FAQs

The works to Halifax Bus Station will result in a complete redesign of the bus station. To make space to build the new bus station, most buses need to be moved to existing on-street stops.

Buses that operate over North Bridge and new bank/A58 are mainly running into Halifax Bus Station during the construction period. If these buses had to travel around the town centre, and not directly to the bus station, the added routes would cause gridlock on existing stops and routes, leading to more delays to services. School bus services are also calling into the bus station during the construction period.

Around two thirds of bus services that usually serve Halifax Bus Station will be moved to on-street bus stops from Sunday 5 September for the duration of the works. These are not expected to change until construction is complete.

The location of stands in the Bus Station will change throughout construction, however bus services will still be accessed from the same stand number. 

All stop locations will be reviewed after a period of operation. If additional stops can be added closer to the bus station without risking gridlock, some bus routes will pick up at additional boarding stops.

The table below shows bus service numbers, which on-street stop they will now be accessed from and how to find the stop. 

 * Services 526, 562, 536, 537, 574, and 577 will continue to operate from the bus station after 7pm.

• 22
• 226
• 255
• 349
• 508
• 548
• 549
• 571
• 576
• 586
• 587
• 681
• 682
• School services

Phase 2 of the bus station construction is scheduled to start in October 2021, at which time the stops in the bus station will be moved to a different part of the bus station.

Further information will be available on the website: www.wymetro.com/halifaxbusstationworks

There will also be posters, press releases etc to keep customers up to date with changes throughout the phases of construction.

At the Travel Centre, which will remain at the bus station throughout construction.
 

• Online at:
   www.wymetro.com/halifaxbusstationworks (Halifax Bus Station scheme website)
   or:
   www.wymetro.com (Metro website)
  
   
• Via phone: 0113 245 7676
  
   
• Rail information may be found on the National Rail website: www.nationalrail.co.uk

To try and avoid gridlock on town centre bus routes and keep traffic flowing, buses have been moved to around 20 different stop locations. 

Stop locations will be reviewed after a period of operation and if additional stop points can be added closer to the bus station without risking gridlock, some bus routes will pick up at additional boarding stops.

Take the customer’s details and a member of the project team will contact them.

AccessBus is a dial-a-ride bus service offered across the region. Registration is required. Information is available at www.wymetro.com/plan-a-journey/accessible-travel/accessbus/

The existing layby on Charles Street, next to the Woolshops Shopping Centre car park.

School bus services will run from Stand B4 in the Bus Station throughout the duration of the bus station construction. The actual location of Stand B4 will change within the bus station site at different phases of the construction, you can access the most up-to-date information via the channels found above.

Construction will take nearly 2 years (95 weeks approximately), with completion expected in summer 2023.

You can report issues through the Q&A section of the Halifax Bus Station Page on the Your Voice website:

https://www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/hbs

Yes, a Travel Centre will remain open during construction. Customers will still be able to buy tickets and get the latest travel information from the Travel Centre.

During Phases 1 and 2 it will remain in the main building where it is currently located.

During Phases 3 and 4 (from early 2022) it will be relocated to a temporary cabin next to the Sunday School Façade (next to the pedestrian crossing opposite Sainsbury’s).

The current public toilets within the bus station, which are accessed off Wade Street, will remain open during Phase 1 and 2 of the construction.

After Phase 3 begins, it will not be possible to access the toilets at the Bus Station. However, there are several alternative public toilets available nearby at the following locations:

• George Square (HX1 1TA) - public & disabled
• Halifax Borough Market exterior (HX1 1DZ) - public & disabled
• The Piece Hall (HX1 1RE) - public & disabled
• Square Chapel Art Centre (HX1 1QG) - changing facilities
• Halifax Swimming Pool (HX1 2JN) - changing facilities
• Eureka! (HX1 2NE) - changing facilities
• Halifax train station (HX1 1QU) - public & disabled

No shops will be open at the bus station during the construction work.

There is no car parking at Halifax Bus Station.

Alternative (off-street) car parking may be found at:

• APCOA Multi-Storey (HX1 1UX), above Broad Street Plaza. This is approximately a 3-minute walk from the Wade Street entrance of the bus station.
  
  
• Woolshops Shopping Centre (HX1 1RU) – approximately a 3-minute walk from the Wade Street entrance of the bus station.
  
  
• There is also on-street parking at numerous locations in the town centre – however, some of this parking will be out of use during construction works (see Q15).

Unfortunately, in order to accommodate the additional bus services calling at on-street bus stops, some of the on-street parking in the town centre has had to be suspended.

9 parking bays located on Waterhouse Street, Crown Street and Ward’s End have been suspended during the works.

Alternative on-street parking is available on nearby streets, together with off-street parking at Broad Street Plaza and Woolshops.    

Yes, these are located off Wade Street opposite the Royal Mail office. 

These will only be available during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the bus station construction. Alternative arrangements will be made for when work starts on Phase 3 of the bus station construction in early 2022. 

There will be no bike parking available at the bus station itself, however bike parking may be found elsewhere in the town centre at the following locations:

• Corner of Old Market and Market Street, opposite Halifax bank
   (HX1 1RN)
• George Square, next to Lloyds Bank and the public toilets (HX1 1HF)
• Southgate, outside the entrance to the Borough Market, opposite Caffè Nero (HX1 1DL)
• The north entrance of the Piece Hall, opposite the entrance to the Woolshops Centre (HX1 1RU)
• Calderdale Industrial Museum, Square Road (HX1 1QG)
• Halifax Railway Station (HX1 1QU)
• Commercial Street, outside the Victoria Theatre (HX1 1BP)
• Southgate and Market Street entrances of Westgate Arcade
  (HX1 1DJ)

The current bus station has several challenges that need to be addressed:

• The bus station has had no major refurbishment since the late 1980s.
   
• The bus station is located on a slope, making it difficult for those with wheelchairs, pushchairs, shopping trolleys, or mobility issues to make their way around the bus station.
  
  
• There are safety concerns for pedestrians coming into conflict with buses.
  
  
• The bus station is not fully enclosed, meaning it is often cold and unattractive in the winter, in poor weather, and during the hours of darkness.
   
• There is only limited seating available.
  
  
• The size of the site makes it difficult to manage, leading to anti-social behaviour and an unwelcoming environment for many bus passengers.
   
• A lack of information about trains from Halifax Railway Station makes connecting between buses and trains difficult.
   
• There is an opportunity to improve the retail and refreshments offering at the bus station.

Money for the scheme is coming from the Transforming Cities Fund, which is a central government fund aimed at growing sustainable transport and reducing carbon emissions from transport.

This scheme is not being funded by local council taxes generated by Calderdale Council. 

The Halifax Bus Station redevelopment will cost £17.7 million.

It is part of a £39.9 million package of transport improvements being delivered in Halifax to improve the sustainable transport offer. The package also includes refurbishment of Halifax Railway Station (‘Halifax Rail Station Gateway’).

The funding was secured as part of competitive bid to Central Government, known as the Transforming Cities Fund, which was submitted in late 2019. The money was secured in March 2020.

This funding can only be spent on projects aimed at improving public transport, walking, and cycling provision, as well as the urban environment in order to reduce dependency on private cars and to reduce carbon emissions.

The new bus station will have a Travel Centre, a newsagent, and space for a café outlet.

There will be new toilet facilities and a Changing Places facility. Changing Places are larger, more accessible toilets with equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches, and space for carers.

Secure, covered cycle parking with CCTV coverage will also be installed.

There will be improved passenger information, including real-time information for rail services from Halifax Railway Station, helping to make connecting journeys easier.

Interchange between bus and rail will be improved by supplying real-time information for rail services within the bus station. Calderdale Council is developing other projects that will improve bus and rail interchange.

As part of the A629 Halifax Town Centre project, a bus-rail interchange will be introduced near the train station and the Halifax Rail Station project will significantly improve accessibility to this interchange. This will link directly with the new bus station.

See www.calderdalenextchapter.co.uk/projects for more information.

Yes – the project will deliver secure cycle parking which will be sheltered, well-lit, monitored by CCTV, and in a secure location close to the bus station entrance, which will have high levels of footfall.

Yes – and step-free access to the bus station from Wade Street will be provided for improved accessibility.

Yes – there will be step-free access at the main entrances. The main building will be near level, making access to and from the bus station much easier for all users.

Yes – the taxi rank area on Wade Street will be improved, providing a taxi drop-off/ pick-up facility which will drop off/ pick up passengers as close to the bus station as possible.

Yes - two coach stands will be provided, and the Combined Authority will work with coach operators to ensure the stands are used.

Several measures will be used to make the bus station as environmentally friendly as possible. These include:

• Using environmentally friendly building materials
• Reducing energy use by installing LED lighting, energy-saving glazing, sky lights, a heat pump, and other measures
• Reducing waste
• Increasing recycling facilities
• Local energy generation through solar panels
• Providing equipment to allow the future installation of charging points for electric buses and bicycles (there is currently no policy or preferred standard around how charging will take place – this varies according to bus operators’ preferences and other operational factors)
• A green 'living roof' made up of sedum plants and wildflowers to absorb CO2 and airborne particulate emissions and promote biodiversity.

Bus services at the station are run by private commercial operators and therefore an increase in services is not directly part of this project.

However, the project aims to make bus travel more attractive and provide additional capacity at the bus station to allow operators to run more services in the future.

Improving bus routes to the hospitals in not part of this project, however there are ongoing discussions between WYCA, the bus operators and the NHS Trust regarding routes.

Town centre signage is not a part of this project; however, the new bus station will include signage at the entrance/exit. 

Furthermore, the Halifax Business Improvement District (BID), Calderdale Council, and the Halifax Town Board are developing a signage strategy for Halifax town centre, which will consider this.

Yes – these historic buildings will be retained as part of the new bus station. They will be adapted as new entrances to the bus station building.

The new building will allow for better monitoring by staff of all areas of the bus station. For example, the proposed customer service desk in the centre of the building will allow staff to have a good overview of the bus station. CCTV will operate during the bus station’s opening hours. Security staff will also be employed at the bus station during its opening hours.

High-quality toilets will be provided within the new bus station and will be accessible during the bus station’s opening hours. These will be accessible through a coin-operated turnstile & access entry system, similar to those in Leeds and Castleford bus stations. This system will help to prevent antisocial behaviour within the toilets and generate an income which will be used to maintain the bus station facilities.

An accessible toilet and Changing Places facility, which will both be free of charge, will also be provided in the new bus station. Changing Places are larger, more accessible toilets with equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches, and space for carers.

• We have been working closely with bus operators and our partners at Calderdale Council to minimise the impact of disruption to services during the construction of Halifax’s new £17.7 million state-of-the-art station.
  
   
• Sources of information for passengers:
  • Visit www.wymetro.com/halifaxbusstationworks or call 0113 245 7676 for travel information.
  • During the first few weeks, staff will be on hand at the bus station and on-street to help people.
  • Posters will be on display at the bus station, on buses, and on key buildings and bus stops across the town centre throughout the construction period.

• The scheme costs have increased for Halifax Bus Station due to several factors, which include the rising cost of building materials and the complexities of delivering a new station while continuing to operate some bus services on site.
  
  It has also been necessary to divert utilities (such as electricity cables) which lie close to the surface at the site of the new vehicle entrance and the new emergency vehicle access onto Winding Road.
  
  
• Once complete, the new £17.7 million bus station will bring better passenger facilities and access to the town centre.  It will also include environmentally friendly features, such as measures to allow us to install electric bus charging points in the future; bike parking; solar panels, and a living roof complete with plants. 

• While public transport usage is currently lower than pre-pandemic levels, we expect demand to recover.
  
  
• The Combined Authority is working towards the ambitions outlined in the government’s National Bus Strategy (Bus Back Better), our region’s emerging Bus Service Improvement Plan, and our Mayor’s pledges.
  
  
• In these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we continue to invest in a modern, accessible transport network, which supports economic growth by connecting more people with job, training, and education opportunities.
  
  
• Building the future we want with a transport system fit for the 21st century is vital, not only as we look to pave a way forward for our region following the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in tackling the climate emergency by helping us achieve our aim of becoming a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.