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Bus station to close in fight against Coronavirus

Posted on - 25th March, 2020 - 7:32pm | Author - | Posted in - Preston City Centre, Preston News, Transport
Preston Bus Station Pic: Tony Worrall
Preston Bus Station Pic: Tony Worrall

The concourse at Preston Bus Station is due to close on Friday evening (27 March) until further notice due to reduced availability of staff, and to try and reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

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Buses will continue to pick up and drop off from the external coach stands which are opposite the rear of the Guild Hall.

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The car park at the bus station closed this evening (Wednesday March 24) as the only pedestrian access to the car park is via the concourse. Lancashire County Council has contacted companies and services which have contracts in place for their staff to use the car park, and has arranged for limited and carefully managed use of the car park by some essential key workers.

The bus station will operate reduced hours from 5.30am to 6.30pm on Thursday and Friday but will then be closed until further notice. Limited access to the building will be maintained for bus staff so that they can access rest and welfare facilities.

ReadĀ more:Ā CoronavirusĀ updatesĀ fromĀ BlogĀ Preston

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Andrew Varley, public transport manager for Lancashire County Council, said: “We have been working closely with operators to arrange the closure of the concourse at Preston Bus Station from the end of this week.

“The reasons for closing the concourse and the car park to the public are that, as with many of our services, we are already facing issues with availability of staff, and as the bus station can operate without the concourse, closing it will help to reduce any risk to our staff and the public from the spread of coronavirus.

“Closing the concourse also means that we have to close the car park as the only safe pedestrian access is via the concourse. At the same time, we have been working with partners to ensure their essential workers can continue to use the car park in a carefully managed way.

“Bus services are operating at much reduced levels, however they are still vital for essential workers who need them to get to work to continue to provide vital services, and these will continue to operate. We will be putting up notices to sign a pedestrian diversion as soon as we can.

“I’m grateful for the cooperation and understanding of the bus operators, and sorry for any inconvenience this will cause passengers, however hope people will understand the reasons we have taken this decision.”

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The county council has already closed the concourses at Accrington, Chorley, and Nelson bus stations.

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