Upcoming roadworks in Bildeston

Due to major Anglian Water water main replacement work taking place in Bildeston, the High Street will be closed in several phases from the 29th June until early November. This will entail diversions & timetable changes on services 51, 53 and the introduction of new shuttle bus service 51S, as well as changes to stopping locations within Bildeston. 

Service Diversions

Service 51 will be on a major diversion between Bildeston & Stowmarket, operating non-stop via the B1078, Needham Market & B1113. As part of this, services will drop off at Stowmarket Argos & pick-up from Stowmarket Bury Street to maintain access with Stowmarket Town Centre. Service 51 will be unable to serve Hitcham & Great Finborough for the duration of these works. This service will not pick up at any stops on the diversion route apart from Stowmarket Argos & Stowmarket Bury Street for the duration of these works. 

Service 51S will be introduced, operating between Bildeston & Stowmarket, via Hitcham & Great Finborough to cover the section of route that service 51 will be unable to serve. This service will be operated by a vehicle either in either Simonds or Central Connect livery/branding, depending on vehicle availability. This service may not always be wheelchair accessible, but we will strive to ensure it is whenever physically possible. 

Service 53 (Wednesdays only) will operate with a smaller minibus, rather than the regular full sized bus but will continue to be low floor accessible with a wheelchair space and several seats available. This will enable the service to operate from Semer via the B1115, Monks Eleigh & Kettlebaston to then resume normal route in Hitcham. The timetable at all other stops will remain the same, but from Hitcham onwards there may be traffic delays depending on the amount of displaced traffic. As a result, it will be unable to serve Bildeston Clock Tower during any phase of the works, and will also be unable to serve Hitcham Causeway. It will continue to serve Hitcham at the White Horse. 

A higher quality version of the above map is available here.

Timetable changes

A revised timetable will be in operation affected services, as they are affected through the different phases of work. 

Service 51:

Service 51S:

We are planning for the above changes to be implemented on the 'timetables' section of our website, alongside other websites such as bustimes.org but cannot guarantee this will be in place at the start of works. Please rely on these timetables rather than any other timetable for the time being.

A download of the above timetables in printable PDF form is available here, and will also be available onboard the 51 & 51S. 

Bildeston stop changes

In each phase (please see below for dates), services will collect at different points within Bildeston.

Phase 2 & 3:
Service 51 will collect at the 'Bildeston, Village Sign (opp/adj)' stops, at the junction with the B1078 & B1115.
Service 51S will collect at the 'Bildeston, Clock Tower' stops.
Service 53 will collect at the 'Bildeston High Street (opp/adj)' stops (outside Past Paint Present)

Phase 4:
Service 51 will collect at the 'Bildeston, Village Sign (opp/adj)' stops, at the junction with the B1078 & B1115.
Service 51S will collect at the 'Bildeston, Wattisham Road junction' stops.
Service 53 will collect at the 'Bildeston High Street (opp/adj)' stops (outside Past Paint Present)

Phase 5:
Service 51 will collect at the 'Bildeston, Clock Tower' stops, as per the normal route.
Service 51S will collect at the 'Bildeston, Wattisham Road junction' stops.
Service 53 will collect at the 'Bildeston High Street (opp/adj)' stops (outside Past Paint Present)

Phase 6:
Service 51 will collect at the 'Bildeston, Clock Tower' stops, as per the normal route.
Service 51S will collect at the following point, north of Bildeston - https://maps.app.goo.gl/yanwthv3q4tLepzX6
Service 53 will collect at the 'Bildeston High Street (opp/adj)' stops (outside Past Paint Present)

Phase Dates 

Currently, these phases are set out below, as per the legal order that has been issued by Suffolk County Council. We will endeavour to keep this updated as the works progress, as there will almost certainly be modifications to this schedule. Please check back for updates before travelling.

Phase 2 - 29/06/2026 - 17/07/2026
Phase 3 - 20/07/2026 - 31/07/2026
Phase 4 - 03/08/2026 - 04/09/2026
Phase 5 - 07/09/2026 - 29/09/2026
Phase 6 - 30/09/2026 - early November

They will return to site in early 2027 to complete Phase 1 - we will update on our diversions for this closer to the time. 

We will be updating the data provided on our website & open data feeds (powering websites such as bustimes.org) before the start of service changes - however, please note that due to data limitation issues, all services in Bildeston will continue to show as serving Bildeston, Clock Tower even if they are unable to do so. Please rely on the stopping point information provided on this page, rather than any other online source for the duration of these works. 

We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to your journey plans with us through these works - it is deeply regrettable that these works have been scheduled & permitted within the first few months of the launch of service 51.