New Castleford Bus Station Starts to Rise

Castleford�s new-state-of-the-art bus station starts rising this week on the site where its now-demolished predecessor stood.

Councillor Peter Box, Chairman of West Yorkshire Combined Authority along with Councillors James Lewis, Yvonne Crewe, Robert Forster and�Damian Spencer, Morgan Sindall's Commercial Manager were on site to see steel beams guided into place for the new facility.

As the project enters its next phase, there will also be some changes for people using bus services around the bus station.

From Sunday 15 June, the remaining bus stops E1, E2 and Coach will move from the bus station to the nearby Enterprise Way and services to Ferry Fryston will begin departing from stop B1 on Bank Street.

Some offices on the bus station site will remain open and buses will still pass through it so they can get to the stops on Enterprise Way but from Sunday 15 June, there will be no passenger access to any area of the bus station site.

Leaflets and posters have been produced to show people where to catch their buses and when the closure of the bus station site takes place, staff will be on hand to point passengers to their correct stops.

�As well as representing a huge improvement in levels of convenience and comfort for local bus users when it opens in spring next year, Castleford�s new bus station will provide a new, welcoming gateway to the town,� said Cllr Box.

�Wakefield Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have worked closely to develop this new passenger facility that will benefit Castleford residents, local companies and people visiting the town for leisure, shopping and business.�

�Castleford�s new bus station will have the kinds of features people have come to expect from bus stations across West Yorkshire,� said Combined Authority Transport Committee Chair Cllr James Lewis. �It will have an enclosed waiting area, CCTV coverage, real-time information displays and public toilets and will result in the creation of improved links with the town�s rail station.

Cllr Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council�s cabinet member for Regeneration and Economic Growth, said, �Before work started we held exhibitions showing plans for how the new Castleford bus station would look and nearly every one of the 1,000 or so people who turned up to those exhibitions supported the scheme. I�m sure those people will be pleased to see the new bus station starting to take shape.�

Damian Spencer, Morgan Sindall�s Commercial Manager, said "We are proud to be involved in delivering this important project for the people of Castleford. Once complete it will provide an eye-catching new entry point to the town."

Work on West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Wakefield Council�s �6m redevelopment of Castleford�s Bus Station started on site in January. Early tasks included hoarding, demolition of the old bus station and archaeological investigations.