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![]() A First Hampshire & Dorset Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 on route X53 at Axminster Station in September 2019 | |
Overview | |
---|---|
Operator | First Hampshire & Dorset |
Vehicle | Closed Top Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini Volvo B7TL Alexander ALX400 |
Began service | November 1998 |
Former operator(s) | Southern National |
The Jurassic Coaster is a bus service operated by the Weymouth branch of First Hampshire & Dorset, running around the Jurassic coastline of the county of Dorset. [1] It features five routes, stretching from Axminster in the west to Poole in the east, with one of the routes in TripAdvisor's 2018 poll of most scenic bus routes coming in 12th place. [2]
The X53 route was introduced in November 1998 by Southern National, and operated at a frequency of one bus every three hours between Exeter and Dorchester via Seaton, Lyme Regis, and Bridport. In May 2001, the route was changed east of Bridport to instead serve Abbotsbury and Weymouth. In May 2003, the frequency of the route was increased to two-hourly, the Sunday service became year-round, and some summer services were extended beyond Weymouth to Wareham. [3]
In April 2004, the route was branded as CoastLinX53. The following month, the route was extended to Poole, with some buses continuing to Bournemouth. While the existing service was council-funded, the extensions to Poole and Bournemouth were operated on a commercial basis. [4] However, the Bournemouth extensions were cut in April 2008. [3]
After fifteen years of financial support from Devon County Council and Dorset County Council, [5] in March 2013 the route began being operated entirely on a commercial basis for the first time. A new livery was launched, together with the Jurassic Coaster branding. [3] By the following year, the route was running at an hourly frequency between Lyme Regis and Weymouth. [6]
In 2016, the X53 was split into multiple routes, with the X53 itself being shortened to only run between Axminster and Weymouth. Two new service were introduced numbered X52 and X54. The X52 ran between Exeter and Lyme Regis, avoiding Axminster, [7] while the X54 ran between Weymouth and Poole. The X52 service was reduced in frequency, and withdrawn in 2018, marking the end of First bus services in Exeter. [3] [8]
Sunday services were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but were reinstated in July 2020. [9] The Sunday service continued to run during the winter, unlike in previous years. [10]
In 2021, the logo and livery for the routes was updated. Route 501 was brought into the network with "Portland Coaster" branded open top buses and the X52 number was relaunched and reworked for a new route running between Bridport and Monkey World. [1] [11] [12]
The Jurassic Coaster network is formed of six routes, stretching from Axminster in the west, through Weymouth to Swanage in the east. [13] Each of the six routes generally run to a two-hourly frequency. [14]
Route X50 operates between Weymouth and Swanage via Preston, Osmington, Lulworth Cove, Wool, Bovington, Wareham and Corfe Castle. [13]
The route is operated using a mixture of Wright Eclipse Gemini and Plaxton President open-top buses. The route operates during the summer months (between May and September) only. [15] [14]
Route X51 operates between Weymouth and Axminster via Dorchester, Poundbury, Winterbourne Abbas, Bridport, Charmouth and Lyme Regis. [13]
The route is operated using a mixture of Wright Eclipse Gemini 2, Alexander Dennis Enviro400 and Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC closed top buses. The route runs throughout the year, although the Sunday service does not operate during the winter months. [14]
Route X52 operates between Weymouth and Bridport via Chickerell, Abbotsbury, Swyre, Burton Bradstock and West Bay. [13]
The route is operated using a mixture of Wright Eclipse Gemini and Plaxton President open-top buses. The route operates during the summer months (between May and September) only. [15] [14]
Route X53 is the original Jurassic Coaster service and operates between Weymouth and Bridport via Chickerell, Abbotsbury, Swyre, Burton Bradstock, West Bay, Bridport, Charmouth and Lyme Regis. [13]
The route is operated using a mixture of Wright Eclipse Gemini 2, Alexander Dennis Enviro400 and Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC closed top buses. The route runs daily throughout the year. [14]
Route X54 operates between Weymouth and Wareham via Preston, Osmington, Lulworth Cove and Wool. [13]
The route is operated using a mixture of Wright Eclipse Gemini 2, Alexander Dennis Enviro400 and Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC closed top buses. The route runs throughout the year, although the weekend service does not operate during the winter months. [14]
Route 501 is branded as The Portland Coaster and operates between Weymouth and Portland Bill via Wyke Regis, Fortuneswell, Easton and Southwell. [16] [13]
The route is operated using open-top Alexander ALX400 buses. The route operates during the summer months (between May and September) only. [15] [17]
When the original X53 was introduced in November 1998 by Southern National, the route was operated with three Plaxton Paramount coaches. [3]
After the takeover of the company the same year and the rebranding of the route in 2004, the route was served with Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvos for the Coastlinx53. In May 2021, the route network and livery was revised and modified open top Transbus ALX400s and Wright Eclipse Geminis as well as closed top Enviro400s were put into its colours and used on the network. [11] [12] [18]
Dorset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth, and the county town is Dorchester.
Axminster is a market town and civil parish on the eastern border of the county of Devon in England. It is 28 miles (45 km) from the county town of Exeter. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Axmouth, and is in the East Devon local government district. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 5,626, increasing to 5,761 at the 2011 census. The town contains two electoral wards whose combined population is 7,110. The market is still held every Thursday.
The Isle of Portland is a tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) wide, in the English Channel. The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A barrier beach called Chesil Beach joins Portland with mainland England. The A354 road passes down the Portland end of the beach and then over the Fleet Lagoon by bridge to the mainland. The population of Portland is 13,417.
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about 96 miles (154 km), and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in mid-December 2001.
Chesil Beach in Dorset, England is one of three major shingle beach structures in Britain. Its name is derived from the Old English ceosel or cisel, meaning "gravel" or "shingle". It runs for a length of 29 kilometres (18 mi) from West Bay to the Isle of Portland and in places is up to 15 metres (50 ft) high and 200 metres (660 ft) wide. Behind the beach is the Fleet, a shallow tidal lagoon. Both are part of the Jurassic Coast and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and together form an SSSI and Ramsar Site.
Abbotsbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. The settlement is in the unitary authority of Dorset about 1 mile (1.6 km) inland from the English Channel coast. The village, including Chesil Beach, the swannery and subtropical gardens, is owned by the Ilchester Estate, which owns 61 square kilometres of land in Dorset. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 481.
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and within the town's boundary is West Bay, a small fishing harbour also known as Bridport Harbour.
West Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester and Lyme Regis, along with Sherborne urban district and the rural districts of Beaminster, Bridport, Dorchester and Sherborne. Its council was based in Dorchester.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident and Plaxton President. In 2014, the Enviro400 was succeeded by the updated Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC and production of the classic Enviro400 ceased in 2018.
First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
First South West is a bus company operating services in the English counties of Somerset and Cornwall. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Dorset is a county in South West England. The county is largely rural and therefore does not have a dense transport network, and is one of the few English counties without a motorway. Owing to its position on the English Channel coast, and its natural sheltered harbours, it has a maritime history, though lack of inland transport routes have led to the decline of its ports.
Weymouth is a sea-side town and civil parish in the Dorset district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, on the English Channel coast of England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, 11 km (7 mi) south of the county town of Dorchester, Weymouth had a population of 53,427 in 2021. It is the third-largest settlement in Dorset after Bournemouth and Poole. The greater Weymouth urban area has a population of 72,802.
South West Coaches is a privately owned bus company that operates services around Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire, in South West England.
Excel is the brand name given to a number of bus services operated by First Norfolk & Suffolk, covering 80 miles (130 km) between Norwich bus station in Norfolk and Peterborough railway station in Cambridgeshire. Prior to February 2018, the route also extended from Norwich to Lowestoft in Suffolk via Great Yarmouth; this section of the route has since been replaced by Coastlink branded services X1 and X2. As of June 2021, the Excel route itself operates between Peterborough, King's Lynn and Norwich, with variations A, B, C and D providing different levels of service to intermediate villages.
Kernow is a bus company operating services in Cornwall, England. It is part of First South West, a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
The Great Storm of 1824 was a hurricane force wind and storm surge that affected the south coast of England from 22 November 1824. Nearly 100 people were believed to be killed.
X53 may refer to:
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