The new bus station will replace the existing station at Moor Lane and offer improved links between rail and bus services, waiting areas, passenger facilities, accessibility, information, and safety and security. A pedestrian bridge or walkway is also being planned between the new site and the train station to reduce the commuting time.
The new Bolton bus station will offer a state-of-the-art spacious terminal for buses. The modern glass and steel building will also house a cafe, shops and office accommodation as well as a prayer room, public toilet facilities and a mobility shop for disabled passengers.
Outline planning permission for the new bus station has been granted by Bolton councilors in June 2010. The earlier artists’ impressions drawn by Edinburgh-based Comprehensive Design Architects as part of the firm’s work on the 67-hectare Innovation Zone of Bolton town center were rejected by Bolton Civic Trust for resembling an ‘industrial shed’.
A full planning application is expected to be submitted in early 2011. Subject to securing the necessary approvals and permissions, the new facility would be operational by winter 2014 or 2015.
The scheme is being funded through the Greater Manchester Transport Fund and forms an integral part of Bolton Council’s town centre regeneration program.
