Blackburn Boulevard Closure.

And so the countdown begins. 15 days to go before the iconic Blackburn Boulevard closes for good.

On Sunday 22nd September, Blackburn Boulevard, also known as Blackburn Bus Station is to close to make way for the new Cathedral Quarter Development, which will see an extension to the Cathedral, offices, a hotel, car parking and new mini bus/rail interchange being built over the next few years.

It also heralds the start of the new undercover bus station which will be built on the old six day market site with work hoping to commence later this year.

In the meantime buses will use a temporary bus station as an interim solution whilst work on the new state of the art bus station is taking place.The interim bus station will be on the old three day market site, directly opposite Gala Bingo on Brown Street and will be the home for all bus service departures until the new bus station is ready, hopefully around mid 2015.

It also means that buses will not be using their regular stops on Railway Road or Ainsworth Street, though there will be one bus stop on either side of Railway Road for through services or to connect with the railway station.

A number of new bus stops have been put in place around the town to allow easier access to services. Some bus services too have changed their route into town to serve these bus stops. For example, you will be able to board the Clitheroe or Mill Hill bus at Debenhams on Astley Gate and go through to Brown Hill, Wilpshire or Mill Hill.

New bus stops have also been introduced on Simmons Street allowing access to the Health Centre. A new stop is in place on Darwen Street for those who need to stay south of the town Centre without having to walk back From Debenhams. There is also a new stop on Freckleton Street where the number 2 (formerly 124) to Chorley will serve.

Coaches:
Coach services such as National Express, National Holidays, excursions and tours will have a new home on Penny Street too. This also includes some of the out of borough schools or privately funded school services that would normally pick up on the Boulevard.

Leaflets and information on stand allocations, new bus stops around the town and departures guides will be available shortly from the Visitors Centre in the Market Hall.

If you know someone who uses the bus, please pass on this message. While we endeavour to get our message across through various type of medium, we cannot capture everyone. People will always learn more by word of mouth than any other form of media.