STOURBRIDGE'S new £7 million bus Interchange has been given a ministerial welcome during a ceremony to mark its official opening.
Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening MP, stopped off at the ultra-modern station to take a look at the recently completed facility and unveil a plaque to commemorate the occasion.
Redevelopment work to replace the shabby terminus which previously occupied the Foster Street site was completed last month and it is now ready to handle the estimated two million passengers who travel to and from Stourbridge by bus each year.
Ms Greening said: "It is a fantastic new bus station and it is wonderful to see how many people have come together to make this happen.
"This sort if interchange can make a real difference, it is important for economic growth and helps people use public transport in a safe way."
The minister also paid tribute to the late Norton cllr Angus Adams who, as chairman of transport authority Centro, was a key figure in the development of the Interchange but died suddenly just days before work was completed.
She said: "Angus Adams really pushed this forward and it will be a lasting legacy."
Visitors to the ceremony earlier today (May 14), also heard Centro chief executive Geoff Inskip describe the revamp as a remarkable transformation which cllr Adams would have been proud to see.
The ceremony's guest of honour, veteran bus worker Gerry Byrne, also welcomed the arrival of the new station.
Mr Byrne, aged 94, from Norton, was a conductor on the town's buses for 31 years and worked at the original Stourbridge Bus Station, which pre-dated the facility demolished to make way for the Interchange.
He said: "I like it very much, I still travel on buses when I can. I made a lot of friends working on the buses and have a lot of happy memories."
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