By Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
The Birmingham Intermodal, the city’s new, state-of-the-art transportation hub, officially opened Friday with dedications from Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) leaders, partner cities and businesses, tours of the facility, and a host of other festivities open to the public.
The event was at the Intermodal, located in the heart of downtown at 1801 Morris Avenue.
The $32 million facility is considered a game-changer in transportation in Birmingham by enhancing mobility and connectivity for Magic City residents and visitors. Housing key modes of transit all in one location – Max buses, Greyhound, Megabus and, soon, Amtrak – as well as a police substation, BJCTA administrative offices and a cafe, the Intermodal provides a safe and convenient one-stop shop for commuters and travelers.
Also this week, Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus transportation, announced it began operations on February 28 from the new Birmingham Intermodal Terminal.
“It’s a new day for transportation in Birmingham. Improvements are on the way, beginning with the new beautiful intermodal facility,” said BJCTA Executive Director Barbara Murdock. “We are so excited that Greyhound will be a part of this journey.”
Construction began in 2014 and was completed in 2017; the first Max buses rolled out of the Central station in June.
“This is history in the making,” said Murdock. “The Birmingham Intermodal not only will make it easier for people to get where they’re going, but it will also stimulate the economy by providing hundreds of jobs and attracting development that will add to our quality of life.”
The Intermodal is integral to the bus rapid transit system BJCTA will launch in 2019 and it will help move millions of visitors when the world comes to Birmingham in 2021 for the World Games, she added.
To commemorate the grand opening in conjunction with Black History Month in February, four Birmingham mayors were on hand to take part in the festivities including the Honorable Richard Arrington Jr., the city’s first African-American mayor, Bernard Kincaid, William Bell and current mayor Randall Woodfin.
Entertainment featured performances by Alabama’s Taylor Hicks, 5th Season American Idol Winner, and Just Us Cats. Refreshments were provided by Olivia’s Transit Café, a restaurant inside the Intermodal that opened last summer.
