After five months of work, Rennes bus station, managed by our subsidiary EMS Rennes, is welcoming passengers to a brand-new space that is part of the Rennes Multimodal Hub.
The renovation of Rennes bus station, which is located near the SNCF train station, is part of a vast urban development project. For the past five years, Rennes station has been undergoing a major transformation, and by 2020 it will be the multimodal hub of the Breton capital. The purpose of the work is to support the increase in passenger numbers, particularly with the arrival of the high-speed line (LGV) and the commissioning of metro line B. This project will revitalise the entire district, with the creation of 125,000 m² of offices and 115,000 m² of housing, as well as hotels, shops, leisure facilities and more.
"Since the skills transfer, the region is now focusing heavily on bus station projects in Brittany (Rennes, Brest, Quimper, Vannes, etc.). Rennes is a good example of a bus station that is connected to other modes of transport and which is being modernised to further promote the use of public transport to reflect passengers’ needs as closely as possible", comments Gérard Lahellec, Vice President in charge of transport and mobility in Brittany.
More modern, more seamless, and safer
Operational since the end of October, the new bus station has been fully modernised, as André Lefeuvre, President of the bus station’s joint venture, which spearheaded this project in the department, explains: "The orientation of the platforms has been reversed to facilitate transfers between all types of transport and to further improve passenger safety. In addition, the building design has been reviewed to ensure good continuity with the adjacent multimodal exchange hub". Soon, a new passenger information and platform display system will make it possible to manage the allocation of platforms dynamically and optimise available capacity. Another new feature is the migration of the entire RATP Dev sales and information team to the new KorriGo Multimodal Sales space, which has just been opened at the train station. "In addition to information and the sale of regional and national transport tickets, RATP Dev teams are now involved in all mobility services, including urban network tickets and TER train travel", says Anne-France Rivière, Director of EMS Rennes.
Strength through collaboration / A successful collaboration
This new bus station is the result of close collaboration between EMS Rennes, the bus station’s joint venture, the Brittany region Transport Authority and all stakeholders in the region: the department, Rennes Métropole, transport operators, SNCF, etc. Present from the start of the project, EMS Rennes has been involved at every stage of renovating the bus station: at the very beginning, to help design services and spaces; during the work to keep the station in operation and minimise impact on passengers and coach-bus traffic; and even today to make the most of the investments. "We are delighted to have taken part in this excellent project", concludes Anne-France Rivière. Aside from the intensity of this project with its tight deadlines, it was the teamwork, in partnership with the joint venture and our transport authority, that impressed me most. This collaboration has been a driving force behind the project’s success. Rennes bus station is a good example of a modern bus station that has been able to keep pace with changes in the region and the needs of passengers".
A €5 million project (in 2010 euros) financed by the Department of Ille-et-Vilaine, the Brittany Region and Rennes Métropole