Buses during ABP Southampton Marathon 2026
1 month ago
The ABP Southampton Marathon is back and will be taking over Southampton with their marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k races on Sunday 3 May. There will be multiple road closures throughout the city so some buses will be diverted on race day. If you're catching the bus to the start line, or coming into Southampton to support those taking part, see below for temporary timetables and to know how your journey could be affected.
PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO BUSES between the City Centre and Woolston during the closure of the Itchen Bridge (08:00 - 14:00) and a very limited service between City Centre and Bitterne during the closures of Northam and Cobden Bridge (08:00 - 14:00).
The Southampton Park and Ride service (PR1) will run to its Saturday timetable on marathon day, allowing passengers to park up and reach the start line. Buses will start from 7am, dropping off at West Quay.
| Route No. | Marathon day - Sunday 3 May | Saturday 2 May |
| Bluestar 1 & 2 (City Centre Area) | Before 07:30 and 13:00 to 16:00 - Buses will divert in both directions between Above Bar and The Avenue (Archers Road), not serving any stops between Cenotaph and Law Courts. Between 07:30 and 09:15 - Buses will run NON STOP from Hanover Buildings to the Avenue. Between 09:15 and 13:00 - Buses will start and finish at Debenhams (Houndwell Place) and then divert in both directions to The Avenue (Archers Road) to continue their normal routes. Buses will not serve any stops between Hanover Buildings and Law Courts. Between 16:00 and 20:00 - Buses will not serve Cenotaph. | All day - Buses will not serve Cenotaph. |
| Bluestar 2 Swaythling Area | Between 08:00 and 15:00 - Buses will divert in both directions between Swaythling Market Buildings & Mayfield Link Road. Buses will not serve stops at McDonalds and Woodmill Lane. | Normal service |
| Bluestar 3 | Before 13:00 - Buses towards Southampton will divert after Brintons Road to terminate at Debenhams on Houndwell Place. The 09:40 and 11:00 trips towards Eastleigh will start at Debenhams on Houndwell Place. These will divert to Hedge End via the M27. Buses will not serve stops between Southampton and Moorhill Gardens. The 13:20 trip towards Eastleigh will serve Bargate Street, ASDA, Civic Centre & Park Walk as usual. The bus will then divert to Hedge End via the M27. Buses will not serve stops between Southampton and Moorhill Gardens. | Normal service |
| Bluestar 4 | This route is only affected towards Romsey. Before 13:00 - Buses will start at Castle Way (Stop BF) and will divert via ASDA & Seacity Museum to Central Station. Between 13:00 and 20:00 - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery. | All day - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery. |
| Bluestar 7 | Until 14:00 - The Bluestar 7 will be split into two sections:
Between 13:00 and 14:00 - buses towards Lordshill will additionally stop at Vincents Walk and Above Bar. After 14:00 - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction. | All day - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction. |
| Bluestar 13 | Between 08:00 and 14:00 - service operates between Harefield and Woolston Tollbooths only. To get into the City Centre, change at Bitterne onto the Bluestar 3 or 18. Normal service resumes after 14:00. | Normal service |
| Bluestar 14 | Between 08:00 and 14:30 - service operates between Hedge End and Bitterne only. You can change onto the Bluestar 3 or 18 to get into the City Centre from Bitterne Shops. Normal service resumes after 14:30. | Normal service |
| Bluestar 15 | Between 08:00 and 14:00 - service operates between Hamble and Woolston Tollbooths only. Normal service resumes after 14:00. | Normal service |
| Bluestar 16 | Between 08:00 and 14:30 - service operates between Townhill Park and Bitterne but frequency will increase to every 20 minutes. You can change onto the Bluestar 3 or 18 to get into the city from Bitterne Shops. Normal service resumes after 14:30. | Normal service |
| Bluestar 17 | Before 08:00 - Buses will not serve Art Gallery in either direction. Between 08:00 and 14:00 - The Bluestar 17 will be split into two sections (Woolston to City Centre will not be served during the closure of Itchen Bridge):
From 14:00 to 20:00 – Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction. | All day - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction. |
| Bluestar 18 | Before 07:45 - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction. Between 07:45 and 09:15 - Buses towards Thornhill will not serve Art Gallery, Above Bar, Vincent's Walk, Bargate Street, ASDA, Civic Centre, Park Walk and Solent University. It will instead divert and serve West Quay stop BP before continuing onto its normal route. Buses towards Milbrook will not serve Vincent's Walk, Above Bar and Art Gallery. It will instead divert and serve West Quay stop BF before continuing it's normal route from central station. Between 09:15 and 13:00 - The Bluestar 18 will be split into two sections (passengers travelling cross city will need to change bus in the City Centre):
From 13:00 to 20:00 – Journeys will return to normal except:
| All day - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction. |
| Bluestar 19/19a | Before 08:00 - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction Between 08:00 and 14:00 - The Bluestar 19/19a will be split into two sections (Woolston to City Centre will not be served during the closure of Itchen Bridge):
Between 14:00-20:00 - Buses will revert to normal except:
| All day - Buses will not stop at Art Gallery in either direction. |
| Bluestar 20 | Before 08:00 - Buses will not serve Cenotaph. Between 08:00 and 15:00 - there will be NO SERVICE due to multiple closures at Cobden Bridge and Bitterne Park. You can use the Bluestar 16 as an alternative route which will be running every 20 minutes, and change onto the Bluestar 18 at Bitterne Shops to travel into the City. | All day - Buses will not serve Cenotaph or King's Park Road. |
| Bluestar 61 | Until 20:00 - Buses will not serve art gallery. | All day - Buses will not serve art gallery. |
| Quayconnect | Trips at 08:40 and 08:55 will not run due to the road closures. Between 09:00 and 13:00 - Buses will divert via West Quay Road. Normal stops at ASDA, West Quay, Holyrood Church and Telephone House will not be served. | Normal service |
Unilink services will also be affected by this event. Visit their news feed to find out more.
During big events like this, it is more important than ever to plan your journey. We recommend you download the Bluestar app where you can plan your journey, track buses in live time and receive travel alerts, straight from our app to your phone.