First Eastern Counties route X1
Encyclopedia
First Eastern Counties route X1 is an express bus route run by First Eastern Counties. It runs from Lowestoft
bus station in Suffolk
to Peterborough railway station
in Cambridgeshire
. It is about 107 miles in length and only stops at major interchange points in urban areas. There is, in general, a half-an-hour frequency on the route from Monday-Saturday with that being reduced to hourly on Sundays and in the evenings. Due to its length some timetabled services only operate for portions of the route. From Lowestoft to Peterborough the journey time is around 4 hours and 45 minutes.
The route is mostly operated by long-distance double-decker Volvo B9TL
buses, which were introduced in October 2008 to replace the ageing Volvo B12M
and Volvo B10M
coaches. However, a number of the older coaches along with some Volvo B7TL
double-deckers currently supplement the B9 fleet. One of the new buses was involved in a fatal crash in May 2009 after it veered off the road and hit a car.
In the year up to April 2009, the route saw a 15% increase in passenger numbers compared to the previous year.
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
bus station in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
to Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. It is about 107 miles in length and only stops at major interchange points in urban areas. There is, in general, a half-an-hour frequency on the route from Monday-Saturday with that being reduced to hourly on Sundays and in the evenings. Due to its length some timetabled services only operate for portions of the route. From Lowestoft to Peterborough the journey time is around 4 hours and 45 minutes.
The route is mostly operated by long-distance double-decker Volvo B9TL
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
buses, which were introduced in October 2008 to replace the ageing Volvo B12M
Volvo B12M
The Volvo B12M is an underfloor-engined bus/coach chassis introduced by Volvo Buses in 2001 as a replacement for the Volvo B10M. It is available with a variety of bodies such as Van Hool, Sunsundegui Sideral and Plaxton Panther/Paragon. Large British users of the B12M include Wallace Arnold, Park's...
and Volvo B10M
Volvo B10M
The Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
coaches. However, a number of the older coaches along with some Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
double-deckers currently supplement the B9 fleet. One of the new buses was involved in a fatal crash in May 2009 after it veered off the road and hit a car.
In the year up to April 2009, the route saw a 15% increase in passenger numbers compared to the previous year.