Facilities at the Newcastle Coach Station, near the Life Science Centre, have been closed by Newcastle City Council following National Express’s withdrawal from a lease on the site in 2022.
The Churchill Street station now operates only as a coach stop without any services or staffing, its building having been boarded up, in a location which can feel “unwelcoming” especially in cold or dark conditions.
Members of the North Public Transport Users Group (NEPTUG) are now calling for action to upgrade the site and ensure that coach passengers take away a better first or last impression from their visit to Tyneside.
Alistair Ford, chair of the Newcastle branch of NEPTUG, said: “Many people, particularly younger and older people, and those on a budget, choose to travel long distances by coach to and from Newcastle.
“The Newcastle coach ‘stop’ can be a bleak place on a sunny day, but it is even worse in the cold, wind, or at night. It is a place that is quite secluded and away from natural surveillance, making it an unwelcoming, uninviting place to have to wait during the hours of darkness. This is especially true for more vulnerable coach users, including lone women, older people, or those with disabilities.”
The Churchill Street station is mainly used by National Express services, with other operators stopping at a more central location on John Dobson Street - which Dr Ford said provides a “much more attractive” location closer to other city centre amenities, albeit one that can cause problems with queues of passengers obstructing passersby.
He added: “Coaches are a vital part of the country’s transport system. Passengers arriving by coach in cities like Leeds, Sheffield or Birmingham do so at...
The Churchill Street station now operates only as a coach stop without any services or staffing, its building having been boarded up, in a location which can feel “unwelcoming” especially in cold or dark conditions.
Members of the North Public Transport Users Group (NEPTUG) are now calling for action to upgrade the site and ensure that coach passengers take away a better first or last impression from their visit to Tyneside.
Alistair Ford, chair of the Newcastle branch of NEPTUG, said: “Many people, particularly younger and older people, and those on a budget, choose to travel long distances by coach to and from Newcastle.
“The Newcastle coach ‘stop’ can be a bleak place on a sunny day, but it is even worse in the cold, wind, or at night. It is a place that is quite secluded and away from natural surveillance, making it an unwelcoming, uninviting place to have to wait during the hours of darkness. This is especially true for more vulnerable coach users, including lone women, older people, or those with disabilities.”
The Churchill Street station is mainly used by National Express services, with other operators stopping at a more central location on John Dobson Street - which Dr Ford said provides a “much more attractive” location closer to other city centre amenities, albeit one that can cause problems with queues of passengers obstructing passersby.
He added: “Coaches are a vital part of the country’s transport system. Passengers arriving by coach in cities like Leeds, Sheffield or Birmingham do so at...
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The Chronicle (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 21, 2025