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Bus or Coach Station that had been built in Brum but never used

horsencart

master brummie
The last time I posted this I got a GBH to the ear hole, the problem is I cannot find my original post and with the soon to be closed Central Library the area may change soon so here goes


Many years ago I was told of a Bus or Coach Station that had been built in Brum but never used, the entrance to this Bus or Coach Station can still be found in Paradise Circus it is still there, the entrance as with the rest of the Station has a high ceiling (ideal for Double Deck buses), so lets take an imaginary view from a coach and a passengers view point, making our way into the station on the left is long shelter made out of concrete, the concrete bus shelter was for many years a favourite of Midland Red, sadly I do not know of many that are still exist, the last that I know of were in Royal Leamington Spa and they have long since gone,

Having arrived at that station we exit by one of two? means the first is by escalator, the two escalators that were installed at the Bus or Coach Station are still in position and were never used originally the escalators were open to the elements, they have since been boxed up?, there were in other parts of Brum three other escalators open to the elements sadly they did not last long, back at the station the other means of exiting the station is by a stairway, this stairway is again still in position it was designed to move the people in volume and could not be described as an emergency stairway,

Having departed the Station this would mean that the passengers would be able to make their way way to say New Street Railway Station or Snow Hill Station both within a reasonable walk, a little different from the walk from Digbeth Coach Station its all up hill, a word here should be made about Digbeth Bus and Coach Station for it was once both it is not known if the original plan was to close Digbeth or to keep it when the new bus or Coach Station opened,

Now again from the passengers view point what what would have happened if they made their way to a Coach or Bus at the station, again they would have used either the stairway or the escalators to the waiting Bus or Coach and this sadly is why the Station would have failed again this is from the perspective of the passenger on the Bus or Coach, the vehicle would have made its way to the exit this would have been a little awkward as the exit would have been in the tunnel that runs from Great Charles St to the Bristol Road

Now this would have meant that a set of lights would have operated in the tunnel to stop the traffic either at the entrance or a part of the way into to tunnel the Bus or Coach would then made its way from the Bus or Coach Station, it was decided that this was not practicable as you could not keep stopping the traffic if you think that this is just a bit fancy full the next time you go through this tunnel there is a part the way a flat section of the tunnel were it look as if an exit may have been

Why that just did not have the traffic turn around and got out the same way it cam in I do not know a set of light here would not have caused to much of a problem, now I did put the theory of a Bus or Coach Station to another forum and I was told that I as talking out the back of a certain part of my anatomy, if this is so then why were two Escalator built but never used why build a heavy duty Staircase there are no shops down there it is not a public area, the library that is built above the Bus or Coach Station is due to close in September this does leave the possibility that the area beneath the library may be redeveloped ? ( and so disappear)

So I will leave it to others to decide if there would have been a Bus or Coach Station there here are a few photos that prove or disprove the theory

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151163161/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151167369/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151169829/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153395694/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153399714/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151179253/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153406458/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153408862/in/photostream/
 
I doubt this was to be another bus or coach station. The architecture looks the same as the library which implies it's early 60s. Around that time, you've got the new tunnel being put in and somewhere under there should be the nuclear bunker. My best guess is that it's just access for the Library.
 
I worked at Alpha Tower just across the way from the spot and we were told it was an underground bus station. I think there might have been a car park too. It was never used and seemed to have been left abandoned, like much of the end of Fletcher's Walk. Units for shops were left unfinished along there for years. My guess is that the 60s development was never properly planned in terms of footfall, relationship to the other main city centre shopping areas and transport links. Well, what's new huh? Viv.
 
I remember your original thread horsencart but I can't find it either!!
Seems like a bus or coach station to me though.
rosie.
 
I believe there was plans to build a bus and coach station in the Great Charles St area some years ago,but that was thrown out because it wasn't central and unpopular with passengers..so Digbeth is then.
 
I can remember being told it was going to be a bus station but it wasn't used due to the exit being badly planned and would have been too dangerous to use.
 
The story that I heard was that Birmingham City Council planned the bus station for the corporation buses to complement the Midland Red bus station in the Bull Ring. Whether there would be a shuttle between the two or not I don't know. However the City Council realised that if they completed the bus station it would automatically become WMPTE property without compensation to the Birmingham ratepayers who had paid for it when WMPTE took over the corporation buses and garages in 1969 and that is the real reason they never completed the bus station.
 
I believe there was plans to build a bus and coach station in the Great Charles St area some years ago,but that was thrown out because it wasn't central and unpopular with passengers..so Digbeth is then.

I think you are thinking of the plans for the replacement of Digbeth which at one time was planned to be between Gt Charles Street and Lionel Street. This fell through because the story at the time was that the site could not have catered for articulated coaches so the decision was taken to rebuild on the existing site at Digbeth. As we know London has got rid of its articulated buses and I don't think we will get articulated coaches.
 
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