St. Paul's Bus Station, Walsall 1.33

St Paul's Bus Station is one of two bus stations located in the town of Walsall in the West Midlands, England. The station is managed by Network West Midlands, and is the terminus for over 85 bus routes (some services are station-bound only), operated by eight registered bus companies (these are National Express West Midlands, Central Buses, Thandi companies (t/a Thandi Buses, Midland Bus Company, Corporate Express & Finesse Coaches), Rotala (t/a Central Connect and Diamond Bus, Choice Travel which now all operate under Diamond Bus), Walsall Community Transport, Sandwell Travel & Arriva Midlands).ArchitectureSt Paul's Bus Station is dominated by an elliptical roof standing on twelve steel columns. The concrete roof covers an area of 3171m2, beneath which are three bus islands, consisting of a total of eleven bus stands. A smaller aerofoil covers a further three stands. 2.4m tall glass screens shelter pedestrians from bus fumes and provide information on bus routes. At each of the bus stands is hardwood bench set within a low concrete wall. The benches were designed to be vandal-proof. At its longest point, the canopy is 80m in length and 45m wide at its widest point. The roof is covered in ten circular holes with hoods to deflect the wind. There are seventeen similar rooflights in the canopy. The concourse area is two storeys tall and consists of large concrete walls, supporting the columns for the canopy roof. The bus station covers a total area of 9470m2.