Wolverhampton bus station is the first part of a major public transport interchange in the city centre of

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

, in the

West Midlands region The West Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of International Territorial Level for statistical purposes. It covers the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. The region consists ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is managed by

Transport for West Midlands Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is the public body responsible for co-ordinating transport services in the West Midlands metropolitan county in England. It is an executive body of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), with bus franch ...

(TfWM). Local

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

services operated by various companies serve the bus station which has 19 departure stands and 1 unloading stand. The bus station is located halfway between Wolverhampton, St George's

West Midlands Metro The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmin ...

tram terminus and

Wolverhampton railway station Wolverhampton railway station in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England is on the Birmingham Loop of the West Coast Main Line. It is served by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Trains services, and was hist ...

; both are just a short walk away. It also features glass-enclosed waiting areas and electronic doors, allowing passengers out of designated pedestrian areas, only when buses are on stand. Uniquely, the designs for the station have meant that there is no need for buses and pedestrians paths to cross, due to the 'W' shape of the station. The bus station's enquiry office is now in the main building, but was in the Queen's Building, a grade II listed building, now host to

Costa Coffee Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England. Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. ...

, but which was formerly the carriage entrance to the railway station. The original bus station was on the northern side of Railway Drive approximately where the Ring Road passes under the present road bridge. It was primarily used by

Midland Red Midland RedCompanies House extract company no 82681
Midland Re ...

although a few WMPTE (ex-Midland Red) services also departed from there.

The Interchange Project

The station, which had existed since 1986, was closed after service finished on 3 April 2010. (The 1986 bus station replaced the original bus station on the northern side of Railway Drive.) Building work took place during the ensuing months, in which a new pedestrian bridge linking the railway and bus stations was built, a contraflow system installed along the ring road and the bus station rebuilt. The station re-opened on 24 July 2011, which coincided with the Wolverhampton bus network review and marked the end of Phase One of the project. Phase Two includes improvements to the railway station, a new hotel, and redevelopment of the canalside area, but a date for this has yet to be finalised. During, December 2014 the next phase of the Interchange project was given the go ahead, the next phase of the project comprises the refurbishment and extension of the Railway Station Car Park, it has seen the car parks capacity increased to just over 900 parking spaces, the whole interchange project will see all public transport in Wolverhampton connecting in one place, eventually linking the bus station, railway station and the

with the latter's

Piper's Row tram stop Pipers Row tram stop is an under construction tram stop on the Wolverhampton railway station extension of Line 1 of the West Midlands Metro. Taking its name from the street it is to be built on, it will serve the Wolverhampton bus station. It ha ...

to be located adjacent to the bus station.

External links

Information on the redevelopment of the bus station and the plans for the new one.

Wolverhampton Interchange Phase One

References

Where to board your bus - Network West Midlands.com
{{Transport in the West Midlands Metropolitan County, state=collapsed Bus stations in the West Midlands (county) Buildings and structures in Wolverhampton Transport in Wolverhampton