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Cartagena bus station set for major makeover after 30 years
Ground floor redesign and possible university use planned as the city modernises a key transport hub
Cartagena’s bus station is preparing for a significant overhaul more than three decades after it first opened, with a renovation project aimed at making the building simpler to navigate and more accessible for passengers.The project, drawn up by municipal technicians and now being put out to tender by the Ayuntamiento, has a base budget of €449,647.50 and an estimated construction period of five months once work begins.
Built in 1995, the station occupies a plot of 11,442 square metres and has a total built area of 3,816 square metres. While the structure itself remains sound, the design of the building has become increasingly outdated in terms of how passengers move through it.
The renovation will focus mainly on reorganising the ground floor so that ticket sales, information points and other services are all located on one level, making it easier for travellers to access the bus platforms.
At present, passengers typically enter the building at street level, go up to the first floor and then return downstairs again to reach the boarding areas. The new layout aims to remove this unnecessary route and create a more direct flow through the station.
Plans include a new pedestrian entrance created by adapting part of the existing car park access. This area will house the main passenger services, including ticket offices, an information desk and access control. A café with a terrace is also planned to provide a more comfortable waiting space for travellers.
From there, passengers would reach the bus platforms using a ramp split into two sections and an elevated walkway, allowing access without having to move between different floors inside the building.
The project also includes improvements outside the station, such as resurfacing the road next to the building and creating a new waiting area near the pedestrian entrance. Access to the existing car park will also be reorganised with a new two-lane entrance.
Toilets on the platforms will be fully refurbished and adapted to modern accessibility standards so they can be used by people with reduced mobility. Electrical systems, water networks for the future café and various structural elements will also be repaired or updated.
The renovation follows years of criticism about the condition of the station, with broken escalators, vandalised toilets and general deterioration leaving a poor impression on visitors arriving in the city by bus.
One of the most notable changes could involve the building’s first floor. Once the main services move downstairs, that upper level may be handed over for academic use by the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT).
Mayor Noelia Arroyo has confirmed that the Ayuntamiento is preparing an agreement that would allow the university to use the space, although the final purpose has not yet been decided and could include classrooms, offices or even a library.
Students have already put forward ideas for the space. “A study room with extended opening hours would complete the range of spaces the university currently offers,” said student council president Zaira Ojeda.
The aim of the overall project is to modernise one of Cartagena’s main transport gateways while giving new life to a building that welcomes thousands of travellers to the city each year.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
