Bus stations being rebuilt

[317 forever]

It occurs to me that we have rarely if ever discussed bus stations being rebuilt.

Feel free to comment on any bus stations being transformed, but I shall mention Durham, which was due to reopen in November, and Crewe, which is imminent.

Durham : https://www.palatinate.org.uk/durham-bus-station-planned-to-open-in-november/

Durham bus station planned to open in November​

August 30, 2023
By Samantha Webb
Durham’s new bus station is due to open on North Road in November.
New images show that the steel frame is now complete, the main roof has been installed, and work has begun on the external stone cladding. Inside the new transport hub, walls, floors, staircases, and passenger lifts have now been installed ready for the planned opening in three months’ time.
The new station is on the site of the old bus station, which was demolished in 2021.
In 2021, Durham County Councillor and City of Durham Parish Councillor Richard Ormerod said that the new site was to be safer and more environmentally-friendly.
“We’ve waited a long time for this to happen. Working with the Council we managed to secure a green wall and solar panels. We will have a building which is safer, greener, more attractive and more user-friendly than the old one.”

Crewe : https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/cou...ary-bus-station-coming-into-use-in-crewe.aspx

Council updates on temporary bus station coming into use in Crewe​

15 December 2022

Cheshire East Council is pleased to confirm that work to deliver a new bus station and multi-storey car park in Crewe town centre is on schedule.

From Wednesday, 4 January 2023, a temporary bus station will be in use, as work to complete the first phase of the council’s Royal Arcade scheme enters the next stage.

The existing bus station will be closed, and eight temporary bus stands will be in operation alongside temporary passenger shelters, cycle stands and facilities for bus drivers.

Buses will be running via a one-way system and will enter the site from Victoria Street and exit onto Delamere Street.

Pedestrian access will be available from the north of the site via Victoria Street and Lawrence Street, as well as from the south of the site on Delamere Street.

Councillor Nick Mannion, chair of Cheshire East Council’s economy and growth committee, said: “I am really pleased to be able to confirm that we will be starting the new year by reaching such an important milestone in the first phase of our Royal Arcade scheme.

“By bringing the temporary bus station into use it means that we can start demolition works on the existing bus station and can then eventually begin to construct the new permanent bus station and multi-storey car park – work that is due to take 12 months and is expected to complete at the end of 2023.

 

[dmncf]

Cardiff is due to open in spring 2024: https://tfw.wales/projects/metro/south-wales-metro/metro-central/cardiff-bus-interchange

Stockport is due to open in spring 2024:

Stockport’s new rooftop park hits next milestone as part of Interchange transformation

www.stockport.gov.uk

I have recently seen newish ones at Exeter, South Shields, and Wolverhampton.

There are quite a few newish ones that I haven't seen yet including Bolton, Gloucester, Hemel Hempstead, Leicester, Merthyr Tydfil, Nottingham, and Stevenage.

 

[Deerfold]

Halifax Bus Station has taken some time to be rebuilt. It was demolished in March 2022, reopened to some services in October 2023, but it'll be a while before the rest reopen.

Buses seem to have to travel some distance within the bus station grounds.

I've used it a handful of times. 3 of the 5 buses I've caught there have left from the wrong stand as standing buses have blocked the bays despite nearly half the bays in use so far being allocated for that purpose. Routes are suffering from buses with shared parts of route leaving from stops in different parts of town and some town centre stops being in less welcoming locations, particularly in an evening.


https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/hbs/

Halifax Bus Station redevelopment
Work continues on a new £20.5 million state-of-the-art facility delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in partnership with Calderdale Council.

Latest update
Construction of the new Halifax Bus Station has reached a major milestone, with some bus services, a new travel centre and accessible toilet facilities opening to passengers from Sunday 1 October 2023.

This is an exciting step forward for the £20.5 million investment into Halifax town centre.

Ten of the new station’s 19 bus stands will be open from 1 October. Other bus services will continue to run from stops in the town centre until the transformational new station is complete in early 2024.

Construction work will continue until then, and the next milestones will include a newsagent and attracting tenants for the station’s other retail units, including a potential new café space.

Alongside improved facilities, safety measures and better access, the new station will enable passengers to switch between bus services more easily.

It also has solar panels, cycle parking, a new “green roof” covered in bee-friendly plants and more green space for people to enjoy, contributing to West Yorkshire’s aim to be carbon neutral by 2038.

From the start of October, people will also be able to access a new “Changing Places” toilet, which will have extra features for people with a range of disabilities, including a hoist and height adjustable changing bench. 

Passengers are being asked to visit the West Yorkshire Metro website or call 0113 245 7676 for travel information.

Posters detailing where to catch buses and how to find out more about the project will be displayed at the station, on buses, and on key buildings and stops across the town centre.

Staff will also be on hand at the station to help people and answer questions.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Cardiff is due to open in spring 2024: https://tfw.wales/projects/metro/south-wales-metro/metro-central/cardiff-bus-interchange

Stockport is due to open in spring 2024:

Stockport’s new rooftop park hits next milestone as part of Interchange transformation

www.stockport.gov.uk

I have recently seen newish ones at Exeter, South Shields, and Wolverhampton.

There are quite a few newish ones that I haven't seen yet including Bolton, Gloucester, Hemel Hempstead, Leicester, Merthyr Tydfil, Nottingham, and Stevenage.

Surely rebuilt would suggest that they are on the same site? Most of those are new bus stations albeit replacing existing facilities nearby?

 

[busesrusuk]

I'm not sure about being transformed. Most "new" bus stations are soulless steel and glass sheds that appear very clinical. Sadly some excellent bus stations have disappeared over time which had real character. Its debateable if the replacements are an improvement - at least in terms of location where many have moved further away from the town/city centre they serve.

Sadly the original bus station at Durham with its wrought ironwork went many years ago. I would think that if it had survived and was to be rebuilt now then some way of incorporating all that old ironwork into a 21st century bus station might well have been on the cards...

 

[WM Bus]

Dudley due to close January 2024 for 18 months as its rebuilt.

https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/service-updates/dudley-bus-station-closure

From Sunday 14th January 2024, Dudley Bus Station will be closed for approximately 18 months while construction of the new interchange takes place. The redevelopment of the bus station aims to create a modern, efficient, and sustainable transport hub for the community, including a new Metro stop, better facilities and increased safety.

Whilst the redevelopment takes place, services using the bus station will need to use temporary stops on Tower Street, Ednam Road, Priory Road, New Street, Castle Street & The Broadway, and will have timetable changes due to the stop changes.

 

[A0wen]

I'm not sure about being transformed. Most "new" bus stations are soulless steel and glass sheds that appear very clinical. Sadly some excellent bus stations have disappeared over time which had real character. Its debateable if the replacements are an improvement - at least in terms of location where many have moved further away from the town/city centre they serve.

But the average member of the travelling public isn't looking for something with "character" they're looking for something which is clean, warm, dry and reasonably user-friendly.

The fact new builds are "clinical" doesn't mean they are bad - often they are good for accessibility, clean, well maintained and user friendly.

Unfortunately this isn't to the liking of the enthusiast community, but since the enthusiast community are only a tiny proportion of the users, it really doesn't matter.

 

[anthony263]

Cardiff bus station long overdue and from what I've heard the new one isn't really that good and is going to cause problems

 

[73001]

Ormskirk was reopened in March this year after a year being closed for refurbishment. Better landscaping, new shelters, public toilets and a cycle route through to the train station alongside the footpath. Well overdue really as the former buildings were mostly abandoned years ago. Interesting fact about the bus station; when it originally opened it had to be partly rebuilt as long buses (nationals at the time) grounded out as they turned in off the main road.

 

[busesrusuk]

But the average member of the travelling public isn't looking for something with "character" they're looking for something which is clean, warm, dry and reasonably user-friendly.

The fact new builds are "clinical" doesn't mean they are bad - often they are good for accessibility, clean, well maintained and user friendly.

Unfortunately this isn't to the liking of the enthusiast community, but since the enthusiast community are only a tiny proportion of the users, it really doesn't matter.

Its not about enthusiasts yearning for the past, its about good design that can reflect the character of an area and retain, where possible, something that might be of local historical interest. You will still get all the good stuff such as accessibility etc. but in far more pleasant surroundings than some of the sheds that now seem the norm...

 

[Andyh82]

Its not about enthusiasts yearning for the past, its about good design that can reflect the character of an area and retain, where possible, something that might be of local historical interest. You will still get all the good stuff such as accessibility etc. but in far more pleasant surroundings than some of the sheds that now seem the norm...

Can you give an example of somewhere where this has happened?

 

[Simon75]

Some, like Chester, still have no enclosed waiting areas.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

My two penneth...

Aside from Durham (before my time), Salisbury and Derby, I'm struggling to think of too many bus station rebuilds that haven't resulted in a massive improvement in passenger facilities. This doesn't mean that there aren't examples of where new bus stations are perfect; there are too many examples of insufficient space for vehicles laying over, design oddities that provide problems for drivers, or a lack of simple things like seats for waiting passengers.

However, I tend to agree with @A0wen in that it is often the enthusiast fraternity that seems to view things through rose-tinted spectacles. I've seen posts romanticising Bretonside in Plymouth... it was hideous. Enthusiasts proposing (after it was left derelict) that Worswick Street in Newcastle should be reopened - one of those places with "character" yet one of the worst places to wait for a bus. I shudder when I think of the appalling places I waited for a bus in the past in the 1980s and 1990s and it's generally good riddance to the vast majority of those locations.

I did think about the locations that I think have been substantially rebuilt (i.e. not places like Abergavenny where they replaced the bus shelters) on the same site, and there's absolutely boatloads. Just look at North East England:

• Alnwick
• Ashington (twice)
• Newcastle Haymarket - (note Eldon Square is located on the old layover spot not the old bus station)
• Sunderland
• Durham (twice)
• Consett (twice)
• Stanley
• Bishop Auckland (in the process as we speak)
• Gateshead
• Four Lane Ends

You can probably include many bus stations in PTE areas (e.g. Cleckheaton, Stourbridge, Dinnington, Wigan), as well as selected ones in the provinces e.g. Edinburgh, Nottingham (both?), Bristol - there's plenty.

 

[Busaholic]

However, I tend to agree with @A0wen in that it is often the enthusiast fraternity that seems to view things through rose-tinted spectacles. I've seen posts romanticising Bretonside in Plymouth... it was hideous.

Dangerous too, as I discovered in its dank, dark and stinking environs when I returned to a left luggage locker there after a late night pre Christmas shopping trip about 25 years ago. If I hadn't been fleet of foot I'd have been robbed, knifed or both, and I never returned there, even though a late evening coach was mostly my preferred transport option homewards.

 

[johncrossley]

Dangerous too, as I discovered in its dank, dark and stinking environs when I returned to a left luggage locker there after a late night pre Christmas shopping trip about 25 years ago. If I hadn't been fleet of foot I'd have been robbed, knifed or both, and I never returned there, even though a late evening coach was mostly my preferred transport option homewards.

Any bus station can be dangerous even if they are the modern glass dome types which feel much more welcoming than the old dark underground style ones. Unless there is a security guard there will be a certain amount of risk in any lonely place. Making a bus station look nice will only improve the *perceived* safety, not the *actual* safety. TfL got a lot of criticism for their West Croydon bus station rebuild, because it is now more open to the elements, but both perceived and actual safety may have been improved because of the reduced sense of isolation.

 

[Busaholic]

Any bus station can be dangerous even if they are the modern glass dome types which feel much more welcoming than the old dark underground style ones. Unless there is a security guard there will be a certain amount of risk in any lonely place. Making a bus station look nice will only improve the *perceived* safety, not the *actual* safety. TfL got a lot of criticism for their West Croydon bus station rebuild, because it is now more open to the elements, but both perceived and actual safety may have been improPentagonved because of the reduced sense of isolation.

Yes, they can be, but Plymouth Bretonside had a certain combination of features and surroundings making it a paradise for people who had no intention of ever catching a bus or coach, though buses had almost vanished well before it closed. Plymouth City Council had provided a bus inspector during daytime hours, but I never saw 'security' there, or police unless responding to a 999 call. It made Chatham's Pentagon seem like heaven on earth!

 

[Deerfold]

Heckmonwike bus station is to be rebuilt in the new year. No timescale is given, but the cost is £8.6 million.

New bus station in Heckmondwike given green light

West Yorkshire leaders have approved plans to build a new bus station in Heckmondwike

www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk

07 December 2023

Plans to build a new bus station in Heckmondwike have been given the green light by West Yorkshire leaders.
The existing “bus hub” in the town centre will be given a major upgrade, with more bus stands and improved facilities for passengers.

The current traffic island will be demolished, with a new bus station building with indoor waiting facilities built in its place.

The project aims to improve journey reliability and times, as well as reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“We want to improve bus services for people in West Yorkshire – so that public transport is reliable enough to make it the first choice for travel.

“This new station is a big step towards that goal and will make it easier to walk, cycle and wheel in the area too.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the project come to life as we build a better-connected region that works for all.”

This £8.6 million project is being delivered in partnership with Kirklees Council.

The new, fully accessible station will also include extra seating, better footways, cycle parking, solar panels, a “green roof” with plants and more green space for people to enjoy. New toilet facilities will be created, including a “Changing Places” room with extra features for people with a range of disabilities.

It will also improve safety by introducing more CCTV cameras and better lighting.

The new station will make it easier for people to use the bus, cycle, wheel or walk in and around Heckmondwike.

Members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority approved the plans at a meeting today (December 7).

Cllr Cathy Scott, Leader of Kirklees Council, said:

“As we unveil the new Heckmondwike Bus Station, we embark on a transformative journey that goes beyond bricks and mortar. This station is not just a transportation hub; it's a catalyst for positive change within our community. With an unwavering commitment to sustainability and accessibility, this project is part of plans to regenerate the town centre and is part of our Heckmondwike Blueprint regeneration initiatives.

“Our vision encompasses a future where bus travel becomes a preferred choice, reducing our travel-based carbon footprint and congestion. By enhancing reliability and attractiveness, we invite more residents to embrace sustainable transport, making strides towards our sustainable and inclusive growth ambitions.”

The scheme is being delivered through the Combined Authority’s Transforming Cities Fund programme, which is aimed at making it easier to walk, cycle and use public transport.

Construction work is due to start in January 2024.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Any bus station can be dangerous even if they are the modern glass dome types which feel much more welcoming than the old dark underground style ones. Unless there is a security guard there will be a certain amount of risk in any lonely place. Making a bus station look nice will only improve the *perceived* safety, not the *actual* safety. TfL got a lot of criticism for their West Croydon bus station rebuild, because it is now more open to the elements, but both perceived and actual safety may have been improved because of the reduced sense of isolation.

Yes, they can be, but Plymouth Bretonside had a certain combination of features and surroundings making it a paradise for people who had no intention of ever catching a bus or coach, though buses had almost vanished well before it closed. Plymouth City Council had provided a bus inspector during daytime hours, but I never saw 'security' there, or police unless responding to a 999 call. It made Chatham's Pentagon seem like heaven on earth!

Any location can indeed be dangerous @johncrossley but an old and poorly lit facility is much more likely than a modern, enclosed one to be foreboding and perceived as dangerous. The difference between actual and perceived safety is both subjective, and important; who wants to wait somewhere where it feels a bad place to be.

Plymouth Bretonside was truly awful and yet still some enthusiasts were gnashing their teeth about its demise. I can think of any number of bus stations that were absolutely terrible to wait in. The replacements may be too small and that causes problems operationally, but is anyone really bemoaning the loss of the former Carlisle bus station, or Park Lane in Sunderland, or Broad Marsh in Nottingham?

One modern facility (built on an existing site) is Chelmsford. It is too small, and poorly designed and gets a lot of deserved criticism with vehicles often having to find any spare stand to board passengers, leading to confusion. Mind you, its predecessor was dirty, fume-filled and fairly grim to wait in.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Heckmonwike bus station is to be rebuilt in the new year. No timescale is given, but the cost is £8.6 million.

New bus station in Heckmondwike given green light

West Yorkshire leaders have approved plans to build a new bus station in Heckmondwike

www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk

It doesn't seem that long since the current "hub" (a fancy name for a patch of concrete with bus shelters round the edge) was completed, can't be more than ten years. At the time it was done, it did feel a bit austere compared to the more substantial facilities in comparable small towns nearby.

I'd rather the mayor's office use resources to fund a decent and more user-friendly service after 6pm. As things stand everything drops to hourly, and most departures are bunched together meaning the "hub" is deserted and hostile for 75% of the time... and passengers get teased with buses doing part-routes that terminate there and head empty to the nearby depot.

 

[Roilshead]

Belfast Transport Hub, now formally renamed Grand Central, replacing Great Victoria Sreet railway station and Europa Buscentre, is on target for 2025 completion and will also see the closure of Laganside Buscentre (formerly Oxford Street bus station). It will be interesting to see if it remains a Translink-only facility or whether the Airlink and Dublin Express services to Dublin will be allowed access.

 

[Flying Snail]

Belfast Transport Hub, now formally renamed Grand Central, replacing Great Victoria Sreet railway station and Europa Buscentre, is on target for 2025 completion and will also see the closure of Laganside Buscentre (formerly Oxford Street bus station). It will be interesting to see if it remains a Translink-only facility or whether the Airlink and Dublin Express services to Dublin will be allowed access.

I wasn't aware they are planning to close Laganside, that will take up most of the extra 10 bays that Grand Central has over the current Europa.

Also worth a mention is the new Limerick bus station due to open early next year. Moving a very short distance from one side of the railway station to the other but with more bays and considerably better passenger facilities.

Some photos linked https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/irishtransport/new-limerick-bus-station-t20590.html

 

[davews]

Probably relevant to this thread is Slough bus station. Rebuilt in 2010 but then destroyed in a fire in 2022. It remains closed and it is uncertain whether it will be totally rebuilt - or maybe after 18 months they have decided it is not needed anyway...

 

[Deerfold]

Any location can indeed be dangerous @johncrossley but an old and poorly lit facility is much more likely than a modern, enclosed one to be foreboding and perceived as dangerous. The difference between actual and perceived safety is both subjective, and important; who wants to wait somewhere where it feels a bad place to be.

Plymouth Bretonside was truly awful and yet still some enthusiasts were gnashing their teeth about its demise. I can think of any number of bus stations that were absolutely terrible to wait in. The replacements may be too small and that causes problems operationally, but is anyone really bemoaning the loss of the former Carlisle bus station, or Park Lane in Sunderland, or Broad Marsh in Nottingham?

One modern facility (built on an existing site) is Chelmsford. It is too small, and poorly designed and gets a lot of deserved criticism with vehicles often having to find any spare stand to board passengers, leading to confusion. Mind you, its predecessor was dirty, fume-filled and fairly grim to wait in.

It does seem a shame when new facilities shrink to the size required at that time, with no space for expansion. Broadmarsh seems to have succumbed to this, with the future of Nottingham Victoria bus station (which did the same thing 20 years earlier) uncertain.