Monday, 23 October 2023

Lancaster Bus Station Closed Again

 

STOP PRESS:  The repairs have been completed and the bus station is now fully open.

For the second time in six months half of Lancaster bus station has had to be closed due to problems under the concourse seemingly connected with the drainage system. The latest incident took place on Saturday when Stagecoach put out the following announcement.

Due to a collapsed manhole on Cable Street  which is at the exit of the Bus Station.
Highways have closed the road off as a result, we are operating the following:

LANCASTER BUS STATION STAND CLOSURE
 
With immediate effect, stands 1 through to 11 will be closed, until further notice.
 
From FIRST BUS, to 19:00, Monday to Saturday, the following will apply:
 
Services 1, 1A, and 100 will NOT serve Lancaster Bus Station in both directions, unless a driver changeover.
 
University bound services will serve Parliament Street, then the next stop will be George Street.
 
Morecambe and Heysham bound services will serve George Street, then the next stop will be Lancaster Sainsbury's.
 
Morecambe bound 40 and 41 services will NOT serve Lancaster Bus Station, unless a driver changeover.
 
Service 2X and 4 will use the bus stop on Chapel Street.
This is all it takes to close half the bus station

Buses can't enter the station due to the road closure.


The collapsed manhole actually takes up very little space and perhaps buses could, with care, get by, but the Highways Department has closed off Wood Street at its junction with Damside Street so that buses can't actually get into the bus station in the first place.

The Bus Users Group has been in touch with the county's Highways Department but all they have done is to confirm that the road is closed!  They have now been asked to find out from their contractor when the work will be done and the BUG will also use our contacts to try and get the work expedited.