Milton Keynes Coachway
Encyclopedia
The Milton Keynes Coachway (also Milton Keynes coach station) is situated on the A509 road
close to Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway
on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes
, north Buckinghamshire
, England
offering coach services to cities, towns and airports on the M1 corridor and on into Scotland, to Heathrow and Gatwick airports, the east-west route to Oxford and Cambridge, as well as interchange facilities between these services. There are also local bus services and nearby, a park and ride site. It is the second busiest coach station in the United Kingdom
. Dating from 1989, it was the first of the UK's Coachway interchanges.
site and has a café, a shop, toilets, cycle racks and facilities to book taxis and National Express Coaches. The parking areas includes 24 hour manned security with CCTV coverage. Buses (including park and ride buses) are available to take passengers the final 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) into the central area and to Milton Keynes Central railway station
if required, but only between 05:30 and 23:00. Taxi and cab services must be telephoned for.
(as the highway authority). By the early 2000s, the original building had become worn out and plans were begun to replace it with a new building, with funding support from the government.
In 2006 works were carried out on the M1 Junction 14 to widen the M1 slip road at the junction, install new traffic signals, create a dedicated left-turn lane from the A509 to the northbound M1, widen the southbound A509 to three lanes between J14 and Northfields roundabout and create a new access road to the park-and-ride and provision of new 500 space park-and-ride site. This work was in advance of the planned re-development of the coachway and park and ride site.
Plans for the new coachway were released in April 2008 and services were moved on a temporary basis to Silbury Boulevard. At that time it was expected that work would be completed by spring 2009. Facilities at the temporary site included a waiting room, café, ticket office, toilets, a shop with taxi booking facilities and approximately 60 adjacent parking spaces with CCTV and 24 hour on-site security. All local services along this section of Silbury Boulevard stopped at the temporary coachway.
In March 2009 it was announced that work would be delayed with completion expected in 'spring/summer 2010' due to higher than expected tender prices requiring the council to source a further £600K. Construction was managed by Milton Keynes Council until it was passed to the Homes and Communities Agency
in September 2010. Work on the structure was underway by October 2009 when the steel frame could be seen from the motorway. The final fitting out was undertaken by National Express who operate the station on behalf of the council and the agency.
The new interchange opened on the 13 December 2010. The cost of the project was £2.6 million funded by the Milton Keynes Partnership and the Growth Area Fund via the Department for Transport
.
'London' services terminate at Victoria Coach Station
.
A509 road
The A509 is a short A-class road for north-south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Kettering in Northamptonshire to the M1 and A5 in Milton Keynes....
close to Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, north Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
offering coach services to cities, towns and airports on the M1 corridor and on into Scotland, to Heathrow and Gatwick airports, the east-west route to Oxford and Cambridge, as well as interchange facilities between these services. There are also local bus services and nearby, a park and ride site. It is the second busiest coach station in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Dating from 1989, it was the first of the UK's Coachway interchanges.
Facilities
The coach station is situated by junction 14 of the M1 together with a park and ridePark and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
site and has a café, a shop, toilets, cycle racks and facilities to book taxis and National Express Coaches. The parking areas includes 24 hour manned security with CCTV coverage. Buses (including park and ride buses) are available to take passengers the final 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) into the central area and to Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by...
if required, but only between 05:30 and 23:00. Taxi and cab services must be telephoned for.
History
There has been a coach interchange at the junction of the M1 since April 1989, constructed by Buckinghamshire County CouncilBuckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
(as the highway authority). By the early 2000s, the original building had become worn out and plans were begun to replace it with a new building, with funding support from the government.
In 2006 works were carried out on the M1 Junction 14 to widen the M1 slip road at the junction, install new traffic signals, create a dedicated left-turn lane from the A509 to the northbound M1, widen the southbound A509 to three lanes between J14 and Northfields roundabout and create a new access road to the park-and-ride and provision of new 500 space park-and-ride site. This work was in advance of the planned re-development of the coachway and park and ride site.
Plans for the new coachway were released in April 2008 and services were moved on a temporary basis to Silbury Boulevard. At that time it was expected that work would be completed by spring 2009. Facilities at the temporary site included a waiting room, café, ticket office, toilets, a shop with taxi booking facilities and approximately 60 adjacent parking spaces with CCTV and 24 hour on-site security. All local services along this section of Silbury Boulevard stopped at the temporary coachway.
In March 2009 it was announced that work would be delayed with completion expected in 'spring/summer 2010' due to higher than expected tender prices requiring the council to source a further £600K. Construction was managed by Milton Keynes Council until it was passed to the Homes and Communities Agency
Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
in September 2010. Work on the structure was underway by October 2009 when the steel frame could be seen from the motorway. The final fitting out was undertaken by National Express who operate the station on behalf of the council and the agency.
The new interchange opened on the 13 December 2010. The cost of the project was £2.6 million funded by the Milton Keynes Partnership and the Growth Area Fund via the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
.
Coach services
| Route Number | Origin | Destination | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| 230 | East Midlands | Heathrow and Gatwick | National Express |
| 425 | Newcastle | London | National Express |
| 440 | Derby and Leicester | London | National Express |
| 450 | Nottingham | London | National Express |
| 455 | Northampton | London | National Express |
| 540 | Manchester | London | National Express |
| 550 | Liverpool | London | National Express |
| 560 | Sheffield | London | National Express |
| 561 | Leeds, Bradford | London | National Express |
| 562 | York | London | National Express |
| 570 | Blackpool via Birmingham | London | National Express |
| 590 | Glasgow | London | National Express |
| 591 | Edinburgh | London | National Express |
| 707 | Northampton | Heathrow and Gatwick | National Express |
| 777 | Birmingham | Stansted | National Express |
| X5 Stagecoach bus route X5 Stagecoach bus route X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Cambridge via Bicester, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Bedford and St Neots. The route started in 1995 with an hourly service which was increased to half-hourly in 2005 and new vehicles were introduced in 2009. It has since won... |
Oxford | Cambridge | Stagecoach |
'London' services terminate at Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...
.