New Dudley bus station will be 25 per cent smaller than old one - but bosses insist it will be able to handle 135 buses an hour

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has confirmed that the town's new bus station, due to open in spring next year, will have just 14 stands, compared to 19 at previous bus station, which closed last year.

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But a source at the transport organisation insisted that the old station was operating at just 55 per cent of its capacity, and the new one will be large enough to handle almost double the present traffic levels.

The old bus station, which dated back to the 1980s, closed in January last year so work could begin on the new development, which will also include a platform for the West Midlands Metro tram service.

The new station was originally due to have opened this year, but was hit with delays. TfWM said the two-storey building was now on track to open next year, and would include comfortable waiting areas and live travel information screens, providing a warm welcome for visitors to the town.

With the steel structure in place, contractor Taylor Woodrow is about to start on the installation of the roof. 

Jo Shore, director of delivery with TfWM, said: "We’ve worked hard to keep disruption to a minimum and would like to thank local businesses and residents for their patience throughout the construction.

“Crucially, the Interchange is taking shape and will soon offer an accessible, welcoming transport gateway that will seamlessly connect Dudley to the wider West Midlands via both bus and Metro."

On the long side of the building there will be 14 stands for buses, plus a coach stand.

Transport chiefs say it will have capacity for up to 156 departures per hour, almost double the current town centre bus service levels.

"Bus-use patterns have changed considerably since the old bus station was built in the 1980s," said the TfWM source. "The new bus station has been designed to meet present needs, and has the capacity to handle far more buses than come into the town at the moment."

Planning permission for the new bus station was first granted in 2019, but that was followed by a lengthy legal wrangle with grocery chain FarmFoods, which had a store on part of the site.

Work eventually began after Dudley Council had begun compulsory purchase order proceedings.

TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is working on elected mayor Richard Parker’s Journeys for Everyone programme in Dudley. which will also see the introduction of new bus priority routes and the tram extension which will initially link the town to the existing Wolverhampton-Birmingham line.

Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said the new station was an important part of the authority's regeneration programme, connecting tram and bus services in the town centre.

“We are incredibly excited to see the progress that is being made on the construction and we look forward to seeing it in use next year,” he said.