Another long-term Busway B diversion - yes, seriously!

Busway B passengers have had to put up with more than their fair share of diversions, stop changes and the like over the past year or more. Well, guess what - there's another long-term diversion due to come into operation on Monday 29 June.

This one is in connection with Phases B & D of the Greater Cambridge Partnership's Histon Road project, which covers the whole road between Kings Hedges Road and Victoria Road.

So... from Monday 29 June, Histon Road will be completely closed inbound. The B service will effectively follow the A route between Histon and Cambridge New Square, omitting Orchard Park,Shire Hall and Round Church St (currently closed anyway, but due to reopen in early July). Passengers who would normally alight at Shire Hall will find themselves with a significant problem, as there's no diversionary route available - you simply have to carry on into the City Centre and then catch an outbound service.

How long will this diversion last? Well, the GCP's announcement was noticeably vague on this - saying nothing more specific than that the closure would last "for the duration of the construction". Stagecoach say it will be for "several months". The GCP's project page, though, is more helpful - Phase B will last until spring 2021, and Phase D until summer 2021.

For more information go to:

• Stagecoach announcement and revised route map
• GCP's Histon Road Construction web page

Busway B - yet another diversion (Histon Road, May 10-22)

As if passengers on the Busway B service haven't had enough of diversions in the past year, here's another one coming along on Monday 10 May.

Between 10 and 22 May, Histon Road will be completely closed - i.e. in both directions - close to the Domino's Pizza outlet, meaning that the city end of Histon Road is cut off from the remainder. Buses will divert via Gilbert Road, Mitchams Corner and Victoria Avenue (and the reverse for outbound services). The Shire Hall, Round Church St and Jesus Lane stops will be out of use for the duration of the diversion.

Buses will call additionally at any of the stops in Gilbert Road and by the Westbrook Centre, Milton Road. (They already serve any "regular" stops along Histon Road.)

Why? Anglian Water have to deal with a collapsed sewer. Fingers crossed that the work is completed on time...

Bus diversions 13-21 February

Due to utility work taking place the Busway B will be unable to serve the following stops from Saturday 13th February until after the last bus on Sunday 21st February:

Shire Hall (both directions)
Jesus Lane (outbound)
Round Church Street (inbound)

Customers are advised to either use New Square, Drummer Street Bus Station or the stop on Histon Road, outside "The Grapes" public house for buses towards St Ives.

Please note journeys towards Cambridge will also call at the stop on Victoria Road (near Histon Road corner) so customers can access Shire Hall.

The utility work is expected to be completed by 22nd February 2016.

Please note other Stagecoach services are also affected by this. See here for more information.

Tuesday 9 August

Decided to use the 07.25 Service B from St Ives Bus Station. As was common with the old 55 route, buses arriving in from Huntingdon were often a few minutes late. And so it was today. We left at 07.25 reaching Orchard Park East at 07.54 (6 minutes late). Another 3 minutes were dropped in a traffic queue in Histon Road, waiting to get out onto Huntingdon Road.  Arrival time at New Square (08.11) was 9 minutes late. Counting the walk at each end, that's 50 minutes door to door.

Leaving St Ives, I noticed that the Whippet's 07.35 Service 5, was sitting in the bus station. Despite using the old route via Fenstanton, the A14 and Bar Hill, this bus beat us to Cambridge by a few minutes. I saw it whizz across the junction at Histon Road/Huntingdon Road as we waited in the queue.

There was a Whippet Service D ahead of us. Can anyone explain why Service D exists? It offers two early morning trips via Histon Road, but no corresponding evening trips. So they're clearly not looking for any two-way passengers.

Evening. Succeeded in getting the Service A from Parkside, which it left at 1705. Departure from New Square was at 17.07 (6 minutes late) but we didn't manage to make up time.  I alighted at St Ives Park & Ride at 17.40 (due 17.33). Again 50 minutes door to door.

Thats now 6 journeys I've made - and only one was on time.