The original bus station opened in 1930 and was rebuilt in 1971.[2] It was completely rebuilt again, on a slightly different site, in 1996.[3] This second rebuild was due to the expansion of the nearby Marks & Spencer shop, necessitating the demolition of a number of properties. The opportunity was taken to enlarge the bus station from 9 to 13 stands.[3]
The station has 13 bus stands, lettered L to Y, with an additional alighting point located outside the main bus station building.[4] The bus stands in nearby Eldon Square bus station are lettered A–K. A Nexus enquiry office and an Arriva travel shop are based within the bus station.
Haymarket bus station is mainly served by Arriva North East, with other routes operated by Go North East and independent operators. Services mainly operate to the north and east of the city, as well as North Tyneside and east Northumberland.
A design fault in the glass roof caused panels to flex and dislodge from the frame in hot weather. A safety net was erected below the entire roof in July 2006, after a panel fell from the roof and injured a pedestrian.[5][6] Since then the bus station has been redesigned, with the overhead glass panelling being replaced with a more solid roof structure.
^ abMorton, David (21 November 2017). "Newcastle's old Haymarket station - who used to catch the bus from here?". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 22 February 2020. The row of largely closed-down shops next to the station would soon fall victim to the bulldozers. So too would the popular Farmer's Rest pub. If this incarnation was built in 1920, there had been an inn and hotel on this site for around 200 years. The reason for the arrival of the wrecking ball in this part of Newcastle was the major expansion of the city's Marks & Sparks store. [...] The old bus station, which had been spruced up and expanded in 1971, would be entirely rebuilt hand-in-hand with M&S. The new £1m station was officially opened by Newcastle United star Peter Beardsley on April 1, 1996.