Kingston bus stations

Not to be confused with Kingston Bus Terminal in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Kingston upon Thames in South West London, England is served by two bus stations as well as a large number of on-street bus stops. Due to the Kingston one-way system, the various stops and bus stations are physically separate, however passengers are able to interchange between routes by walking through Kingston town centre, or walking from Kingston railway station.

Cromwell Road Bus Station
Cromwell Road bus station
General information
Other names	Kingston Cromwell Road Bus Station
Location	Kingston upon Thames Kingston
Coordinates	51°24′45″N 0°17′55″W / 51.41250°N 0.29860°W / 51.41250; -0.29860
Operated by	Transport for London
Bus stands	17
Bus operators	London General London United Transport UK London Bus Metrobus Falcon Buses Reptons Coaches Stagecoach South Diamond South East
Connections	Adjacent to Kingston station
History
Opened	15 July 1995; 28 years ago (1995-07-15)

Fairfield Bus Station
Fairfield Bus Station
General information
Other names	Kingston Fairfield Bus Station
Location	Kingston upon Thames Kingston
Coordinates	51°24′36″N 0°17′55″W / 51.4100°N 0.2987°W / 51.4100; -0.2987
Operated by	Transport for London
Bus stands	7
Bus operators	London General London United
History
Opened	21 November 1987; 36 years ago (1987-11-21)

Kingston bus stations

Cromwell Road bus station

Kingston Cromwell Road bus station located close to Kingston railway station. It opened in July 1995, on the site of an old coal yard.^[1][2] Built to replace a 70 year old facility, the bus station was opened as part of the Kingston Relief Road project, which involved the main shopping streets in Kingston town centre being pedestrianised, and a new one-way system being built around the town centre for traffic.^[1] It was designed by in-house London Transport architect Robert Stevenson, and won a Townscape Award from the Kingston upon Thames Society.^[2]

The station comprises 12 bus stands, with 5 street stops - making it the largest London Buses station in London.^[3] The station is owned and maintained by Transport for London. Over 8 million passengers use the bus station every year.^[4]

In 2013, TfL announced that the bus station could be rebuilt, as several bus routes no longer terminate at Cromwell Road or Fairfield bus stations owing to lack of capacity.^[5] In 2015, planning permission was approved for the demolition of the bus station, and the building of a replacement on the same site.^[6]

From 28 August 2023, the bus station was closed temporarily, to allow for construction of the new bus station.^[7] When completed, it will include wider customer waiting areas, live bus information, retail units, accessible toilets and improved staff accommodation.^[8] Construction is expected to take around a year, completing in summer 2024.^[7][9]

London Buses routes 57, 65, 71, 85, 111, 131, 213, 216, 281, 285, 371, 406, 411, 418, 465, 481, 481D, 671, K1, K2, K3, K4 and K5, Superloop route SL7 and night routes N65 and N87 serve the station.^[10] A number of non-TfL buses also serve the station, with destinations outside Greater London in Surrey.^[11][12][13]

Fairfield bus station

Kingston Fairfield bus station is located east of the town centre, on the former site of the Kingston cattle market. The bus station opened in 1987, as part of the first phase of the Kingston Relief Road project.^[1] Named after the nearby Fairfield Recreation Ground, the bus station was initially known as Cattlemarket Bus Station.^[1] The bus station sits above an underground multi-storey car park that serves the Fairfield recreation ground and Kingston town centre, and served the adjacent Kingfisher leisure centre before its closure in 2019.^[14] Over 2 million passengers use the bus station every year.^[4]

London Buses routes 57, 131, 213, K5 and night route N87 serve the station.^[15]

Historic bus stations

A bus garage was opened on Cromwell Road by the London General Omnibus Company in 1922.^[14] In 1928, an extension added a covered bus stand, known as Kingston bus station.^[1] The site was too small to be used as both a bus garage and a bus station, and the bus garage closed in 1984 to allow for more space for the bus station.^[1] Following the opening of Cromwell Road bus station in 1995, the site was then used for overnight storage of buses. After over 70 years, the site closed on 17 May 2000 as London United moved to Tolworth bus garage.^[1] The site was rebuilt as the Rotunda complex, with an Odeon Cinema, restaurants and tenpin bowling.^[16]

As part of the rebuild of Kingston railway station by the Southern Railway in 1935, a bus lay-by was provided outside the station, in which various bus routes terminated. Following opening of the Fairfield bus station, the lay-by was subsequently used as a taxi rank.^[1][14]

See also

• List of bus and coach stations in London

References

1. "Kingston termini". Red RF. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
2. . London Transport. 20 January 1997. Archived from the original on 4 August 1997. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
3. "Which Is London's Biggest Bus Station?". Londonist. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
4. "London's bus stations: a passenger's perspective" (PDF). London Travelwatch. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
5. "Kingston bus station could be due 'eco-upgrade'". Your Local Guardian. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
6. "15/13087/FUL | Demolition of existing bus station and redevelopment with single storey replacement buildings comprising flexible retail uses and associated staff facilities. Installation of low level connecting canopy and new bio diverse roof planter. | Bus Terminal Cromwell Road Kingston Upon Thames KT2 6RD". Royal Borough of Kingston. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
7. "TfL to start work to transform Kingston Cromwell Road bus station - Highways News". highways-news.com. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
8. "Kingston Cromwell Road bus station improvements". Transport for London. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
9. "TfL to start work to transform Kingston Cromwell Road bus station". Transport for London. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
10. "Stations, stops and piers - Cromwell Road Bus Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
11. "Route 715: Kingston to Guildford". Stagecoach South East. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
12. "Route 515: Kingston to Hersham". Falcon Buses. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
13. . Hallmark Buses. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
14. Sampson, June (2006). The Kingston book. London: Historical Publications. ISBN 978-1-905286-05-8. OCLC 76909581.
15. "Stations, stops and piers - Fairfield Bus Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
16. "Rotunda rolled out". News Shopper. 13 March 1999. Retrieved 8 August 2021.