Sneak Peek: Up close look at new Huntsville Transit Transfer Station
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The City of Huntsville is celebrating good progress on the new Huntsville Transit Transfer Station.
The new station is being built just around the corner from the current bus station, but the differences are night and day.
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While construction is still underway, transportation officials tell News 19 that they hope to have the new transfer station up and running by June. It will become the new hub for 11 different bus routes when it opens.
Huntsville’s Transit Manager, John Autry, says public transportation ridership is up throughout the city.
“If you count the fixed route and the paratransit service, we’re about 3,000 riders a day,” Autry said. He said a lot of Huntsville residents rely on the service to get around.
“This is vital for getting to and from a job, going to the grocery store, and getting to medical appointments,” Autry explained.
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The new transfer station is being built right behind the current station, but it is doubling the number of buses it can handle at once. Autry told News 19 that the new station has space for 14 45-foot bus bays.
“The bus bays are designed 15 feet longer,” he said. Longer bays can accommodate longer buses.
Autry said they’ve recently purchased a few longer busses that will help on more congested routes like University Drive and southwest Huntsville.
“We’ve recently procured new 40-foot buses,” he said.
The new transfer station also provides riders with an upgraded experience while they wait for their bus. The indoor waiting room at the new station is much larger and has bathrooms. Plus, it will have electronic screens that will allow riders to track where there bus is coming from.
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Autry said there will also be electronic signs posted outside in the bus bays that will keep riders informed of how many minutes the wait is for their bus, “just like you see at the airport.”
The transfer station will also have added security measures, so people feel safe while they wait.
“We will have three times the number of video surveillance cameras and this whole station, both sides of the platform will be lit all through the night,” Autry said. “So much higher level of security than what we currently have.”
The price tag for the new transit transfer station is around $12.5 million, but the City of Huntsville had help footing the bill.
“We’re thankful to our federal partners at the Federal Transportation Administration,” said Quisha Bryant, the Director of Parking & Public Transportation for the City of Huntsville. “It was a grant from them that made this building possible.”
Autry said the new building isn’t the only improvement that the city hopes to make to transit services. Over time, he says they hope to add additional bus routes, add more buses to existing routes, and replace old-style bus stop shelters with newer ones.
Autry also told News 19 that one of the most requested services they learned about during a recent survey was service on Sundays.
Once they can increase staffing numbers, they hope to be able to add routes on Sundays, Autry said. He encourages anyone interested in being a bus driver or maintenance worker, to check out the city jobs page.
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