Buchanan bus station | |||||
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General information | |||||
Location | Killermont Street, Glasgow City Scotland | ||||
Coordinates | 55°51′55″N4°15′02″W / 55.86528°N 4.25056°W | ||||
Operated by | Strathclyde Partnership for Transport | ||||
Bus stands | 57 | ||||
Connections | Queen Street Buchanan Street (200 metres) | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 1977 | ||||
Passengers | |||||
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Buchanan Bus Station (originally Buchanan Street Bus Station) is the main bus terminus in Glasgow, Scotland, and is located between the Townhead and Cowcaddens districts on the north eastern side of the city centre. It is the terminus for journeys between the city and other towns and cities in Scotland, as well as long-distance services to other parts of the United Kingdom and some international journeys.
It is the biggest bus station in Scotland,[ citation needed ] with around 1,700 bus journeys departing from the station every day, with over 40,000 passengers using these journeys on a daily basis. It is within walking distance of Glasgow Queen Street railway station and Cowcaddens and Buchanan Street subway stations. There is a bus link serving the bus station, Queen Street and Central stations. [1]
The present Buchanan bus station opened in 1977. Prior to this date Scottish Bus Group services terminating on the north side of the city centre had used two smaller bus stations known as Killermont Street (also known as Buchanan Street) and Dundas Street Bus Stations, as well as on-street stances on adjacent streets. These facilities were very congested, although the situation was alleviated somewhat in the 1960s by the creation of overspill bus parking between the two stations following demolition of the block of buildings on the corner of Parliamentary Road and Killermont Street. That was only a temporary arrangement, as the demolition presaged the comprehensive redevelopment of this part of the city in the 1970s, sweeping away the original buildings and street layouts. As part of this redevelopment, the new Buchanan Bus Station was built to the east of the previous facilities, on land which had formerly been occupied by the north side of Parliamentary Road and part of the goods depot of the former Buchanan Street railway station, which had closed in the 1960s under the Beeching Axe. The new bus station was initially accessed to the south from the intersection of Parliamentary Road and North Hanover Street, but in the 1980s the former was realigned in an approximate east-west axis in order to create space for the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (and the future Buchanan Galleries shopping mall), and was renamed as Killermont Street - the original street of that name having been the northern continuation of Dundas Street - but this was now built over by an adjoining multi-storey car park as part of the bus station development.
When it first opened Buchanan Street was the Glasgow terminus of all Alexander (Midland), Alexander (Fife), Alexander (Northern) and Highland Omnibuses services into the city, together with some Scottish Omnibuses and Central SMT routes. Long-distance coaches operated by Western SMT and National Express also used the station from the outset. The other SBG bus station in the city at that time was Anderston Bus Station which was used by all Western SMT local services and by the balance of Central SMT and Scottish Omnibuses routes. These arrangements perpetuated the longstanding situation whereby SBG services would terminate on the edge of the city centre rather than penetrating into it, requiring passengers who wished to cross the city centre to change to a Greater Glasgow PTE service. This protected the city operator's revenue and supposedly reduced congestion in the heart of the city, but it was not convenient for passengers and following deregulation some routes were altered to better serve the city centre. Most former Western SMT routes (by now operated by Western Scottish and Clydeside Scottish) switched from Anderston to Buchanan, while many SBG services to the city's peripheral housing estates were merged into cross-city routes that did not terminate in either bus station.
Following privatisation of the Scottish Bus Group in 1990–91, ownership of the bus stations passed to Strathclyde Passenger Transport in 1993, and then to its successor Strathclyde Partnership for Transport in 2006. [2] By the early 1990s the competitive 'bus wars' which had broken out after deregulation had largely ended with most of the former SBG companies' suburban routes having been given up and left to Strathclyde Buses, whose services had never used the SBG bus stations. Anderston bus station closed in 1993, resulting in the transfer of some of its remaining services to Buchanan, whilst some other short-distance routes switched to on-street termini as a cost saving measure. Today Buchanan Street is the only bus station in the city, and it is predominantly used by longer-distance and express services.
Services to Buchanan bus station are operated by: [3]
The station was romanticized by local musician Roddy Frame in the song Killermont Street, which appeared on his band Aztec Camera's 1987 album Love . The song deals with escapism to new places from the station, with the recurring line There's a message for us, we can get there by bus, from Killermont Street. [6] Frame's official fansite is named "Killermont Street" in reference to the song. [7]
The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground rail transit system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. It is also one of the very few railways in the world with a track running gauge of 4 ft. Originally a cable railway, the subway was later electrified, but the double-track circular line was never expanded. The line was originally known as the Glasgow District Subway, and was thus the first mass transit system to be known as a "subway"; it was later renamed Glasgow Subway Railway. In 1936 it was renamed the Glasgow Underground. Despite this rebranding, many Glaswegians continued to refer to the network as "the Subway". In 2003, the name "Subway" was officially readopted by its operator, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is a concert and arts venue located in Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned by Glasgow City Council and operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow's City Halls and Old Fruitmarket venue.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the area, including responsibility for operating the Glasgow Subway, the third-oldest in the world.
Cowcaddens is an area of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It sits directly north of the city centre and is bordered by the newer area of Garnethill to the south-west and Townhead to the east.
The Scottish Bus Group (SBG) was a state-owned group of bus operators covering the whole of mainland Scotland.
Central Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Central SMT, and operated until July 1989 when it was merged with Kelvin Scottish to form Kelvin Central Buses.
Clydeside Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Western SMT Company Ltd. The company operated until May 1989, when it was remerged with Western Scottish, the successor company to Western SMT.
Eastern Scottish Omnibuses Ltd. was a bus and coach operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland and a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group. Eastern Scottish was formed in June 1985 from the main part of Scottish Omnibuses Ltd., which had itself traded as 'Eastern Scottish' since the 1960s. Following privatisation in 1990 the company traded as 'SMT' reviving the original name of the company. It operated until 1994, when it became part of GRT Bus Group plc.
Kelvin Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group based in Bishopbriggs, Strathclyde, Scotland. It was formed in March 1985 from parts of Walter Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd and Central SMT, initially with six depots and a varied fleet of 381 vehicles.
Midland Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operator formed in June 1985 as a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group, created from part of W. Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd. The company operated as Midland Scottish until 1991, when it was renamed Midland Bluebird in preparation for privatisation.
Kelvinhall is an underground station on the Glasgow Subway, renamed after the nearby Kelvin Hall. It is located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, near to many of the city's best known tourist destinations including:
The city of Glasgow, Scotland, has a transport system encompassing air, rail, road and an underground light metro line. Prior to 1962, the city was also served by trams. Commuters travelling into Glasgow from the neighbouring local authorities of North and South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, and East and West Dunbartonshire have a major influence on travel patterns, with tens of thousands of residents commuting into the city each day. The most popular mode of transport in the city is the car, used by two-thirds of people for journeys around the city.
Buchanan Street station is a former railway station in Glasgow. Less well known than the city's other terminus stations – Central, Queen Street and St Enoch – it was situated in the Cowcaddens district to the north-west of Queen Street station and served the north of Scotland.
Cambuslang railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is 5 miles (8 km) south east of Glasgow Central, and is regularly served by trains on the Argyle Line to and from Glasgow Central. Passenger services are provided by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).
Partick is combined National Rail and Glasgow Subway station in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with the adjacent bus station, it forms one of the main transport hubs in Glasgow. As of 2022, it was the fifth-busiest station in Scotland, but was overtaken in 2023. The station is served by Glasgow Subway and ScotRail services and was one of the first to receive bilingual English and Gaelic signs, due to the significant Gaelic-speaking population in the surrounding Partick area.
Buchanan Street subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway in Scotland. It serves the major shopping thoroughfare of Buchanan Street, and is one of two stations on the Subway that directly serve the city centre. Close to Buchanan Bus Station and providing interchange with Glasgow Queen Street railway station via a travelator, it is the busiest station on the Subway, with 2.54 million passengers in the 12 months ending 31 March 2005.
Cowcaddens subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway and serves the Cowcaddens, Garnethill and Dundasvale areas of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located on the north side of the city centre. Glasgow School of Art, Tenement House, the National Piping Centre, and to some extent Glasgow Caledonian University are local institutions and attractions served by the station.
The Bruce Report is the name commonly given to the First Planning Report to the Highways and Planning Committee of the Corporation of the City of Glasgow published in March 1945. It influenced an intensive programme of regeneration and rebuilding efforts which took place in the city and surroundings from the mid-1950s and lasted until the late 1970s. The author was Robert Bruce, Glasgow Corporation Engineer at the time.
Clyde Fastlink is a high frequency bus rapid transit system in Glasgow, Scotland. The system was designed to provide greater connectivity and faster journey times between Glasgow City Centre and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan, as well as to several other key developments along the north and south banks of the Clyde Waterfront.
British Coachways was a consortium of independent coach operating companies in the United Kingdom. Formed immediately after the deregulation of coach services in October 1980, it competed with the state-owned National Express and Scottish Bus Group on a range of long-distance routes. Initially composed of six members, it varied in size and composition over its two years of operation to include a range of ten different companies.
We can get there by bus From Killermont Street
Media related to Buchanan Bus Station at Wikimedia Commons