The very first coaches have left the new £50m Broad Marsh bus station after the site was plagued by delays. Nottingham has been without a bus station in the Broadmarsh area since 2017 and while the overall building was completed many months ago, it has remained out of use.
However at around 1am on Tuesday, June 14 the very first National Express service left its bay. Coaches had been forced to leave from Station Street, near the council's HQ at Loxley House, but they can once again depart from Canal Street.
Four coaches at a time can use the bus station, which is also complemented by a 1,200-space car park which opened last year, as well as a soon-to-open central library. The entire site has been hit with delays and the former Broadmarsh shopping centre remains in a state of redevelopment.
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Trentbarton customers will soon be able to depart from the bus station too, with news of services using the new facility expected soon.
David Mellen, leader of the council and Dales ward councillor, said: "We've waited a long time for this to happen, the car park has been used for six months, and now we are really pleased the bus station is operating here taking people from Nottingham in a safe way all across the country."
The bus station is fitted with air conditioning and heating, as well as toilets and state-of-the-art passenger information screens. The facility operates 24/7, including security.
Work is also ongoing to transform the Greater Broad Marsh area and the public realm. This redevelopment has included new cycle lanes, planting as well as a new 'Lister Square' parkland area which will be built on the western side of the former shopping centre.
National Express operates over 400 services a week from the Broad Marsh bus station with popular routes including London Victoria, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and frequent airport services to London Heathrow and Luton.
Ed Rickard, service delivery director at the company, added: "It is a beautiful, airy, modern and light facility and compared to where it was previously it is such a big change. Nottingham is a key stop for us on the network, really popular, very, very fast and it is great to get our customers into such a great facility."
