Work on the long-awaited redevelopment of Stourbridge bus station will get under way this month.

Transport authority CENTRO have announced construction of the new £7m facility - to be called Stourbridge Interchange - will begin when the existing station closes on Sunday October 24.

Construction of the new terminus will mean major disruption to the 700 bus services which use the existing station every day.

CENTRO chairman, Councillor Angus Adams, who is also Dudley Council's cabinet member for Transport, said: "Inevitably this exciting development will mean some changes to people's bus services but we have been working hard to draw up alternative arrangements aimed at minimising any disruption."

The start of work is great news for Stourbridge and I believe passengers will ultimately have a fabulous facility that is fit for the 21st century.

The new station is planned to open to passengers in early 2012 and Councillor Adams believes the Interchange will be a landmark for the entire region.

Councillor Adams said: "We wanted to make sure the new interchange not only promotes Stourbridge as a place to visit but also promotes the West Midlands as a region that has public transport facilities that are striking to look at and easy for passengers to use."

The new development will include new station building and concourse with toilets, a retail unit and electronic passenger information boards. CCTV, help points and an internal public address system will also be installed throughout the site which will have eight bus stands with automatic doors while a new bus stand will be installed on Vauxhall Road.

Links from the Interchange to the town centre will also undergo major improvements including an refurbishment of the Foster Street subway.

Click here for further information on plans for the redevelopment

Temporary stops will be located in Birmingham Street and Parkfield Road during the works, details of which can be seen by clicking here