Anderston Bus Station

[robertclark125]

The Anderston Bus Station, located at Anderston Cross (yes, it's seplt Anderston), Glasgow, closed in, 1993, I think, when all remaining services were transfered across the city centre to Buchanan Bus Station.

The actual bus station was part of a 1970s development called the Anderston Centre, an attempt, I believe, to bring city centre shopping etc to the western side of Glasgow central area. Office blocks were also built as part of the development.

Sadly, it wasn't a success. The bus station closed, though Anderston train station is still there.

So, when did Anderston Bus Station open and close, and what, if anything, ahppened to the bus station? I'm planning, in the future, to visit the area to see it for myself, and take photos.

 

[rail-britain]

Buchanan Bus Station was predominantly express and local services to the west, north, and east of Glasgow
The majority of services were Scottish Bus Group

Anderston Bus Station served the south of Glasgow (what later became the routes operated by Clydeside and Western Scottish)
The majority of services were Scottish Bus Group
Some "Citylink" express services also passed through
Examples :
Edinburgh - Glasgow - Glasgow Airport
Glasgow - Birmingham
Glasgow - London

The Bus Station was popular, due to its proximity to Strathclyde Region offices, compared to the St Enoch Bus Station
It was also popular with shoppers, as it was easier to walk to this bus station, rather than up the hill of Buchanan Street

However, it was poorly lit and due to lack of space had few facilities
Also there was limited access to/from the location, which at peak times often resulted in gridlock with just one bus leaving and arriving on each phase of the traffic lights

I remember using it in the late 1970s through to the early 1980s, it then closed briefly
It was then reopened as it became the Glasgow base for Clydeside and Western Scottish, but that didn't last long, their services transferring to Buchanan
Kelvin Scottish briefly competed on some of their routes, serving Buchanan rather than Anderston, and shortly afterwards Kelvin withdrew from these routes

Whilst Anderston was open, Stagecoach had applied to operate its new Glasgow service plus moving its express coach to serve (rather than the on-street arrangements they had at the time)
However, SBG (the then operators) intially refused access, but then revised this to high access charges
As a result Stagecoach launched its new Glasgow service from St Enoch Bus Station
Ironically, prior to closure Stagecoach was offered full access, but by then it had full access to Buchanan plus its own prime dedicated stand and a secondary stand

 

[Nightrider]

Pre Anderston there was another smaller affair called Waterloo St bus station which closed around 1970/71.

http://www.centralsmt.co.uk/DandS/Glasgow_WS_History.html

 

[PaulLothian]

I believe it opened in early 1973 - I used it to catch an early morning Airport bus at Easter 1973. See http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSA05123

It was fairly unlovely even then!

 

[Nightrider]

I believe it opened in early 1973 - I used it to catch an early morning Airport bus at Easter 1973. See http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSA05123

It was fairly unlovely even then!

Plus it was in the heart of the old red light district before it became an online scene, the red light district that is, not the bus station.

 

[route101]

Still is a red light district isent it?

 

[jamesontheroad]

Still is a red light district isent it?

No, but it's still a very unloved part of the city. The M8 charges through, and causes a tangle of roads underneath. The station is accessed via a wide central reservation beneath the motorway overpass. There are four lanes of traffic on one side and two lanes on the other. It's still poorly lit and very unnerving for pedestrians at night. Strangely it's right next to a supposedly 4* star hotel on one side and one of Glasgow's best restaurants on the other, but whereas Argyle Street was once an elegant and bustling thoroughfare all the way from the city centre to the West End, the motorway just created a blackspot.

The pedestrian footbridge with spiral ramps in the photo linked above has been closed for some time. On the eastern side of the motorway it has no ramp, and just ends in mid-air, about 20m above ground level, while on the western side beside Argyle Street the ramp has been fenced off.

 

[rail-britain]

No, but it's still a very unloved part of the city

You've obviously not been out at the witching hour!
I do agree though, it is not as obvious now as it used to be, often with up to 100 ladies walking through the area touting for business
I remember walking through Anderston one morning and a head appeared round a shop entry, "Want the business", eeek, at 06:30 in the morning!

 

[Nightrider]

Still is a red light district isn' it?

When the bus station closed the local street layout changed.
Along with a number of new flats and offices, the sex trade moved not underground but online.
A website and a couple of cheap mobile phones from a local supermarket saved sex workers from standing freezing on Glasgow streets.
Changes in Scots Law were by kerb crawling became a crime no doubt had a big effect at street level.

 

[route101]

When the bus station closed the local street layout changed.
Along with a number of new flats and offices, the sex trade moved not underground but online.
A website and a couple of cheap mobile phones from a local supermarket saved sex workers from standing freezing on Glasgow streets.
Changes in Scots Law were by kerb crawling became a crime no doubt had a big effect at street level.

There was ladies on the streets up to 2005 around anderston. Yeah the stretch of Argyle St from Central Stn West isent the nicest .

 

[Nightrider]

There was ladies on the streets up to 2005 around anderston. Yeah the stretch of Argyle St from Central Stn West isent the nicest .

Correct, even today you can still see the odd drug addict but nowhere near the numbers of 20 years ago.
Was a bit embarrassing to pass former school chums working on the streets of Glasgow.
Making kerb crawling a crime made a massive difference to that area.

 

[matchmaker]

Pre Anderston there was another smaller affair called Waterloo St bus station which closed around 1970/71.

http://www.centralsmt.co.uk/DandS/Glasgow_WS_History.html

There was also Dundas Street - used by Alexander & Eastern Scottish.

 

[tbtc]

Anderston is featured heavily in Restless Natives, an early '80s film (kind of Robin Hood on motorbikes featuring tourist coaches), its meant to be Edinburgh Bus Station but there's lots of west coast SBG buses in the film...

 

[Nightrider]

There was also Dundas Street - used by Alexander & Eastern Scottish.

It was called Dundas St although most of the locals called it the Blue bus station since most of the buses that used it were blue and white from Scottish Midland.
Killermont St bus station was only a couple of hundred yards away further up the street.
Buchanan St replaced them both.