Passengers will have to wait until next year before the heavily delayed new Hamilton bus terminal opens, can reveal today.

The multi-million dollar station was supposed to swing open at the end of this summer, almost five months after the original completion date of March was shelved. But the Hamilton Mayor Lawson Mapp yesterday confirmed workers had discovered that the wall between the City Hall and Washington Street North was dangerous. This had created an 11th hour delay ? meaning the project could now clock in nearly one year late.

It has emerged that this wall, which may have collapsed at any time, will have to be knocked down and replaced. While this is done the new terminal will stand empty for months ? even though the bulk of the work on it is completed.

News of yet another delay to the key Bermuda transport project is bound to infuriate passengers, who Mr. Mapp said will now have to wait until January to use the facility.

Temporary bus stops in Hamilton, at the other side of the City Hall, are currently being used by travellers.

Mr. Mapp said: ?Unfortunately, we have discovered at a late hour that the western wall that?s near to the new bus station was in a condition of collapse.

?Obviously it would have been very dangerous to have the bus station open with the wall like that. It could have come crashing down on passengers.?

The Mayor said contractors were now repairing the large stretch of wall running from Church Street, past the new terminal and to rest rooms behind the City Hall.

He added: ?After the wall has been replaced, the bus station will be ready to open some time in the New Year, January 2006.?

Asked why the wall problem was not uncovered an earlier stage in such an expensive project, Mr. Mapp said: ?It was late when the condition of the wall was discovered.?

He said no damage would be caused to the sleek new terminal building when the wall was knocked down and a replacement built.

Even before the wall hitch, reported in July how the transport project was half a million dollars over budget ? coming in at close to $2.9 million. It is not known at this stage how much this fresh delay will add to the final cost of the scheme.

Nea Talbot, of the Ministry of Works and Engineering, confirmed the revised end of summer completion date would be missed.

A source close to the project told the paper: ?It would have made sense if the wall had come down before we put the structure up. Now we have to make sure we do not damage it when we knock it down.?

Repeated attempts to contact Tourism and Transport Minister, Ewart Brown, yesterday proved unsuccessful.

Dr. Brown told in July that the central bus terminal was ?near substantial completion?, but gave no indication when Bermudians and visitors would be able to use the ultra-modern facility.

Government decided to replace the old bus terminal ? built in the 1970s ? after it failed to meet the modern needs of commuters.