Angel 21

The Angel is a bus service in County Durham and Tyne and Wear, England, which connects Birtley, Low Fell, Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne with Chester-le-Street, Durham and Brandon. The service is named after Antony Gormley's Angel of the North, which the route passes.[1]

Angel
A Go North East Wright StreetDeck in the current livery, seen at Haymarket in August 2018.
Locale
Service area
Service typeBus service
FleetWright StreetDeck (2018–)
OperatorGo North East
WebsiteGo North East

History

In January 2018, coinciding with 20 years of the Angel of the North, Go North East launched new Wright StreetDeck double-deck vehicles on the route – at a cost of £4.5 million.[1][2]

In May 2019, additional Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday morning journeys were added.[3] Some journeys were cut during the COVID-19 pandemic, including all-night services.

An all-night service was restored in September 2020 on Friday and Saturday nights,[4] with a daily 24-hour service being introduced in May 2021. It is currently one of three services (including services 56 and 60) operated by Go North East which run to a daily 24-hour service.[5][6]

From June 2020, the service was altered to additionally serve Arnison Centre.[7]

In September 2021, the service was extended to additionally serve Neville's Cross, Langley Moor and Brandon in County Durham.[8][9]

Service and operations
Go North East 21 & N21
Newcastle – Durham – Brandon
via Birtley & Chester-le-Street
 Newcastle Eldon Square
Tyne and Wear Metro Bus interchange
 Gateshead Interchange
Tyne and Wear Metro Bus interchange
 Saltwell Park
 Low Fell Valley Drive
 Low Fell The Cannon
 Harlow Green Calderwood Crescent
 Angel of the North
 Birtley The Coach & Horses
 Birtley Station Lane
 Barley Mow Dorset Avenue
 Chester-le-Street Front Street
Bus interchange
 Chester Moor The Church Mouse
 Plawsworth The Red Lion
 Arnison Centre
 Framwellgate Moor
 University Hospital of North Durham
 Durham Wharton Park
National Rail
 Durham Bus Station
Bus interchange
 Neville's Cross
 Langley Moor High Street
 Brandon Brandon Lane
No evening, night or Sunday service
operates between Durham & Brandon.

The service currently operates up to every 7–10 minutes between Newcastle and Chester-le-Street via Birtley, with services extending to Durham and Brandon (Monday–Saturday only) half-hourly. It is currently operated by a fleet of Euro 6 Wright StreetDeck double-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone green livery, depicting Antony Gormley's Angel of the North.

The service was previously operated by a fleet of Euro 5 hybrid Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 2, which were introduced in 2012, and branded in a two-tone green livery similar to that of the current.

A Go North East Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 2 in the former electric-hybrid livery, seen at the Angel of the North in October 2012.

Prior to this, the service has been operated by a mixture of single-deck Scania OmniCity and double-deck Volvo B7TL/Wright Gemini vehicles. These were branded in a pink livery, which also depicted the namesake landmark.

A Go North East Volvo B7TL/Wright Gemini in the former livery, seen at Eldon Square in May 2009.

References
  1. "£4.5 million boost for popular Angel bus service". Go North East. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  2. "Angel reborn for prestigious route 21 with Go North East". routeone. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. Harrison, James (20 May 2019). "All of the Go North East bus timetable changes in Tyne and Wear you need to know". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  4. Hodgson, Barbara (23 August 2020). "Newcastle's Night Bus returns as more services get back to normal". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. "Go North East to introduce 24/7 services on three routes". Route One. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  6. Meechan, Simon (28 May 2021). "Night buses to offer 24-hour travel between Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  7. "Service changes from Monday 1 June". Go North East. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  8. "Getting buses fit for the future – changes to services from 5 September". Go North East. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  9. Scott, Jim (11 September 2021). "Bus company extends Newcastle to Durham route to THIS County Durham village". Northern Echo. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
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