Whippet are making a number of changes to their services, commencing 31st August.

X3: Sunday services will be reintroduced, and the route will benefit from a significant number of additional services, with buses operating hourly, even on Sunday. The X3 is rerouted in Cambridge to serve the Biomedical Campus and the Railway Station. (Note, though, that the main drop off stop in Cambridge City Centre is no longer Drummer Street Bus Station, but Queen’s College.) A number of journeys extend to/from Hartford in one direction and Thrapston and Corby in the other.

18: This service is replaced by the revised X3 (plus one journey from Corby operating as an X2).

400: There will be minor timing changes on this service, but Whippet haven’t released specific details at the time of writing.

478: A revised timetable means that the 478 and the X3 together provide a half-hourly frequency (Mon-Sat) between Godmanchester and Huntingdon.

X2: Whippet are also taking over commuter journeys from Papworth and Cambourne to the Biomedical Campus (formerly Stagecoach service H). This will operate as service X2 and will extend to/from the Railway Station.

Fenstanton: A number of X3 and 478 journeys operating to/from the Whippet depot will run “in service” to serve Fenstanton, providing a direct service between Fenstanton and Huntingdon for the first time in a number of years.

A new timetable leaflet covering all of the above (except the 400), and also including maps, is available to download from the Whippet website.

Whippet are proposing significant changes to services on routes X3 and 478 from 31st August. At the same time, they’re expecting to take over Stagecoach’s route H (Papworth to the Biomedical Campus and, in future, to Cambridge Railway Station).

On the X3, the proposed service will run hourly between Huntingdon and Addenbrooke’s, via Cambridge Railway Station, seven days a week. This will also provide new earlier and later journeys than the current X3, as well as the reintroduction of a Sunday service.  Some buses will serve Oxmoor or Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and some will extend to/from Corby replacing the current route 18 following the same route to similar times. Route changes in Godmanchester and Cambridge will also be introduced.

Some journeys on service 478 will start or finish at Fenstanton routing via the A1307 between there and Godmanchester. Buses will follow the new X3 route in Godmanchester before continuing to Huntingdon and Hinchingbrooke hospital.  Buses will generally run every hour Monday to Saturday. Between them, the 478 and X3 will provide a half-hourly frequency between Godmanchester and Huntingdon.

A new X2 service replaces Stagecoach’s route H providing links between Papworth, Cambourne, Trumpington, Addenbrooke’s and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.  Journeys will extend to Cambridge Railway Station before continuing as route X3 serving the rest of the City Centre.

Full details of the changes, including draft timetables, are on the Whippet website. Any feedback on the what’s proposed should be sent to Whippet, either by email: info@whippet.uk.com or by phone: 01954 230011 (office hours only).

Cambridge South station’s preferred location selected

Network Rail has identified the preferred location of the proposed new railway station for Cambridge South. The chosen location corresponds with Option 1 presented to the public earlier this year and follows a review of engineering and design information together with the results of public consultation.

The new station is proposed to be located adjacent to the Guided Busway…
Click to read Network Rail’s full press release.

Mark Taylor reported on this development in the Cambridge Independent on 22 June 2020 In addition to the material from the press release, there are additional quotes from South Cambridgeshire MP Anthony Browne MP, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner, and Cllr Lewis Herbert, leader of Cambridge City Council.

Click to read the full article: Location of new Cambridge South railway station on Biomedical Campus is revealed

And why are Cambridge Area Bus Users posting about this?

• Where is the mention of integrated transport?
• A search for ‘bus’ in the press release found three instances: ‘adjacent to the Guided Busway’, ‘business’ and ‘business’.
• In the Cambridge Independent there were two instances: ‘adjacent to the Guided Busway’ and ‘business’.
• This will most likely be the railhead of preference for Queen Edith’s and Trumpington residents.
• How easy will it be to change to/from busway and other services to/from trains and avoid using private cars and taxis?
• As minimal car parking is currently planned for this station (we understand) will there be excess taxi and private vehicle kiss’n’ride movements?
• If so, how will this impact upon bus services?

These questions need urgent answers from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor, James Palmer, from Network Rail, from the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Greater Cambridge Joint Planning (not the same organisation).

Temporary cycling and walking measures are being put in place across Cambridgeshire during the Coronavirus crisis to help people get out and socially distance during this pandemic.

Many of Cambridgeshire County Council’s schemes will be authorised under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) which will be in place for 18 months, of which the first six months are a consultation period.

Information above is taken from the Cambridgeshire County Council’s press release, which you can read here: Cycling and walking support in midst of pandemic. The PDF of the full range of proposals discussed at the council’s Highways and Transport committee meeting on 16^th June 2020 can be read/downloaded here. It should be noted that this scheme (and others throughout the county) are subject to Statutory Guidance from the DfT.

Many of these schemes will have an impact upon bus services. Cambridge Area Bus Users hope that these will be mostly positive in creating routes that are less accessible by private care but remain accessible to buses and remove congestion. It is quite possible, however, that some schemes will adversely affect some bus services.

Cambridge Area Bus Users would like to hear from you about what is working well, and what is not.

You can add your comments, below this blogpost, or email contact.cabu@gmail.com with details and photos of anything you would like to see published on this site contact.cabu@gmail.com with details and photos of anything you would like to see published on this site, to tell us what you think, and we will pass on your suggestions.

This is not, however, the place for formal feedback on the temporary changes.
You can give feedback either via email at:
policyandregulation@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
or in writing to:
Policy and Regulation Team
Highways Depot
Stanton Way
HUNTINGDON
PE29 6PY

Residents along Stagecoach in Cambridge’s citi2 bus route hope that traffic-reduction measures on Cambridge’s notoriously-congested Mill Road could lead to a full restoration of services to Addenbrooke’s Hospital. We have a separate blogpost on that issue here, click through: Full service to Addenbrooke’s.

Could relief from traffic congestion in Cambridge’s Mill Road help improve bus services?

Temporary cycling and walking measures are being put in place along Cambridge’s Mill Road, during the Coronavirus crisis to help people get out and socially distance during this pandemic.

Work started on Wednesday, 24^th June to widen footways using temporary barriers. Where footpaths have been widened, the road will be narrowed and there will only be sufficient carriageway width to allow one vehicle past at a time, so give-way features will be introduced at each section of widened footway.

Mill Road Bridge will be closed to all vehicles except buses and cyclists, the closure will be enforced by signs and automatic number plate recognition cameras.

There is a full report on these measures on the Mill Road Bridges community group website here – Wider footways, barriers and bridge closure. Click through to view the blogpost, which has links to videos, news reports and more. Cambridge Area Bus Users see no need to duplicate this.

Your secretary emailed Amber Clark, Marketing Officer, Stagecoach East, saying, inter alia:

I would […] like to raise a concern about the citi2.

You appear to have no plan to re-instate full through running of the citi2 to Addenbrooke’s. The current timetable, with alternate weekday, day-time, duties being short-turned at Brooks Road Sainsbury’s seems set to continue.

When, under Andy Campbell’s directorship, this service pattern was introduced, the reason was, we were told, that traffic congestion on Mill Road caused such delays that this was the only way to maintain viability.

The Cambridgeshire County Council’s Covid-19 roadworks on Mill Road, Cambridge, are likely to greatly reduce congestion, and local county councillors, for Petersfield and Romsey divisions respectively, Councillor Linda Jones and Councillor Noel Kavanagh lobbied assiduously to ensure that a mooted proposal to make Mill Road one-way was taken off the table, as this would have made it impossible for you to operate a service along Mill Road.

I would like to hope that you will look again at this service pattern, in the light of the county’s work on traffic restrictions in Mill Road and the priority for buses over Mill Road Bridge.

Secretary, Cambridge Area Bus Users

We received a very helpful reply to the effect that, if the hopped for congestion relief in Mill Road does occur, Stagecoach have promised to consider reinstating a full citi2 service to Addenbrooke’s.

The pattern of services provided across Cambridge, as a result of previous work and the impact of covid-19 on people’s travel habits, will no doubt evolve more over the next 12 to 18 months than it had done in the previous two decades, but this consideration will absolutely be borne in mind.

Amber Clark, Marketing Officer, Stagecoach East

Cambridge Area Bus Users would like to know your views on the citi2 we will be happy to pass these on to Stagecoach and to those responsible for disbursing Covid-related bus revenue support.

The Mill Road Bridges blogpost is open for general comments about the works. Comments about the citi2 bus service can be added below this blogpost. For other Covid-related temporary works, and the effects on bus services, see the Cambridge Area Bus Users parallel blogpost – Covid-related cycling and walking measures.

This is not, however, the place for formal feedback on the temporary changes.
You can give feedback either via email at:
policyandregulation@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
or in writing to:
Policy and Regulation Team
Highways Depot
Stanton Way
HUNTINGDON
PE29 6PY

Phases B and D of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Histon Road improvements project commence on Monday 29th June (Phase A comprises the work already taking place at the junction with Victoria Road). This involves closing Histon Road to all inbound traffic (including buses, therefore) between Kings Hedges Road and Victoria Road. According to the project website work can be expected to carry on until summer 2021.

Services affected are the Citi 8, Busway B, and X8.

The Citi 8  will divert via Kings Hedges Road, Arbury Road, Mere Way, Carlton Way, Gilbert  Road, Milton Road and Victoria Avenue.

The Busway B will operate from Histon on the route normally taken by the A – i.e. via CRC and the Science Park, heading to the City Centre along Milton Road. So it will omit the Shire Hall and Round Church Street stops (the latter is currently closed, but was otherwise due to reopen in early July).

The X8 is replaced by an additional Citi 8 service.

An additional service will be provided for local users of the Histon Road and Orchard Park areas. This service, the 8H, will leave from Emmanuel Road and follow the existing outbound Citi 8 route as far as the Kings Hedges Road junction, then head to Orchard Park (where it will operate via an anti-clockwise loop of Chieftain Way, Circle Drive and Chariot Way to Arbury Road), continuing via Mere Way,  Carlton Way,  Gilbert  Road, Milton Road and Victoria Avenue to the City Centre. Note, though, that the 8H operates only Monday-Saturday daytimes. There’s no evening or Sunday service.

For more information on the bus service revisions, go to the Stagecoach announcement, which includes a useful map of the diversions.

A reasonably concise summary of the current situation; last checked and updated 21st August.

[This page is no longer being updated. Consult the main Bus service changes and updates page or follow CABU on Twitter for subsequent changes.]

Stagecoach City Centre and Railway Station stop changes: Some Stagecoach services moved to new stops in Cambridge City Centre and at the Railway Station on 14th June. Check your stop here (NB: these maps do not show the New Square Busway stops, which continue to operate as normal).

Payment & Fares: If you have to pay by cash, please note that Stagecoach and A2B are operating an “exact fare” policy. If you tender more than the required fare, the surplus will be donated to local charities (and A2B will be doubling that amount). Stagecoach offer a 15% discount on selected tickets for NHS ID card holders, for staff employed at Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth Hospitals – details here.

Face coverings: Unless you are legally exempt, you have been required to wear face coverings on public transport since 15th June. These do NOT need to be medical-grade, however – home-made ones will suffice. See Face coverings to become mandatory on public transport on the Gov.uk website.

Reduced capacity: In order to maintain physical distancing requirements, capacity on all buses is significantly reduced and it’s possible you may not be allowed to board at busy times.

Stagecoach: Many Stagecoach services have returned to pre-pandemic timetables. Other routes are operating a reduced service, except for the R and City Sightseeing services, which remain suspended. For details, and timetable links, consult the Stagecoach website. And don’t forget to check which city centre or railway station stop your service departs from!

Whippet: Services are operating to their pre-lockdown regular timetables EXCEPT that the U continues with a temporary timetable (which includes operating to/from the Biomedical Campus on Saturday and Sunday).

National Express and Megabus: On National Express, Cambridge is currently served by the 075 (2 services per day to/from London via Stansted Airport), the 727 (6 services per day from Norwich to Heathrow Airport and 5 per day in the opposite direction), the 737 (4 services per day to/from Luton Airport and Oxford), and the 491 (1 direct service per day to/from London and 1 to/from Norwich). Further information is available from National Express. Megabus services serving Cambridge are currently suspended.

Other operators: A2B are operating a normal service. A number of other operators (e.g., Big Green Bus, Dews) run bus services on behalf of the County Council. So far as we are aware, these continue to run to the normal timetable.

The long-running – and frequently extended – diversion of Busway services between Histon and Orchard Park/CRC finally finishes on 29th March. From Monday 30th March services will return to the Busway between these points, following conclusion of work on the A14 overbridge. Orchard Park passengers, in particular, should take note as this involves buses on inbound and outbound journeys travelling on the opposite side of the Busway track from that which they’ve followed since June 2019.

Sadly, introduction of the enhanced Busway timetables, due to take place on the same day, has again been postponed. Instead, a temporary emergency timetable will be introduced, in common with much of the local Stagecoach network. See a separate post for more information on this development.

Stagecoach East’s Flying Circus?

Older travellers may remember a very silly Monty Python sketch titled Confuse-A-Cat. In retrospect probably not as funny as it seemed at the time…

Now, even less hilariously, Stagecoach East’s Flying Circus has found a new twist to the tired joke: Confuse-a-passenger!

Changes to service 5/5A/5C, Milton P&R and forthcoming Busway improvements are cunningly hidden from search by intending passengers.

You will not find them by clicking the ‘Service Updates’ link on the homepage (after setting your location to ‘Cambridge’).

IF you know where to look, you can find them listed under ‘Promos and Offers’.

No, we’ve no idea why service changes are listed in this ‘hidden’ location. We’re baffled.

As you would expect, we have raised this with Stagecoach East management, and are awaiting reply. The simple job of copying and pasting the information to the correct page has not occurred to date (14/03/2020).

See also our post on Stagecoach East’s Flying Circus’s confusing and misleading timetable for Cambridge citi5, 5A, 5C services.