The new Crewe Bus Station has opened its doors today (May 7) following a two-year construction project.
The station’s facilities, covered by a CCTV system, include a fully-enclosed passenger waiting area with seating and 10 bus bays including one for coaches.
There are also toilets for passengers, including a disabled toilet and baby changing facilities, which will open between 8.30am and 9pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 8.30pm on Sundays.
There is also a Changing Places facility – an accessible bathroom designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities who are unable to use standard toilets.
The station will have on-site staff during core operating hours, and there are cycle stands and welfare facilities for bus drivers.
Bus bay doors will only open when a bus is in the bay to prevent passengers from walking or running out onto the external bus concourse.
Cllr Michael Gorman, chair of Cheshire East Council’s economy and growth committee, said: “We know that Crewe’s communities have been calling for a new bus station for some time and I am absolutely thrilled that we are now just days away from opening the doors to this modern and attractive new facility.
“Crewe is known for its fantastic transport links, and those travelling by bus can now enjoy a much more welcoming arrival into the town centre.
“I hope that passengers, once they get inside, will be pleased by what they see, and I’d like to thank everyone that has been involved in delivering such an important piece of the town centre’s ongoing regeneration.”
Carol Jones, of Crewe and District Bus Users Group, said: “For many years, we have campaigned for a new bus station for Crewe, and we are extremely impressed with how much hard work has gone into delivering this new facility.
“It is a bus station that Crewe’s communities can – and should – be proud of and is a fantastic asset for the town.
“It’s clean, bright, and welcoming and provides passengers with much more comfortable surroundings while they wait for their bus.
“The public toilets, which the old bus station did not have, are a welcome addition, as is the accessible Changing Places toilet.
“I hope the opening of the bus station next week will result in more people considering using bus services to get out and about in Crewe and beyond.”
An official opening will take place following the completion of the multi-storey car park, which is expected to open by the end of May.
There were toilets there years ago but the council removed them!
i hope they stop the smoking around the bus lanes as you wait for your bus, with the old one smokers thought it was ok to smoke by the stands, but the stink still blows over the seated areas, and it was foul