(Oshein) Truro Anchor Bus Station

Truro Anchor Bus Station is a transport interchange located in Central Truro, Oshein Mainland.

A bus terminus has existed on the site since 1955, originally comprising of simple shelters. In 1988, it was rebuilt into a more defined bus station, although still had no buildings and only comprised of lined up shelters in a stand arrangement, similar to the old Chester (market) bus station in North West England.

## 2005 Rebuild

In early 2004, States of Oshein Government's division Oshein Parliament (the main government on the Mainland) proposed a brand new state-of-the-art bus terminus for the City of Truro (and in turn, the entire mainland). The plans were drawn up, although late into the planning stages, Oshein entered into the 2004 Financial Recession, which was the beginning of a series of budget-cuts to many sectors of government, including Transportation.

Although the plans were too far ahead to cancel the project entirely (as the old bus station had already begun being stripped of certain parts), the plans were scaled down overall, changing the original proposed 11 stand building with integrated tram connections being scaled down to a 7 stand compound with a smaller building.

Construction was originally planned to be completed by Sherman Manfold, a respected construction firm within the Oshein islands, although with the budget cuts to the plans came budget cuts in the construction. As a result of this, Synapse Contractors of Rhoslare in Ireland were contracted to construct the building at a much lower cost than Sherman Manfold. The bus station was completed in July 2005, with services beginning operation.

As a result of the lower construction costs, the building was constructed from cheap and low-quality building materials, resulting in high maintenance costs throughout the years. In 2013 a refurbishment programme was undertaken on the structure which included new lighting, CCTV cameras and an upgraded travel shop on the interior. In 2016, overhead 'pantograph' electric chargers were added to the layover bays to accommodate charging the new Electric-converted MAN A19 Microbus vehicles for Route 10.

The Bus Station closed on September 6th 2022 and demolition started on September 8th, ready for the new bus station.

## 2022 Rebuild

Due to the poor quality of the structure that previously occupied the site, a brand new bus interchange finished its planning phases in June 2022, ready to begin construction in September.

The new bus station was planned to include a connection to retail facilities, 8+ stands, an upgraded travel shop, real-time information and a modern finish to a much higher standard than the structure previously on the site. The new development required the site to be expanded further into reclaimed land from the ocean. The new site is not to have a direct connection to StrideLink trams, as Truro Central tram stop closed a month prior.

Constructed started in September 2022, with the road and stand layout of the bus station being finalized in early 2023. However in March 2023, the company in charge of construction faced financial issues which lead them to be forced to cancel their end of the project. This imposed severe delays in the project, with a new architectural design of the original proposal being required. To combat this, It was decided that a temporary set of shelter-style structures would be erected on the site in order for the bus station to open temporarily until the final structure was built around it. This temporary shelter structure was completed in early April 2023, and opened to the public shortly afterwards. These shelters were only on place whilst the rest of the structure was under construction.

The new bus station opened in early August 2023 featuring 10 stands along with all the previously planned features.

## Cancelled Proposals

In May 2017, a proposal for a replacement for the 2005 development was submitted, with the plans being fairly similar to the original proposal for the 2005 one, with a direct tram connection and more stands. The proposal also included dedicated coach stands. The plans were eventually rejected in October 2017, with the government stating that the plans were too 'dated' and that official plans for a new bus station would be created within the next few years. Another reason that the proposal was rejected was that plans for a dedicated coach station were already in the works as part of the newly proposed 'Grove Road Urban Village'. Truro Liberation coach station finally opened after a long delay in spring 2022.

In March 2020, an independent developer proposed an idea to extend the then current building of Truro Anchor to cover a larger area, incorporating more retail space. The plan was to use similar yet higher grade materials in the expansion, whilst strengthening the existing materials. The proposal was rejected swiftly in late March by the government.