BRILLIANT, marvellous - and much better than the old one'.

Passengers were delighted with the new bus station when it opened on Monday.

The big, bright, new waiting area looks more like an airport lounge or train station.

It has an electronic departure board, comfy waiting seats to wait on, and big glass windows "I'm very impressed. It's so clean and fresh," said Rosemary Vance, aged 62, from Orford. "You feel safe here. You never felt safe in the old one. It was dark and there were people hanging about."

Work is not finished - four shops are set to open and a disabled access ramp is still being built and background music will be provided.

On its opening morning proud contractors and council officers watched the buses arrive and a cleaner gamely tried to find dirt on the spotless floor.

Passengers trailing off buses looked both bewildered and impressed as they entered the building for the first time.

A bright mural by Penketh High School students depicting scenes of old Warrington welcomed pedestrians from the town centre.

Warrington Borough Transport boss Nigel Featham set his alarm for 4am so he could watch the start of a new era as the first bus left at 5.08am.

He said: "Apart from looking superb, the new bus station has excellent facilities and is in a great location.

"Not surprisingly, passenger reaction has been very positive.

"Warrington is well on the way to having the excellent public transport system is needs."

Council officers have been talking about the new station for more than a decade.

The council will maintain the building, while day-to-day services such as security will be provided by a management company.