Victoria Coach Station

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Victoria Coach Station.

Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London, and is operated by Victoria Coach Station Ltd., an arm of Transport for London.

[edit] History

Victoria Coach Station was opened on its present site in Buckingham Palace Road, London, in 1932, by London Coastal Coaches Limited, an association of coach operators. In 1968 this became a subsidiary of the National Bus Company (UK) (NBC). The building is in a distinctive Art Deco style, the architects for which were Wallis, Gilbert and Partners. During the 1970s Victoria Coach Station became the responsibility of the NBC subsidiary, National Travel (South East) Limited. In 1978 London Coastal Coaches Company was brought back to life and renamed Victoria Coach Station Limited. In 1988, following the privatisation of the NBC companies, ownership of Victoria Coach Station Limited was transferred to London Transport, and in 2000 ownership passed to Transport for London.

[edit] Operation

Victoria Coach Station has separate arrivals and departures terminals, located on the opposite sides of Elizabeth Street. The main departures building includes food outlets, shops, left luggage facilities, and ticketing. The combined area of the two terminals is about three acres (12,000 m²). The coach station accommodates mostly National Express and Eurolines services. A rapid growth of coach travel in the 1990s led to the opening of the nearby Green Line Coach Station which accommodates several other coach operators, including Stagecoach's Megabus operation.