Stena Line Fleetwood to Larne 1 year on

Fleetwood to larne stenaline route was offically shut down on the 24th december 2011 ending the shipping route that had been running from the town for years never again will this been seen unless another company comes in and negotiates with ABP to open up the route again on a recent visit up in september 2012 the port remained as it had since the closure back in january 2011 bare and empty the old offices for stenaline the building i think has been knocked down in which now may possibly serve as a reminded that fleetwood will never ever see the likes the RORO (roll on, roll off) ferries again.

Since these photos were taken the stena pioneer has met its maker and been sent to the dock in the heavens as stena made the decision to scrap all the fleet that ran this route not only on the 24th demeber 2011 see the last voyage of the route but the last voyage that ship ever saw.

Truck problem update

Speaking with a mechanic last night we found out that the broken down truck had a problem with its gearbox and we saw a sledgehammer being used on the differential lock in which you will see in the pictures below

All photos copyrighted to totaltransportuk

Truck problems

As we were going down to the co op today around lunch time we came across this unfamiliar sight but we had wondered was going on when a stagecoach bus doing 1 bigger bank to hospital service had followed us up black butts lane not the usual route til we rounded the corner and saw pictured below this truck stopped at first we thought it was unloading but on closer inspection we saw its back tailgate was still up leading to the conclusion that it had broken down

All photos copyrighted to totaltransport uk

BAE Systsems Move Sub Part

Yesterday morning saw traffic backed up as far as the town centre from Michelson road all the way to Hollywood park and also walney because just after 11am BAE systems moved the next part of the astute class attack submarine the people of barrow are used it by now as the low loader that was transporting it was going at walking pace due to there not wanting to be any errors during transportation we managed to get a photo of it as it waited to go in to the Devonshire dock hall.

X35 and the X6

Just before I start with this I would just like to say I know we talk about the x6 alot recently but at this point it's the only thing worth reporting on in barrow at this moment in time.

So as many people know the x35 barrow to Kendal route was running rather smooth for the time it was in operation minus a few technical issues with the buses that ran the route.

We are lucky enough to of recieved the 2 photos we have below copyright to Shaun C who allowed us to use the photos on this article please visit his Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/sulzerpower/

The x35 was subsidised by Cumbria county council and the service had been running very smoothly before there was a major accident involving an the blue x35 decker which caused the fleet of blue deckers to be down but it didn't phase stagecoach they used the normal deckers.

I had many a journey to Kendal on the x35 blue deckers and my overall view of them is that they weren't designed for that route as they were very slow on hills but in relation with the old deckers the new deckers pictured below copyrighted to totaltransportuk aren't much better either they are just as slow or slower than the old blue deckers.

The problem with the new and old deckers they weren't designed for the route they are city deckers to be used on flat routes with no hills.

The old x35 route went from barrow in Furness, dalton, ulverston, greenodd, havithwaite, newby bridge, grange over sands, Kendal Westmorland general hospital, k-village, Kendal bus station.

The x6 service goes from barrow, dalton, ulverston, greenodd, havithwaite, newby bridge, grange over sands, k-village, Kendal bus station.

The current service x6 connects the ulverston route where as the x35 was a direct route to Kendal.

sunday services to kendal are very limited the last being after 4pm and the good thing about the x6 is that you dont have to go to ulverston to catch it you can get it from barrow.

Prices havent changed we currently dont know the return fare but from barrow at the moment a single fare is £4.05 and has been this way since the x35 was in operation.

photo copyrighted to totaltransportuk

photo copyrighted to shaun c

photo copyrighted to Shaun c

Chilly morning Kendal

Total transport were in Kendal today just wandering about and of what photos we did manage to get weren't that bad and it was getting cold so we didn't get many we wouldn't of liked to of been walking around blackpool today that was for sure

X6 stagecoach service

The X6 Kendal service which used to be X35 barrow to Kendal service the decision was made that stagecoach no longer wanted help from the local council to subsidise the route but the route is still in fact being subsidised by the council.

Pictures below is one of the new fleet that now operates the route many passengers are still concerned over this route and how it's run because the X6 wasn't the only route to receive change the 6 route that operates to ulverston still remains but there is also the 6 which operates to Windermere this replaced the 618 service which was run by the travellers choice but people expressed there views because it cuts the route off at Windermere and now has no direct connection to Ambleside

Speaking with a few people who answered a few questions they said that they use the 6 services to get about but many people who work in Ambleside are have to change at Windermere and get the 555 to Keswick to continue there journey specially when commuting to work this puts an added expense on there journey to work.

Stagecoach in barrow refused to comment when asked about the services but that didn't surprise us at all they had to say it was a necessary cutback.

We weren't surprised at the change in service as revealed the old blue service buses that operated the X35 before this were costing stagecoach too much money as it cost them over £2000 every time the recovery had to come out and sort out the buses as they don't have their own recovery vehicles at the base.

Barrow buses

Barrow in Furness Cumbria is an industrial town in the north west of England and is home to one local operator stagecoach with a few other local firms like the travellers choice and blue works getting in on the service work.

In the pictures below there is blue works optare solo preparing to do the 11 ulverston route via the coast road the travellers choice bus seen is waiting its time out to do the 7 service to ireleth and the stagecoach decker is doing the x6 service to Kendal which replaced the old x35 route.

The stagecoach decker has only recently come in to service a month ago and already passengers are still concerned over the service but they enjoy the service they say at this point