New bus services and improved frequency on some routes in and around Northampton to be introduced later this week

From Sunday July 27, a number of routes will go live, as West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Stagecoach Midlands and the Department for Transport work to improve connectivity.

More than £5.4 million of government investment has been allocated to improving bus services in West Northamptonshire, which has made the changes possible.

New services

• 13 Northampton to West Hunsbury - a new Sunday service will be introduced to enable improved connectivity for the area and access to the Ironstone Railway and West Hunsbury Country Park.
• 17 Northampton to Brixworth - new evening journeys introduced Monday to Saturday to cater for the evening leisure users.
• 19 Northampton to Rye Hill - new Monday to Saturday off- peak service will run between Rye Hill and Northampton Town Centre replacing the 96 bus service in this area.
• 59/60 Northampton to Welford and Market Harborough – this service will now operate a more direct route between Spratton and Kingsthorpe, providing faster journeys to and from Northampton. The service will no longer operate via Brixworth, providing faster journeys and improving access to the Brampton Valley Way, the Northampton and Lamport railway and Naseby battlefield. Passengers who wish to travel to Brixworth will need now to change at Kingsthorpe.
• 59/60 Northampton to Welford and Market Harborough - a new Saturday service will also be introduced between Northampton and Market Harborough via Welford.
• 96 Northampton to Rugby - extended to serve Northampton General Hospital. The route will no longer serve Rye Hill, this section will now be served by the 19 bus service, but the route will now provide a more direct journey into Northampton and improve accessibility to the hospital

Mark Whitelocks, managing director of Stagecoach Midlands, said: "These changes will make it easier to travel by bus to Northampton General Hospital, make services more direct for our customers saving them time as well as introducing new evening and weekend journeys to help improve connectivity across the region. We look forward to welcoming more customers on board.”

“These new and enhanced bus services are a direct response to local feedback and part of our wider ambition to connect communities, support sustainable travel, and improve access to key destinations across West Northamptonshire,” Councillor Richard Butler, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport added.