Victoria bus station

Not to be confused with Category:Victoria Coach Station

The entrance (west end) of the bus station in 2009, with the (empty) bus station lanes on the right, and two double-decker buses in the eastbound lanes of Terminus Place on the left.

The exit (east end) of the bus station in 2008, with a double decker (left) at Stop A and articulated buses in Stops B, C & D. Another double-decker (right) is at Stop F in the eastbound lane of Terminus Place. The taxis on the left are using the westbound lane of Terminus Place

English: Victoria bus station is the bus station outside Victoria railway station in central London.

Location & access

The bus station is sited on Terminus Place, which is the road that runs past the front of the rail station across its north facade, in an east-west direction. At its west end, Terminus Place meets the north-south running Buckingham Palace Road in a basic T-Junction 51.496167°N 0.145065°W / 51.496167; -0.145065. At its east end, Terminus Place meets the north-south running Wilton Road.

The bus station consists of single bays which are situated inbetween the eastbound and westbound lanes of Terminus Place - the westbound lanes are the ones closest to the rail station, running around the south of the bus bays, while the eastbound lanes run around the north side of the bays. The bus station bays are part of the eastbound traffic flow - buses entering the station come from the Buckingham Palace Road end of Terminus Place and fan out at a point a short distance along it, 51.496085°N 0.144743°W / 51.496085; -0.144743, where Terminus Place itself also splits. At its west end, the eastbound exit and westbound entrance of Terminus Place converge either side of the common exit of all 4 bus station bays 51.496098°N 0.143418°W / 51.496098; -0.143418.

Layout

The bus bays in the bus station are single lane, with each one having a single stop at its front (ie the east end). By designating Victoria as the terminus of these routes, this allows several buses serving each route to park up in a queue behind each other, to ensure the timetabled frequency can be maintained even if arriving buses are delayed.

Before 2003

Prior to 2003, the bus station had a roof, and there were more bus bays (by virtue of being closer together) - numbered 1 to 6 - 6 being the southernmost, closest to the rail station.

• 
  eastern end, circa 1990

2003 - present

The current layout is the result of remodelling undertaken in 2003 - the roof was removed, and the number of bays reduced to four (to increase the space between the bays for waiting passengers). The stops in this arrangment are now designated as follows:

• Stop A 51.495921°N 0.143997°W / 51.495921; -0.143997
• Stop B 51.495983°N 0.144061°W / 51.495983; -0.144061
• Stop C 51.496043°N 0.143793°W / 51.496043; -0.143793
• Stop D 51.496095°N 0.143705°W / 51.496095; -0.143705

Apart from the sides and roofs of passenger shelters, the only structures in the bus station area are:

• A single-story grey clad information kiosk 51.496132°N 0.143581°W / 51.496132; -0.143581 is located at the north side of the front (east end) of lane D
• A small grey clad block 51.496165°N 0.144335°W / 51.496165; -0.144335 sits at the north side of the back of lane D
• A small single-story block 51.496017°N 0.143895°W / 51.496017; -0.143895 between the front (east end) of lanes B and C. This was originally brick, with some HVAC equipment mounted on its roof, surrounded by metal railings. The block has since been clad in grey, with the HVAC equipment being enclosed in mesh, giving the appearance of a two storey structure.

Other buses in Terminus Place

A bus departs Stop E. The bus station bays are behind the metal fence.

Only some of the buses and routes calling at Victoria use the bus station bays. As well as stops in nearby streets, there are also two stops and various bus stands in close proximity to the bus bays, in the eastbound lane of Terminus Place (no public transport buses use the westbound lane, but some tour buses call there).

The stops are both on the north side, designated as follows:

• Stop E 51.496239°N 0.144086°W / 51.496239; -0.144086
• Stop F 51.496202°N 0.143525°W / 51.496202; -0.143525

The bus stands are sited as follows:

• 51.496157°N 0.143903°W / 51.496157; -0.143903 One double stand (ie with space for two buses) on its south side (ie on the north side of the lane for Stop D in the bus station)
• 51.496195°N 0.144582°W / 51.496195; -0.144582 One single bus stand on its west side at the point where it diverts around the west end/north side of the bus station

Victoria tube station redevelopmet

The redevelopment of Victoria tube station has had some effect on the bus station. On 1 December 2011, the eastbound portion of Terminus Place was closed to traffic for two years, with a multi-story block of temporary portacabins being erected over it, presumably to house the site offices. This did not affect the bus station however, with buses still able to enter and exit the bays. There were however some resultant service changes which affected which services use the bus station. The westbound portion of Terminus Place was also later closed (by 2013) to allow for ground works, however no public tranpsort services use the road in this direction.