All aboard!

AT LAST! Macclesfield town centre's new £2million bus station was officially opened on Tuesday morning to the delight of passengers.

The state-of-the-art building has taken nearly 15 months to build using more than 32,500sq metres of glass, steel and Kerridge Stone from the nearby Sycamore Quarry.

The curved, glass-fronted interchange was opened by Cheshire County Council's chairman Nora Dolphin and is already a big hit with bus users.

Roy Williams, 67, was one of the first people to catch a bus from the station.

The retired painter and decorator said: "I'm surprised to say it really is an excellent facility and they've done a damn good job."

"I've been using the stop outside Oxfam on Mill Street for more than a year now, where it is cold and crowded and the buses don't always stop. It is great to finally have protection from the elements and be able to sit in the bay and wait for my bus."

"The building looks fantastic and I've been speaking to the bus drivers who also seem delighted with it."

"The only problem is the slope to Mill Street, which can be difficult as I have bronchitis, but it's easier than the hill from the old Sunderland Street station."

"Still, it is a vast improvement and a very good job."

Work began on the site - between Pickford Street, Mill Street and Queen Victoria Street - last January and was due to be completed in March. But the project was delayed after engineers discovered that buses couldn't negotiate the steep slopes and were grounding as a result.

More than 100 stops on the Bollington/Poynton and Broken Cross bus corridors have also been improved with new shelters, better timetables and raised kerbs for easy access.

And £700,000 of work has also been completed at Macclesfield Railway Station.

This includes additional car parking; improved access for people with disabilities; two new bus stops; a pedestrian crossing; a cycleway; improved lighting; and a taxi rank.

Coun Joan Barnes, Macclesfield's mayor, enjoyed the benefits of the bus station as she sheltered from the drizzle.

"I think it looks lovely," she said, "very, very good. The great thing is that the depot appears to be very passenger friendly."

"There is a lot of cover from the weather, large glass windows so you can see when your bus pulls in and all the curbs have been designed to help wheelchair users. I am very impressed."

The station replaces the Sunderland Street station, which was built 65 years ago.

Macclesfield's MP Sir Nicholas Winterton said: "I think this is a huge improvement."

"I have already spoken to two of my constituents, one is from Langley who recently sold his car and relies heavily on public transport. He said the new facility is first class."

"Let us clamp down very harshly on those people who have already sought to desecrate it with graffiti. That will not be tolerated."

"Building work might have taken a long time, rather longer than people expected, but let us protect it, maintain it and value it for what it is."

Sir Nick's only real concern was over the future of the bus service, which will be discussed on Wednesday by councillors at the Public Liaison Committee meeting.

Construction firm John Mowlem completed the project, which was largely funded through the county council's Local Transport Plan budget. Other partners included the Strategic Rail Authority, Virgin Rail, Macclesfield Borough Council and Manchester Airport.

Nora Dolphin, county council chairman, said: "This modern, bright interchange provides the linchpin for a number of projects which together provide real improvements for Macclesfield's public transport facilities."

"The new interchange makes travelling by bus in Macclesfield much more convenient as it is very close to the town centre."

The station includes automatic doors onto the tarmac that, as a safety measure, only open when a bus is present, and it is monitored by CCTV.

Karen Whittle, Macclesfield town's county councillor, said: "All the schemes are extremely important but the one that binds them together is the new bus station with its comfortable and attractive surroundings and with the main shopping areas on its doorstep."

"People with disabilities and people with shopping trolleys and baby buggies can now board more easily because the floor of the building is the same level as modern 'easy access' vehicles."

"The giant jigsaw for change with the official opening of the bus station, upgrading of bus stops and changes to the front of the railway station will, I hope, convince more people to use public transport."