The new transport interchange at The Hard in Portsmouth will be opening this month, in two stages starting this Sunday.
Initially only the terminal building will be open from Sunday 7 May 2017 with buses still stopping outside as they do now.
Services offered to the public in the new building include:
- First Travel Centre for bus and National Express information and tickets
- Visitor Information, including Waterfront Gifts
- Toilets
- Refreshments
- Seating areas
Buses and coaches will start using the bays from Sunday 14 May 2017. The 10 bays all have real-time information screens to show arrival times and will be used by First Bus, Stagecoach, National Express, Megabus and Park & Ride.
All the access routes in and around the interchange will also be open again from Sunday except the public areas at the front of the site which are due to be completed by the end of the month. Extra staff will on hand to answer any questions and help any passengers.
Creating the new transport hub is the first step in a vision to regenerate the area around The Hard which is located between the world-famous Historic Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays. It will set the benchmark for the area and the tone for an impressive new gateway to Portsmouth.
Alan Cufley, Portsmouth City Council's director of transport, environment and business support, said: "We hope residents and visitors will see what a huge improvement the new interchange has made to this crucial gateway to our city. It will better link people to buses, trains and ferries; make the site easier to navigate; enable everyone to share the space more safely; and make the area look more welcoming."
The project was carried out by contractors Osborne and local firms were subcontracted. It was funded by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and Portsmouth City Council.
