NEWS RELEASE
16 September 2010
 
Cuba Street bus stop closing soon
 
Wellington bus users won’t be able to get on or off buses in Cuba Street much longer.
 
From Monday 27 September for about two months, all buses that normally travel via Cuba Street and Manners Street will continue along Wakefield Street, turn into Taranaki Street and then take their usual route, via either Courtenay Place or Taranaki Street.
 
The nearest stop for people who normally use the Cuba Street stop will be on Wakefield Street near the Michael Fowler Centre car park (see attached map).
 
In other directions, trolley buses will be travelling short distances on battery power. This means that at several spots around the city, including near the St James Theatre in Courtenay Place, the Willis Street Village and Grand Arcade in Willis Street and on Victoria Street, passers-by will notice workers in high-visibility vests taking trolley bus poles up and down.
 
Wellington City Council’s Infrastructure Director Stavros Michael says the temporary route and other changes are required while work is carried out on the overhead trolley bus network for the new two-way bus route that is under construction through Manners Street and Manners Mall.
 
“Work to install new sections of overhead wiring and alter existing sections began last week (9 September) and is going well. However, we will reach a stage next week where power to a section of the city’s trolley bus network will need to be disconnected.
 
“Transfield Services, the company doing the installation, can’t work on a live network and has to remove parts of the old network to construct the new one,” he says. “The changes are an important part of the Golden Mile project and the most significant to be made to the overhead network for almost 30 years”
 
In preparation for the new temporary route, changes will be made to the traffic light phasing at the intersection of Wakefield and Taranaki streets to help accommodate greater numbers of turning buses.
 
Mr Michael says one of the bus shelters in Cuba Street will be moved to Wakefield Street to provide some wet weather protection.
 
“This is an existing route for some buses and the shelter will remain there permanently,” he says.
 
“The other two shelters on Cuba Street will be moved to Manners Street to provide shelter on the new Golden Mile route, which we expect to be operating at the end of November.”
 
A new shared public space will be developed in lower Cuba Street next year.
 
 
ends
 
 

© Scoop Media