First M2: Details

First have released details of route M2, which will run from Lordshill via the city centre, Bitterne and Hedge End to Marwell Zoo. Here's the exact route it will take:

In Lordshill, it will start from stop LC and then run via Romsey Road, Wimpson Lane and Redbridge Hill:

It then goes through Shirley, using stops SI and SJ near the precinct. Then it's past Central Station and through the city centre using stops SA, SG, HE, AB, CB and IF. The blue line is for journeys towards Marwell:

Then it's over Northam Bridge and through Bitterne (stops BD and BE in the centre) and Thornhill Park:

Then it's to Hedge End Superstores and direct to Horton Heath:

Then onwards to Fair Oak and Marwell Zoo:

Here's the timetable from First's new timetable book:

Note the days of operation: Sundays from 1st May (not bank holidays - seriously?) and Wednesdays from 29th July with the last service running on 31st August (which is a bank holiday Monday!?!?)

Here is a list of all stops that will be served:

I hope this works out for First. It's been absolutely years since Southampton had a direct bus to Marwell Zoo (I remember the predecessor of Bluestar 2, then numbered 48, extending beyond Fair Oak to Marwell Zoo every Sunday when I was little), so this really does deserve to do well.

Marwell Zoo offer a 10% discount on the admission price to anyone arriving by public transport too, so keep your bus ticket handy when you leave the bus!

Sunday parade & marathon / Xelabus changes

This Sunday 19th April is the Vaisakhi Parade, which will cause some disruption to bus services. Expect delays and keep an eye on the bus companies' Twitter feeds, which are conveniently all in one place on the right hand panel of this page.


From Monday 20th April, we have new timetables on the following routes. Xelabus and Wheelers don't have the new ones on their websites yet, but we're linking to them on Traveline:

• Xelabus X4 - Cut to hourly Mon-Sat daytimes
• Xelabus X6/X7 - Rerouted to no longer serve Peverells Wood Avenue or Constantine Avenue
• Xelabus X11 - Retimed and rerouted in the city centre and Hedge End
• Xelabus X12 - Last bus cut on Saturdays
• Wheelers E1/E2

Here are a few maps to help make sense of the changes. First in Fryern Hill, Xelabus X6/X7 will run the full length of Oakmount Road in both directions with the exception of evening X7 journeys that terminate in Fryern Hill:

The X11 will run as follows in Hedge End, running clockwise around the loop and using stops A and H in the town centre:

The X11 will run differently in the city centre, but Traveline is disastrously showing the incorrect route, so see a description of the new route here.

The following Sunday 26th April is the Southampton Marathon, which will be causing a lot of disruption to bus services. Bluestar and Unilink have issued emergency timetables for that day only. First have also detailed their plans although there is some confusion around certain routes. First say the X4 and X5 will terminate in Woolston in the morning, but will run to Central Station in the afternoon, while Traveline says those routes will terminate in Woolston all day. The smaller operators must be relieved that they don't run in the city on Sundays.

Route changes / X24 timetable / Hythe to Ringwood link

First 7 and 11 get new timetables and slight route changes from tomorrow. Details of the changes to the 7 here and the 11 here.

The 7 will no longer serve West Quay towards town, with buses in both directions running via Above Bar Street.

The 11 will no longer serve Ocean Village, running instead via Central Bridge and Bernard Street.

In other news, Xelabus have released the timetable for route X24 to Paulton's Park, which starts from 23rd May. It will run from Bitterne via the city centre and Romsey.

From 24th May, Bluestar will be running a new route across the New Forest from Hythe via Beaulieu and Brockenhurst to Ringwood. It's is supported by the National Park Authority as part of a grant they've been given by the government. More details when the timetable is released.