The dawn of a new era for express bus service between Durham and Sunderland

Go North East, the region’s largest bus company, is launching a new standard of express buses on a reinvigorated X20 route from Monday 20 May, giving customers a fast and direct service between Durham and Sunderland under a new ‘X-lines’ brand, which is around 25% faster than the normal bus service.

X-lines buses are painted in a striking gold colour scheme to ensure they really stand out from your average traditional bus and feature the latest high quality standards for customers including comfortable high back leather seats, free onboard Wi-Fi, USB charging points, next-stop audio-visual announcements and even have complimentary newspapers on board. The buses are also environmentally friendly with low carbon emissions.

The X20 service will run up to every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday, complementing sister service Prince Bishops 20 which runs up to every 12 minutes, serving Durham, Belmont, Carrville, Rainton Bridge, Houghton-le-Spring, East Herrington and Sunderland. Journey times are around 25% faster than traditional bus routes in the area due to the usage of bus lanes along Durham Road in Sunderland and heading into Durham, as well as running non-stop between Rainton Bridge and Carrville.

A weekly ticket is just £25 on the Go North East app and offers unlimited travel on the X-lines X20 service.

Martijn Gilbert, managing director of Go North East, said: “We’re delighted to launch the first of our new high standard X-lines buses on routes serving Sunderland and Durham. This is just the start of us reinvigorating, improving and investing in our network of fast and direct commuter bus links to key towns and cities across our region that are also great for shopping, leisure, onward transport connections and more.

“X-lines buses are gold in colour and really do set out to provide a gold standard of service, but at great value fares that make them a viable alternative to the hassle of driving and parking. The on board ambience and facilities provide a productive and connected working environment as much as a comfortable relaxing environment for leisure travellers alike. With X-lines buses there’s never been a better time to give the bus a try!”

For more information about Go North East's X-lines services, visit gonortheast.co.uk/x-lines.