Cartagena’s bus station is to undergo a significant renovation more than three decades after opening in 1995. The Ayuntamiento has put the project out to tender with a base budget of €449,647.50 and an estimated construction period of five months. While the structure remains sound, officials say the layout has become outdated and difficult for passengers to navigate.

The redesign will focus on reorganising the ground floor so ticket offices, information points and access to platforms are all on one level. At present, travellers enter at street level, go up to the first floor and then return downstairs to board buses. Plans also include a new pedestrian entrance, a café with terrace, refurbished toilets adapted for people with reduced mobility, and improvements to roads and parking access.

Electrical systems and water networks will be upgraded, and a new waiting area will be created outside the building. The works follow years of criticism over broken escalators, vandalised toilets and general deterioration.

Once services move downstairs, the first floor could be handed to the Polytechnic University of Cartagena. Mayor Noelia Arroyo has confirmed that an agreement is being prepared, with possible uses including classrooms, offices or a library.