Bus users are reminded that major changes to Birmingham city centre services come into effect.
All buses and stops will move out of Corporation Street and from start of service on Sunday July 22 a new network of six interchanges around the city centre will come into operation.
Any departures after 11pm on Saturday night will be using their new stops, but buses will be leaving five minutes later than scheduled to give passengers sufficient time to find their stop.
The new system sees similar bus routes being grouped together at the six interchanges to streamline services and reduce traffic congestion in the city centre.
As part of the changes Moor Street Queensway has been turned into a dual carriageway, with the east side of the Queensway – the side nearest to Moor Street railway station – now running in the southbound direction.
The changes pave the way for work on the forthcoming Metro tram extension linking Snow Hill Station to New Street Station, which itself is undergoing the £600 million Gateway rebuild.
The tram extension, which along with the Gateway project is due for completion in 2015, will feature a stop in Corporation Street, delivering more than 3.5 million passengers a year directly into the heart of the shopping district.
Centro, the region’s transport authority, in partnership with Birmingham City Council and bus operator National Express West Midlands, has been running a comprehensive passenger information campaign to promote the changes.
Marshals are posted around the city centre advising passengers where they need to go to catch their bus.
More than 50,000 maps of the new stop numbers and locations have already been handed out and 16 public exhibitions are being held throughout July, while information posters have gone up at stops throughout the city centre and on board buses.
Walking tours of the new stops can also be organised by contacting Centro Customer Relations on 0121 214 7214.
Centro passenger services director Stephen Rhodes said: “These are big changes and we are doing everything we can to let passengers know what is going on and to minimise any possible disruption.
“This new network is going to improve the flow of buses around the city centre, giving passengers better reliability, and will transform Corporation Street into a more attractive shopping environment.”
The new passenger interchanges will feature high quality shelters and travel information including maps and clear directions on how to get to the other interchanges and to key locations and attractions around the city.
They are located at:
- Snow Hill/Colmore Row
- Paradise Circus/Broad Street
- New Street Gateway
- Markets
- Moor Street/Carrs Lane
- Bull Street/Priory Queensway
During the coming months every bus stop and shelter in the city centre will be replaced by a sleek new design complementing the forthcoming tram stops and on-street information points.
Full details on the new bus stop locations as well as the forthcoming exhibitions can be found at http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/
