Stagecoach welcomes re-opening of Paignton town centre route
Bus operators apologise to customers after building works caused disruption
The partial re-opening of Victoria Street in Paignton town centre has brought ‘welcome improvements for bus customers’ according to bus operators Stagecoach.
Victoria Street partially reopened to traffic on Friday August 21 after weeks of demolition work on a dangerous building and repairs to Paignton train station after a fire.
Stagecoach apologised to customers for the disruption and frustration caused by the closure, and thanked passengers and their teams for their patience and resilience.
The company said it looked forward to greater normality, while continuing to work with Torbay Council, Network Rail and other partners as remaining works continue.
Bus passengers in Paignton and across Torbay will see improvements to services from as Victoria Street reopens to a single lane of traffic following months of disruption.
It said the closure since the end of May has created significant challenges for its customers and teams, with diversions, congestion and longer, less predictable journey times affecting bus services across the area.
The company said it sincerely apologises to their customers for the disruption and frustration this has caused. It knows how important reliable bus services are to people getting to work, education, appointments and going about their daily lives.
Its teams have worked hard throughout the disruption to keep services running, and it thanks both colleagues and customers for their patience and understanding.
Peter Knight, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, said: “We are very pleased to see Victoria Street reopening and to be able to start getting back to a greater sense of normality for our customers and our teams.
“We know the last few months have been extremely challenging, and we are genuinely sorry for the disruption passengers have experienced. Our colleagues have worked incredibly hard in difficult circumstances to keep services operating.
“The reopening is an important step forward and should help improve traffic flow, journey reliability and service delivery. We know our customers expect a reliable and convenient bus service, and we are looking forward to getting back to delivering that.”
The company said some restrictions will remain while demolition and asbestos-removal works continue, so customers may still experience some local disruption.
It says it will continue to monitor conditions closely and work with Torbay Council, Network Rail and other partners to minimise the impact on services.