The long-term aspiration of moving Inverness’s bus and train stations onto the same site is looking closer than it has done for a number of years.
As The Press and Journal recently reported, a Liverpool-headquartered architectural firm has been appointed to carry out a feasibility study looking at making it happen.
But what will that study actually entail?
Let’s take a look.
The needs of Inverness bus users
Austin-Smith:Lord will carry out the study.
On its website, the company describes itself as a collection of design professionals that can “provide complete solutions which are informed by innovation, creativity and responsibility”.
The work can be roughly split into three main categories.
These are the bus interchange itself, car parking and active travel.
Determining what exactly is needed out of the bus interchange is probably the most complicated part of the masterplan.
Will facilities and access arrangements be shared with the train station or should they operate separately?
What happens when a major event is happening in Inverness? How will the station be able to cope with demand that goes beyond the norm?
The capacity for the station to handle cruise coaches will also be considered.
And from a passenger point-of-view, the options for retail will be an important discussion.
The future of parking at the site
Car parking is the next major aspect of the masterplan that needs to be examined.
The Rose Street multi-storey car park is the key to most of it.
The study will lay out the options for demolishing it, relocating and replacing it.
Beyond that, there are discussions to be had about the city centre’s overall capacity and demand for parking in general.
The study will examine ways to improve placemaking and the approach to the station from different parts of the city.
Future-proofing the site will also be considered.
This covers everything from making sure there is suitable EV infrastructure to exploring what the possibilities for battery storage or solar panels are.
What about active travel?
Active travel is something most new developments need to consider nowadays, and it’s the third main topic the study will be looking at.
That covers everything from how people will move through the station on foot to where they’ll be able to park their bikes.
Hi-bike provision is part of that too and a discussion will be held about security – which is no surprise after the spate of vandalism around those bikes we’ve seen in the recent past.
The contract for the feasibility study is due to expire at the end of April.
The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (Hitrans) is the group behind the study.
Partnership manager Neil MacRae said: “Co-locating bus and rail stations has been a long-term aspiration for Inverness.
“It will help to regenerate the centre of the city, complementing the riverside castle developments.
“As we move towards a low-carbon future we are seeking to establish a modern transport hub fitting of its position as the gateway to the Highlands and Islands.”
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