A coach firm which runs a popular bus service in Penrith is being forced to make major timetable changes because of work to replace old gas pipework in the centre of the town.
NBM UK Travel Ltd plans to run the altered timetable from the start of January until early March, which it is hoped will give ample time for the work to be completed.
Company director Thomas Cooney said: “The work is in phases and the changed timetable will run through them, because we’re not sure how long each one will take.
“This is not a change we want to make — it’s something we have to do so they can carry out work which needs to be done.”
He added: “This is probably about the best time of year to do something like this. The disruption would have been worse in the summer.”
The work, due to start on 3rd January, is being carried out by gas distributor Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and will involve replacing ageing metal pipework with new and more durable plastic pipes.
The first phase will include road closures along Middlegate, Brunswick Road and Corney Square for two weeks, while the second will see closures in Devonshire Street and Market Square from Monday, 22nd January, for two weeks. The final phase of the work starts in King Street, where there will be a road closure from Monday, 5th February, for three weeks.
The first two phases in particular will impact the bus service, since the streets involved are major parts of the route. Details of the timetable changes can be found in the advert to the left of this story.
