Whippet Coaches (National Express contractor) NX29 (BV67 JZP) at Barton Mills - 5 Apr 2020 (P1060602)

Sunday 5 April 2020 (1232 BST) – In response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak and the consequential reduction in passengers, National Express cut many services effective Tuesday 24 March 2020 and from that date a limited number of routes operated on a temporary timetable. Then on Wednesday 1 April 2020 those services were cut further with the announcement that from 2359 on Sunday 5 April 2020 all services would cease until at least 1 June 2020.

On this last day Whippet Coaches NX29 (BV67 JZP), a Caetano Levante bodied Scania K440 new in January 2018, was seen on the A11 at Barton Mills as it worked the 1130 from Norwich to Victoria.

Normally this particular coach is one of the regular machines that work the National Express service 727 from Norwich to Heathrow and Gatwick Airports which also travels along this road, a service curtailed for the period of the emergency measures.

The services introduced on the temporary timetable on 24 March 2020 were numbered in the 800 series with service 813 operating from Great Yarmouth to London (Victoria Coach Station) via Norwich, Thetford, Newmarket, Cambridge, Stansted Airport and Stratford with two departures from Great Yarmouth (at 0620 and 1050) and one from Norwich (at 1530). The northbound journeys departed Victoria at 0930 (to Norwich only) followed by two journeys to Great Yarmouth at 1200 and 1630. From 1 April 2020 this was reduced to just one trip departing Norwich at 1130 arriving Victoria at 1525 returning from Victoria at 1630.