BREAKING: First to run service to Poringland

First in Norwich are set to compete with Go-Ahead's Anglianbus with a service to Poringland. Thanks to Chris Speed for sending me and First Eastern Counties Fleet News the following for immediate publication.

"We are pleased to announce that from Monday 4th April we will be bringing the villages of Poringland & Framingham Earl into our Norwich Network with the introduction of a new fast, direct bus service.

The new route will carry the service number 40 and be known within the coloured network as the Charcoal Line.

It will operate every 30 minutes between Poringland and the city centre and will provice a direct, fast service from the housing areas on the eastern side of the village, and then travel via the main Bungay Road and Trowse bypass, terminating at Stand BQ on St Stephen's Street.

a First bus on diversion in Poringland last year

The introduction of this exciting new service will provide an important link from these areas (at present not served by our buses) onto our established, frequen, Norwich Network services with their range of important destinations such as the UEA, N&NUH and Railway Station etc.

All of our great value Norwich Network zone fares and tickets will be available on the service which we hope will encourage commuters, students, shoppers and families alike not just to use the route but also to continue their journeys on our other services once they reach the city centre. We will also be bringing mobile ticketing to these communities for the first time with our increasinly popular mTicket app.

A full launch plan for the service has been put together and will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months, so look out for more information as we officially annoucne the introduction of the service to the public very soon."

Some of Ipswich's Enviro200s are expected to transfer to Norwich for the service, as explained in Steve's Bus & Train Page post which can be read here.