New First network: route 3 analysed

New 3 will replace old 10/10A all the way from Lordshill to Thornhill, extending to Harefield on Mon-Sat evenings.

All buses will run via Lordshill Way, replacing old 10A and 17A. Aldermoor Road, haunt of old 10, is picked up by new 2A, covered yesterday. Lordshill Way loses its direct link to Millbrook (and one bus an hour weekday daytimes) but gains a consistently quicker journey to Shirley and town. It will also still be served by new S1, replacing old 21. Here’s how the old 10/10A and new 3 measure up between Lordshill and town:

There's a drop in the Sunday daytime frequency and the last bus of the day will be about 20 minutes earlier than at present. First buses of the day Mon-Sat will be earlier though.

Over in Sholing, the old 10A variation via North East Road is withdrawn due to some kind of squabble between First and the city council about road layouts. There is no replacement for North East Road. All buses will therefore run via Kathleen Road, which sees a doubling in frequency:

Here’s how the combined old 10/10A compare to new 3 between Thornhill and town:

The Sunday daytime frequency is cut to half-hourly, which still isn't bad. The first bus on a Sunday will be more than 2 hours later than now however. 

Hourly Mon-Sat evening buses, currently numbered old 10B, will continue to extend beyond Thornhill to Harefield, but will just be numbered new 3.

Don't forget, this doesn't happen until Sunday 29th April. New timetables here.

In other news, it is with sadness that we see the suspension of the Hampshire Bus Changes blog. It's been covering the rest of Hampshire, providing an excellent guide to those who want to know what's happening beyond the reach of this Southampton-centric blog. We hope it returns eventually and wish Darren, its creator, all the best. This page won't be expanding its reach to fill the gap, as we'd rather stay fully focused on the area we really know well, which is Southampton and its immediate surroundings. If anyone sets up a replacement, do let us know and we'll happily link to it.