Doncaster’s new state-of-the-art Interchange and Information Centre inside Frenchgate will be officially opened this Friday (30th June 2006).
MPs, local dignitaries, and VIPs from across the business and transport industry will be attending the ceremony to celebrate the opening of the £200m PFI project.
Frenchgate is the 18th largest shopping centre in the UK and it is the only one of its kind in the country to combine integrated public transport and retail under one roof in the heart of a town centre.
With over 120 shops, a fully integrated 30 stand bus station and a seamless link to the railway station shoppers can now step off public transport and straight into the new state-of-the-art shopping centre.
At the event guests will be given a tour of the new Interchange and the Information Centre, which is the first one in South Yorkshire to be decorated in the new Travel South Yorkshire brand.
Transport Authority Chair Councillor Mick Jameson, who will officially open the Interchange, said: “The opening of Frenchgate is great news for Doncaster as it creates a seamless transport hub where shoppers, workers and visitors to the town can jump straight off public transport and walk into the shopping centre.
"It serves as the gateway into Doncaster and it underlines how the borough is changing and equipping itself as an emerging force in the north of England.”
The new Interchange has integrated public transport facilities in the town. Previously Doncaster was served by two bus stations neither of which were linked to the railway station.
David Brown, Passenger Services Director at the Transport Executive said: “Since it opened Frenchgate has been buzzing with people and I am delighted with the positive feedback we have had about the new facilities.
"The Interchange offers passengers a safe, secure, and climate controlled environment, which is all of airport quality. We hope more people take this opportunity to use public transport and see for themselves just how great the facilities are. It really is the envy of the north.”
Frenchgate has been developed by Scarborough Development Group, in partnership with the Transport Executive and Doncaster Council.
The new bus Interchange is the most modern in the country and it is estimated over 12 million people will pass through its doors each year. At peak times the bus station will handle over 160 buses an hour.
It is a safe, clean and comfortable environment with 24hr access through the malls so that passengers no longer have to walk through subways to catch the bus. For comfort and ease, automatic doors have been installed at every stand, which only open as passengers board or alight the bus. As well as this, highly sophisticated ventilation and climate control systems have been installed to keep waiting areas warm and free of exhaust fumes.
To ensure there is a seamless link to Frenchgate, a new entrance is being created linking the railway station concourse directly to the shopping centre and new bus Interchange. The link will offer passengers covered, safe access to and from the railway station. The underpass linking the platforms is also being improved and new passenger lifts are being installed to make access even easier particularly for those people who find stairs difficult. This work is still ongoing but will be finished in the autumn.