Smooth opening for Stourbridge’s new £7m bus station

The first bus leaves the new station.

The opening two days of Stourbridge’s new £7 million bus station have gone extremely smoothly, Centro, the region’s transport authority, said today (Tuesday).

The first bus leaves the new station.

The cutting edge timetable information and comfortable waiting facilities have also been well received by passengers using the new Stourbridge Interchange on Sunday and Monday.

Centro’s Bus Station Manager for Stourbridge and Halesowen, Steve Hutchinson, said: “The big test was on Monday as people returned to work after the weekend and students and pupils headed for school.

“It was incredibly hectic but passengers had little trouble finding their stands thanks to the extra marshals we had on site and the information leaflets handed out.

“By this morning (Tuesday) passengers had clearly got to grips with the new layout and we hardly had a question. We’re extremely pleased at how well it’s all gone so far.”

The first bus – a Number 9 to Birmingham – rolled into the new station at 7:37am on Sunday. The Interchange had opened its doors at 5am following the completion of an 18 month-long build.

Constructed on the site of the town’s old bus station the new Interchange offers a major improvement on the former facility with fully enclosed and comfortable waiting areas, including a convenience store, and cutting edge passenger information systems.

Mr Hutchinson added: “We must have had at least 400 local people come down on Sunday, not to catch a bus but just take a look at the new station. Quite a few locals also popped along to buy their Sunday paper from the station’s convenience store which shows how the new facility is already becoming a valued part of the local community.”

The new Interchange boasts a contemporary glass and steel design, including a focal point canopy, a modern station building and concourse complete with toilets, a convenience store and electronic passenger information boards telling passengers when their bus is due.

Other features include eight, spacious bus stands allowing easy passenger circulation with doors that automatically open only when the bus arrives.

CCTV, help points and an internal public address system have also been installed throughout the site.

A focus has been placed on improving walking routes into the town centre and a new covered walkway links the station building to the existing subway from Foster Street. The subway itself has been refurbished to become much more open and bright.

Better links have also been created to the innovative People Mover connection to Stourbridge Junction, allowing for easy interchange.