Barnsley’s new £24 million transport interchange will open on Sunday 20 May after three years of development. To mark the occasion the people of Barnsley are invited to a unique public viewing on Saturday 19 May from 12.30 pm.
Before that, councillors will arrive by a Stagecoach bus to be greeted with a programme of music and songs from local school children, bands, street performers, jugglers, unicyclists and stilt walkers. Later, a mass of balloons in all four colours of the interchange’s ‘pods’ will be released into the skies to celebrate the arrival of the latest and most radical contribution to its Remaking Barnsley programme.
The new interchange will have 22 bus stands, two coach stands, state-of-the-art customer information systems, retail units and a direct bridge link to Barnsley railway station. It has been built by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) with financial support from the Department for Transport, Objective 1, Yorkshire Forward and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.
Roy Wicks, Director General of SYPTE, said: "The new interchange is not only a gateway to the town centre and a hub of all local public transport, but also a spectacular and innovative structure. Already it is being recognised as a world class building and is being considered for national and international architectural awards.
"Within the interchange there are beautiful structural beams made from sustainable sourced timber and a vast glass east wall that, together with the innovative roofing material, ensures it will become a Yorkshire landmark. The roof is made of a highly translucent plastic which protects visitors from poor weather and from excessively strong sunlight while still ensuring that they have the feeling of being in the open air.
"It will be a safe, clean, modern environment for all bus and rail passengers as it will connect the railway station directly with the town centre via a new link bridge. It has been designed to cater for the needs of all passengers with escalators, lifts and ramps. I hope people of Barnsley will be as excited by their new interchange as I am and that it will encourage even more of them to use public transport."
Once the new building is open, work will begin on the final phase of the project which will see the interim bus station on Interchange Way dismantled and the area converted into a through road and park and ride facility with space for 80 cars. This will be completed in the autumn.
The new Barnsley Interchange is a key part of the Remaking Barnsley initiative. This ultra-modern building will become the transport hub of the town for everyone who lives, works and travels through Barnsley.
Looking to the future, Barnsley’s historical market town status is to be shortly enhanced with the 1249 Regeneration Partnership, which will deliver a new £235 million Markets Development. This new development will be located near to the new Barnsley Interchange, ensuring that these unique retail and transport initiatives can work together and complement each other as Barnsley continues to experience rapid regeneration and growth.
SYPTE is a member of the Travel South Yorkshire partnership – a group which has been set up to deliver high quality public transport networks across South Yorkshire.
The aim of Travel South Yorkshire is to encourage more people to use public transport across the county and ensure a high quality experience for all passengers.