Another troubled Transport Interchange

Tuesday 13th February 2024

Barry Docks isn’t the only location with a troubled Transport Interchange.

Just before Christmas, the Central Bedfordshire town of Flitwick finally saw buses begin using its new £4.8 million three-bus-stop Transport Interchange, built close to the entrance to the railway station (on the Midland Main Line, one stop south of Bedford).

But in a familiar refrain, it turns out the opening has been mired in delay and controversy and even now, only a few buses are using the new Interchange due to issues over access and egress.

Plans to regenerate the area around Flitwick railway station have long been discussed and subjected to public consultation, with the first substantial scheme publicised in 2007 involving Tesco, which occupies a large site opposite the station, on Steppingley Road. Those proposals came to nothing after Tesco withdrew from the scheme in 2010.

Fast forward to 2017, with Central Bedfordshire having become a unitary council in 2009, and in the meantime having purchased various parcels of land around the station leading to a transformational project” being devised aimed at “a more attractive and successful town centre better capable of supporting the needs of Flitwick and West Mid Beds as a strategically important transport gateway and hub.”

Flitwick has always suffered from the railway line splitting the town centre in two with High Street north of the tracks and the entrance to the station, Tesco and other retail outlets south. The 2017 project envisaged new retail, housing, a Public Transport Interchange and additional car parking with “a major national retailer” on board all being constructed south of the tracks on the acquired land and rejigging the Network Rail/GTR station car park.

Fast forward again to April 2021 and a slimmed down scheme, minus the retail but incorporating a Transport Interchange as well as public realm improvements around the station and improved car parking, was approved with funding of £2.2 million from the Government’s £27 million ‘Getting Building Fund’ allocated to, and overseen by, South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), £2.5 million from Central Bedfordshire’s capital budget and the remaining £167,000 from developer Section 106 funds.

Documentation justifying the funding contained noble objectives and lots of fine words

Hilary Chipping, SEMLEP’s Chief Executive reckoned she was “delighted to be supporting this project which will support sustainable travel as well as regenerate the area for the benefit of the people of Flitwick” adding “projects such as this help deliver key priorities at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc including connectivity, skills for all, the green recovery and innovation which all generate jobs and support the local economy.”

Personally, I have my doubts whether 24 bus departures a day picking up and setting down in a £4.8 million lay-by rather than at the roadside is going to revolutionise the “Oxford-Cambridge Arc” of connectivity, but I guess time will tell.

Back in the optimism of April 2021 work was set to begin on constructing the new Transport Interchange in August that year with an opening planned “by the end of 2022”.

However in January 2023 as construction was nearing completion, managers at both Grant Palmer and Stagecoach expressed safety concerns over passenger crossing points as well as the practicality of buses actually being able to use the bus stops which had been designed and constructed with very tight kerbs and space for buses to get in and out as you can see in the above photograph taken from Central Bedfordshire Council’s website.

Modifications were made during summer 2023 but it wasn’t until just before Christmas when northbound buses (towards Ampthill, Bedford and Milton Keynes), operated by Grant Palmer and Stagecoach, finally began using the new bus station along with the Mondays and Fridays only half hour shuttle bus to Centre Parcs Woburn Forest (a seven minute ride away).

SEMLEP’s website contains details of the Transport Interchange as a case study but erroneously states as at April 2023 “construction was completed in December 2022 as planned and the interchange is now operational” which just goes to show you can’t believe everything you read about case studies.

Finally opened in December, Grant Palmer uses stand A for departures on its route 34 to Milton Keynes and route 42 to Bedford (both hourly) and the Centre Parcs shuttle on Mondays and Fridays…

… while Stagecoach have been using stand B for its hourly route 2 to Bedford.

Flittabus, the local community bus operator also calls into the Transport Interchange and uses stand C for its two to four departures per day to various rural destinations, depending on the day of the week.

Sadly, less than two months since opening, use of the Transport Interchange reduces by a third this week as Stagecoach withdraws its route 2 on Saturday without replacement, leaving the route to Bedford exclusively to Grant Palmer’s route 42.

The problem with diverting more services into the new Interchange arises from buses having to turn left into Steppingley Road when exiting …

… and then having to turn at the roundabout by the railway bridge and retrace the route back passed the Transport Interchange. With the routes tightly timed, Grant Palmer are reluctant to make changes at this stage, so instead, having observed a bus stop in High Street, they speed past the Interchange opposite Tesco without calling.

This means buses on Grant Palmer’s routes 34 and 42 in one direction as well as route 200 to Biggleswade continue to pick up at on-street bus stops on the other side of the railway bridge.

So far readers may have picked up this blog has been rather critical, so I’d like to redress the balance by saying well done Central Bedfordshire Council for trying to overcome a problem of poor interchange between buses and trains in Flitwick.

Previously the two main bus stops in the town were those shown on the map in the above photograph either side of High Street.

This is where buses would pause to maintain time if appropriate, which is not ideal and often caused obstructions to traffic, as well as the stops being some distance from the entrance to the railway station.

The new arrangements outside the station building make for a much more pleasant and convenient area for passengers to wait and catch a bus.

The area immediately outside the station building has been greatly improved…

… and an accessible toilet block has been added immediately outside.

There’s an electronic departure sign showing bus departures on one side and trains on the other as soon as you leave the station building …

… and another as you approach the Transport Interchange, although sadly they don’t show departures from the High Street and Kings Road.

The Transport Interchange is at a higher level to the station building …

… and there are steps as well as a ramp to reach it.

There’s also some nice public realm touches with seating.

The bus shelters look smart, with an adjacent litter bin.

They each have a real time sign inside…

… as well as a large poster size departure listing – which I also noticed are displayed at many bus stops/shelters throughout Central Bedfordshire.

All in all, it’s now a very pleasant spot.

It’s just a shame it’s not been possible for more buses to use it and the talked about new footbridge and lifts for the station, making it accessible, have not yet been installed by Network Rail/GTR.

Roger French

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On Tuesday, 13th February, at 12:00 don’t miss my free-to-attend online webinar “Secrets of a Successful Bus Operation” thanks to the Foundation for Integrated Transport. Book your place here.

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