The project to provide Hartlepool with its long-awaited Transport Interchange has taken on almost comical status. A six-month investigation by Hartlepool Borough Council's regeneration and planning scrutiny services forum intended to “gainan understanding of the current position of the development and the future milestones of the development, seek the views of transport operators in relation the use of the interchange, and explore the future of the site.” discussed a fatal flaw in the plans for the bus station - sorry, transport interchange - it would have no buses.Stagecoach, the town’s main bus transport provider has refused to commit itself to using the bus station.The £2.6m scheme was given the the go-ahead by the Government back in 2001 and was approved by the council's planning committee in November 2004. The interchange will be sited on the eastern side of the Marina Gateway Bridge and is intended to bring together rail, coach, bus and taxi services in one location. It has been delayed several times due to ‘complex legal issues’.Over the eight years, the costs of the original scheme had risen to a point where they could no longer be contemplated. The current estimated cost is £3.1m for a modified scheme which, among other things, reduces the original number of bus bays from five to three. The project is a ‘partnership’ between the council, Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain's rail infrastructure, and Northern Rail, which owns and manages the town's rusting and weed-ridden railway station. However, other parties are involved including Marina Developers Jomast which owns the land north of the railway station and is at present refusing to grant access to the Council via that land to the northern platform. This is the only route which doesn’t require crossing the actual railway lines since the demolition of the overhead bridge some years ago. As it stands, the present construction of a new ‘Pay and Display ‘ car park at the eastern end of the station is scheduled to last until November when work will begin on a new canopy to the station. That work should last until February with the last phase, the construction of the Bus Station, somewhat optimistically planned to be completed by June, 2010 - only four months later and only six weeks before the Tall Ships event..Whatever the legal issues, there can be no real explanation for the eight year delay in this project other than the leisurely pace at which the people running it have operated. Apparently, these guys simply don’t ‘do’ pro-active and, incidentally, are the same smart people, headed by Dave Stubbs, that started the process of adopting the Marina’s roads and pavements in 2002 which still hasn’t been completed; although it did apparently lead to Mandale ceasing all further maintenance. Dave Stubbs has just been appointed to one of the Super Director positions on £130,000 p.a. which gives us some idea of how performance management works at Hartlepool Borough Council.Tumbleweed JunctionFinally completed in August 2010 and taking longer to build than it took NASA to put a man on the moon; the interchange ended up costing £4m almost twice as much as originally estimated even though it had to be scaled back from six bus stops to three in order to be afforded at all.When it did finally open, no one seem to have any use for it.The town’s largest bus operator, STAGECOACH, has had to be bullied in to using the Transport Interchange for two of its services after the Council threatened to removed the service subsidy if it didn’t.Taxi Cars have continued to use their traditional drop off and pick up points in Church Street and NATIONAL EXPRESS can’t seem to make up its mind if it will be using the Interchange or not having twice left passengers stranded while its buses continued to sometimes pick up passengers from the old stop. Only the inter-town services like ARRIVA seem to be using the new facility and then often in direct competition to the train service.Last September, the cost of the Interchange project was quoted as £3.7m which was already £1.6m over the original budget; the final cost is now said to be £4m. This is largely down to increased overtime costs after panic set in over worries that the new facility would not be ready in time for the Tall ShipsAfter 9 Years - A Bus Station Without Any Busescontactssite mapwrite for us
The project to provide Hartlepool
with its long-awaited Transport
Interchange has taken on almost
comical status. A six-month
investigation by Hartlepool Borough
Council's regeneration and planning
scrutiny services forum intended to
“gain an understanding of the
current position of the development
and the future milestones of the
development, seek the views of
transport operators in relation the
use of the interchange, and explore
the future of the site.” discussed a
fatal flaw in the plans for the bus station - sorry, transport interchange - it would have no buses.
Stagecoach, the town’s main bus transport provider has refused to commit itself to using the
bus station.
The £2.6m scheme was given the the go-ahead by the Government back in 2001 and was
approved by the council's planning committee in November 2004. The interchange will be sited
on the eastern side of the Marina Gateway Bridge and is intended to bring together rail, coach,
bus and taxi services in one location. It has been delayed several times due to ‘complex legal
issues’.
Over the eight years, the costs of the original scheme had risen to a point where they could no
longer be contemplated. The current estimated cost is £3.1m for a modified scheme which,
among other things, reduces the original number of
bus bays from five to three.
The project is a ‘partnership’ between the council,
Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain's rail
infrastructure, and Northern Rail, which owns and
manages the town's rusting and weed-ridden
railway station. However, other parties are involved
including Marina Developers Jomast which owns
the land north of the railway station and is at
present refusing to grant access to the Council via
that land to the northern platform. This is the only
route which doesn’t require crossing the actual
railway lines since the demolition of the overhead bridge some years ago.
As it stands, the present construction of a new ‘Pay and Display ‘ car park at the eastern end
of the station is scheduled to last until November when work will begin on a new canopy to the
station. That work should last until February with the last phase, the construction of the Bus
Station, somewhat optimistically planned to be completed by June, 2010 - only four months
later and only six weeks before the Tall Ships event..
Whatever the legal issues, there can be no real explanation for the eight year delay in this
project other than the leisurely pace at which the people running it have operated. Apparently,
these guys simply don’t ‘do’ pro-active and, incidentally, are the same smart people, headed
by Dave Stubbs, that started the process of adopting the Marina’s roads and pavements in
2002 which still hasn’t been completed; although it did apparently lead to Mandale ceasing all
further maintenance. Dave Stubbs has just been appointed to one of the Super Director
positions on £130,000 p.a. which gives us some idea of how performance management works
at Hartlepool Borough Council.
Tumbleweed Junction
Finally completed in August 2010 and taking longer to build than it took NASA to put a man on
the moon; the interchange ended up costing £4m almost twice as much as originally estimated
even though it had to be scaled back from six bus stops to three in order to be afforded at all.
When it did finally open, no one seem to have any use for it.
The town’s largest bus operator, STAGECOACH, has had to be bullied in to using the
Transport Interchange for two of its services after the Council threatened to removed the
service subsidy if it didn’t.
Taxi Cars have continued to use their traditional drop off and pick up points in Church Street
and NATIONAL EXPRESS can’t seem to make up its mind if it will be using the Interchange or
not having twice left passengers stranded while its buses continued to sometimes pick up
passengers from the old stop. Only the inter-town services like ARRIVA seem to be using the
new facility and then often in direct competition to the train service.
Last September, the cost of the Interchange project was quoted as £3.7m which was already
£1.6m over the original budget; the final cost is now said to be £4m. This is largely down to
increased overtime costs after panic set in over worries that the new facility would not be ready
in time for the Tall Ships
After 9 Years - A Bus Station
Without Any Buses
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