QuayCity Q3
| Formerly | Quaylink |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | 26 July 2015 |
| Locale | Tyne and Wear |
| Service area | |
| Service type | Bus service |
| Fleet |
|
| Operator | Go North East |
| Website | Go North East |
QuayCity is a bus service in Tyne and Wear, England, which connects Newcastle Great Park and Wallsend via Gosforth, Jesmond, Newcastle, Quayside, Ouseburn and Walker.[1]
History[edit]
The service was introduced on 26 July 2015, following the merger of existing routes Q2 and X40. It operated under the QuayLink name, with vehicles branded in a two-tone yellow and green livery.[2]
Initially operating between Great Park and St Peter's Basin, the service was extended to Wallsend on 31 July 2016.[3]
From 21 June 2017, contactless payments were introduced, as part of a trial.[4] It was later rolled out across the network.
On 14 December 2020, the QuayLink branding was dropped and the route was rebranded QuayCity. A new two-tone yellow and black livery was introduced.[5][6]
On 27 March 2022, the route was curtailed beyond St Peter's Basin, with services running between Great Park and St Peter's Basin only. On the same date, the route was also amended to run via Jesmond.[7][8]
On 24 July 2022, the service was renumbered QA & QB, reflecting the direction travelled around Great Park. Changes also saw the link between St Peter's Basin and Wallsend via Walker restored.[9] By September 2022, the service reverted to its previous number, Q3.
Route[edit]
Go North East Q3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Great Park – City Centre – Wallsend
via Gosforth & Quayside | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of September 2022, the service runs up to every 15 minutes during the day (Monday–Saturday) between Great Park and St Peter's Basin, with a half-hourly extension to Wallsend. Services operate half-hourly during the evening and on Sunday between Great Park and St Peter's Basin only.
Fleet and operations[edit]
The service is currently operated by a fleet of nine battery electric Yutong E12 single-deck vehicles, branded in a mustard and black variant of the silver-based Voltra livery and carrying over features such as free WiFi, audio-visual next stop announcements and USB charging points specified on previous Voltra buses.[10][11] These replaced a fleet of nine diesel Optare Versa single-deck vehicles, which were refurbished in December 2020 to Euro VI emissions standard in advance of the launch of Newcastle's Clean Air Zone.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Anderson, Katie (5 March 2022). "Is this the best city bus route in the country? We take a trip on the Q3". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ "Changes to services from 26 July 2015". Go North East. 11 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Service changes in North Tyneside from 24 & 31 July". Go North East. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Contactless payments now available on QuayLink Q3". Go North East. 21 June 2017. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Better buses introduced to help play an important part in the economic and environmental recovery of Newcastle's city and Quayside". Go North East. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Newcastle Quaylink Q3 service relaunched to meet CAZ standards". Routeone. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Holland, Daniel (18 February 2022). "Severe North East bus changes will 'cut off' communities". Evening Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Holland, Daniel (25 February 2022). "Anger as Walker and Wallsend axed from Q3 bus route". Evening Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Cuts to Q3 Walker and Wallsend bus service to be reversed". BBC News. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "Further Yutong battery-electrics join Go North East". routeone. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ Goodwin, Nicole (1 September 2022). "Go North East Q3 bus gets modern update with new fully electric fleet". Chronicle Live. Newcastle upon Tyne. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
External links[edit]
Media related to QuayCity Q3 at Wikimedia Commons- Timetable and route map
