National Express West Midlands route 7
Encyclopedia
The 7 is a bus route in the West Midlands
, United Kingdom
.
Service 7 links Birmingham
with Perry Common
, Witton
and Perry Common
via the Witton Road. National Express West Midlands
(NXWM) operates every 8 minutes Monday - Saturday daytime, 12 minutes on Sunday and 20 evenings during the evening. The route experiences a variety of vehicles on it, usually consisting of Volvo B7TL
/Wright Eclipse Gemini
s, Volvo B7TL
/Alexander ALX400
s and occasionally Scania OmniLink
s.
Central Buses and Midland Rider also run against NXWM on the service, between them providing a service on an infrequent basis. They do not operate evenings or Sundays.
The service also passes Centro headquarters
which also houses Traveline
West Midlands.
Service 7X is operated by Midland Rider on matchdays and runs between Villa Park
and Birmingham only.
MCW Metrobus
In February 2010, NXWM held a farewell event for the MCW Metrobus
on route 7. The bus used was ROX654Y (NXWM 2654, nicknamed ROXY due to the letters in the registration.
2654 did a morning running a special running board covering journeys between Birmingham
and the Perry Common terminus.
This event was covered by the BBC Midlands Today news and also featured in Coach & Bus Week
(CBW)
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Service 7 links Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
with Perry Common
Perry Common
Perry Common is an area of Kingstanding, in the constituency of Erdington, Birmingham, England.College High School is located in Perry Common as are the Hawthorn Shopping Centre on Hawthorn Road and Witton Lakes....
History
- Pre-deregulation - Route 7 was originally part of Birmingham City Transport's Services 5/6/7 cross-city network linking Perry Common with Bearwood and Edgbaston (Portland Road). During the 1970s this was simplified to just Service 7 operating between Perry Common, City Centre and Portland Road. In 1986 the cross-city link was broken completely, Portland Road thereafter being worked by Birmingham-Oldbury-Blackheath Services 128/129.
- May 2008 - Sunrise Travel start operating the 7.
- Burman Travel used to compete on this route using a variety of vehicles culminating with ex-Bournemouth Fleetlines.
- Serverse travel operated a limited number of journeys for a short period of time using Mercedes-Benz 811D buses.
- YourBus operated service 7Y between City Centre & Witton until their sale to West Midlands Travel.
Present
Service 7 serves BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Witton
Witton
Witton may refer to one of several places in England:*Witton-le-Wear, County Durham*Witton, Lancashire, a former parish in Blackburn*Postwick with Witton, in the county of Norfolk and 5 miles east of Norwich, in Broadland district...
and Perry Common
Perry Common
Perry Common is an area of Kingstanding, in the constituency of Erdington, Birmingham, England.College High School is located in Perry Common as are the Hawthorn Shopping Centre on Hawthorn Road and Witton Lakes....
via the Witton Road. National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
(NXWM) operates every 8 minutes Monday - Saturday daytime, 12 minutes on Sunday and 20 evenings during the evening. The route experiences a variety of vehicles on it, usually consisting of Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
/Wright Eclipse Gemini
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
s, Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
/Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
s and occasionally Scania OmniLink
Scania OmniLink
The Scania OmniLink is an integrally-constructed rear longitudinal-engined citybus available on the European market. It is a complete product built by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
s.
Central Buses and Midland Rider also run against NXWM on the service, between them providing a service on an infrequent basis. They do not operate evenings or Sundays.
The service also passes Centro headquarters
West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
which also houses Traveline
Traveline
Traveline is a partnership between local authorities and transport operators in the UK to provide impartial and comprehensive information about public transport which has operated since 2000...
West Midlands.
Service 7X is operated by Midland Rider on matchdays and runs between Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
and Birmingham only.
MCW MetrobusMCW MetrobusThe MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
farewell
In February 2010, NXWM held a farewell event for the MCW MetrobusMCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
on route 7. The bus used was ROX654Y (NXWM 2654, nicknamed ROXY due to the letters in the registration.
2654 did a morning running a special running board covering journeys between Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and the Perry Common terminus.
This event was covered by the BBC Midlands Today news and also featured in Coach & Bus Week
Coach & Bus Week
Coach & Bus Week is the only paid for weekly trade magazine for the road passenger transport industry in the United Kingdom. It is available by subscription, from main branches of WHSmith and from some independent newsagents...
(CBW)