Winchester bus station reopened to the public on Tuesday, September 5, following a £400,000 revamp.
Councillors and bus operator staff were in attendance to witness the first bus – an ADL Enviro200 MMC operated by Stagecoach South – drive through the red ribbon to mark a new chapter for Winchester.
The old bus station, which closed in July this year, has gone through a renovation programme, giving it an open and pedestrian-friendly layout, making it safer for all bus users, as well as improving real-time bus information.
Leader of Winchester County Council, Cllr Caroline Horrill, said at the opening: “We’re delighted with the support we’ve had from the bus operators, particularly from Stagecoach who’ve worked with us closely to make this happen on time with the minimum disruption. The place is absolutely transformed; it’s so open and it feels safer as a consequence. The facilities are hugely enhanced and as the buses will not travel up the High Street any longer there is improved safety benefitting residents and bus users.”
Gordon Frost, Operations Director at Stagecoach South, added: “We’ve been talking about redeveloping the bus station for about twenty years. There has been a succession of developers that have come and gone without actually putting anything on the ground. Within three months of the council buying the bus station, they’ve demolished the old depot and remodelled the whole bus station to provide a facility that’s more light and air and far more comfortable for our customers.”
