Bus station will not be moved to the Sea Terminal

DoI favours a £735,000 'combined package' of facilities elsewhere instead

Government says it won’t be relocating the main bus station in Douglas to the Sea Terminal.

The Department of Infrastructure is looking instead at a ‘combined package’ of facilities on Victoria Street and the Bottleneck car park.

But no work is due to be started before 2027.

A nine-page report, setting out five options which have been considered, is due to go to Tynwald in July.

Motion

It’s in response to a Tynwald motion from July 2024 which called for the reestablishment of facilities for bus passengers in the capital city.

That motion read as follows:

‘That Tynwald is of the opinion that the reestablishment of facilities for bus passengers in the Island’s capital city is a priority; should not await the completion of the Lord Street site; and that accordingly the Department of Infrastructure should work up a detailed plan of how facilities – including but not limited to: route and timetable information; protection from weather; toilet services; appropriate lighting; appropriate seating; accessible Wi-Fi and availability of refreshments – will be provided; and that the Department should submit this plan for debate at the December 2024 sitting of Tynwald.’

Options

The five options considered included:

• Sea Terminal front carpark - additional stands
• Sea Terminal rear carpark - additional stands
• Victoria Street - additional stands and shelters
• Bottleneck - shelter improvements
• Bottleneck - waiting room and public facilities

The Department of Infrastructure says the Sea Terminal options were ‘operationally constrained, less safe and disproportionately expensive’.

The Bottleneck waiting room option provided greater amenities but at a capital cost that was ‘not proportionate’ given the potential development on the Lord Street site.

The DoI says a ‘value-for-money’ option can therefore be achieved by combining the Victoria Street and Bottleneck shelter improvements.

However it accepts that, despite the £735,000 price tag, the preferred option does not fully meet the requirements of the Tynwald motion.

Preferred option

The DoI says Victoria Street will provide a central and convenient location for bus passengers which is close to retail and business areas.

It is an area, it says, which has been used successful before when Lord Street was being resurfaced.

The facilities will continue to be used after any development on the current site and it’s estimated that work on this site will cost £420,000.

Developing the Bottleneck site would cost £315,000.

“This combined approach avoids the disproportionate costs and operational disadvantages associated with the Sea Terminal options while still delivering a visible and practical improvement to the passenger experience in Lower Douglas.” - Department of Infrastructure

Each shelter and waiting room will be equipped with lighting and a display screen showing journey information including the next services due.

In addition, despite not progressing the Sea Terminal options, multiple information screens will be installed there showing real time information and details of stop locations for visitors.

This information will include estimated arrival times via a live location feed from the buses’ onboard ticketing system.

Lord Street Development

The Lord Street site behind the current bus station has been sold to a developer with a contractual requirement to build bus passenger waiting facilities within it.

However the department accepts the development is ‘significantly overdue’, it is not clear when construction will begin and there is an ‘expectation that it will take several years to complete’.

It also accepts that during any construction bus services will be disrupted, or stopped, and there is an operational need to find alternative bus stop locations during that time.

Risk

The department says the principle risks centre around approvals, budget approvals, market conditions and the interchange with the horse tram track extension.

Public views

These passengers told Manx Radio what they thought of the proposals: 

Report

The ‘Lower Douglas Bus and Passenger Facilities’ report will be laid before Tynwald in July and Minister Tim Crookall will make a statement.

You can read it in full HERE.

The department says it intends to bid for funding in the 2027/28 budget process and, if approved, seek to complete the work in the same fiscal year.

The project would be managed and delivered by the Highway Services Division on behalf of Bus Vannin.