Erdington
- Perry Common
- New Oscott
- Boldmere
- Sutton Coldfield
- Service 66A (Daytimes, Evenings and Sundays)
- Birmingham City Centre
- Nechells
- Star City, Birmingham
- Erdington
- Perry Common
- Boldmere
- Sutton Coldfield
- Service 66E (Early Morning, Evenings and Sundays)
Bus routes in the West Midlands Birmingham and Solihull 5 6 31 X20 Stratford Road • 7 • 8A 8C Inner Circle • 9 140 141 192 Hagley Road • 11A 11C Outer Circle • 28 28A 28B • Line 33 • 50 • 51 X51 Walsall Road • 58 60 900 957 Coventry Road • 61 62 63 Bristol Road • 82 • 82 87 89 Dudley Road • 144 • 451 • 'Sutton Lines'
Coventry 1 • 2 • 11 • 19 19W 19X • 21 21C 21W • 27 • 42 • 81 81E 81W • 82 • 801 • 900 • X17 • PRN PRS Park and Ride • U1 U2 U12 U17 Unibus •
Sandwell & Dudley Walsall 1 2 5 • 19 • 22 • 51 X51 Walsall Road • 77 • 332 549 • 369 370 370A • 404 • 529
Wolverhampton 79 126 529
Bus Stations Bearwood • Bilston • Halesowen • Coventry (Pool Meadow) • Cradley Heath • Digbeth (Birmingham National Express) • Dudley • Merry Hill • Walsall (St Pauls) • Wednesbury • West Bromwich • Wolverhampton (Pipers Row)
Categories:- National Express West Midlands bus routes
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