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Belfast Grand Central station (originally the Belfast Transport Hub[6]) is a railway and bus station in the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It has replaced Great Victoria Street railway station and the Europa Buscentre.[7][8] It is built next to its predecessors, in a new neighbourhood called Weaver's Cross.[9] The first bus service, to Dublin, departed from the station on 8 September 2024, and the first rail service, also to Dublin, departed from the station on 13 October 2024.[10][11][12]
Belfast Grand Central  | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Translink rail and bus station | |||||||||
 The station at the Grosvenor Road at soft opening, 8 September 2024 | |||||||||
| General information | |||||||||
| Other names | Belfast Transport Hub | ||||||||
| Location | Weavers Cross, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 54°35′41.16″N 05°56′23.24″W | ||||||||
| Owned by | Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company[1] | ||||||||
| Operated by | Translink | ||||||||
| Line(s) | Bangor Derry~Londonderry Dublin Larne Portadown/Newry | ||||||||
| Platforms | 8 | ||||||||
| Tracks | 8 | ||||||||
| Train operators | NI Railways Iarnród Éireann (On cross border services) [2] | ||||||||
| Bus routes |
| ||||||||
| Bus stands | 26 | ||||||||
| Bus operators | |||||||||
| Connections | Bus, Taxi, Trains, Bikes | ||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||||
| Parking | Great Northern Car Park 535 spaces 9 Handicap Spaces [3] | ||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 300 cycle parking spaces[2] | ||||||||
| Accessible | Yes[2] | ||||||||
| Architect | John McAslan + Partners [4] | ||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||
| Fare zone | 1 [5] | ||||||||
| Key dates | |||||||||
| 2019 | Construction started | ||||||||
| 8 September 2024 | Soft Opening Bus Services start | ||||||||
| 13 October 2024 | Official Opening | ||||||||
| |||||||||
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The first railway station in Ulster was opened on the site of the former Great Victoria Street station in 1839 on the Ulster Railway. It became the northern terminus of the GNR's non-stop Dublin–Belfast express in 1947, and in 1962, platform 5 was removed to allow construction of a bus station providing a truly integrated bus-rail station for the first time in Belfast's history.[13] Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) closed the railway part of the station altogether in 1976 and the original buildings were demolished, being replaced by the Europa Hotel and Great Northern Mall. Railway services resumed, however, in 1995 with the opening of a rebuilt Great Victoria Street station, integrated with the Europa Buscentre.[14]
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The station is located on a 8-hectare (860,000 sq ft) site owned by The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (trading as Translink) between the former Europa Buscentre and Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station,[2] both of which it replaces.[9] The station's capacity is designed to cater for twenty million passenger journeys annually, more than the twelve million combined capacity of the pre-existing bus and railway station.[9] In addition to rail and bus improvements, the station also has cycle and taxi provision for enhanced connectivity, with 300 cycle parking spaces.[15][16]It is said to be the "largest integrated transport facility on the island of Ireland".[15] During construction the transport hub was described as one of the Northern Ireland Executive's "flagship projects".[16]
Railway station
The new station has eight platforms[8] (double that of Great Victoria Street and Belfast Lanyon Place), composed of four island platforms with two faces each. Two of these islands are short and two long.[17] Like the former Great Victoria Street, it is the terminus of Northern Ireland Railways' Derry, Larne, Bangor and Newry lines. This also means that the Portadown to Bangor route no longer has direct through traffic and is divided into two separate lines. The Enterprise express service to Dublin has moved from Lanyon Place as part of the project, meaning the flagship express service between Belfast and Dublin terminates here.[18]
Bus station
The bus station features 26 stands, eight more than the previous Europa Bus Centre. Seating is available throughout, with priority seating at select stands. The station also offers a range of amenities, including ATMs, vending machines, automated ticket machines, a help desk, a water refill station, and a sensory pod. There are accessible male and female restrooms, as well as Changing Places facilities.
Weaver's Cross
The area surrounding the hub will become a new neighbourhood which Translink has named 'Weaver's Cross'.[19] This 100,000 m2 site is planned to comprise leisure, residential and commercial facilities.[20]
Station Quarter
Weaver's Cross, combined with the station and a rejuvenated Glengall Street, Hope Street and Durham Street, will become Station Quarter, Belfast's ninth Cultural Quarter.[21]
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Construction
By February 2021, the first stage of enabling works was completed by construction contractor company Graham Construction,[22][23] clearing the 8-hectare (860,000 sq ft) for construction.[24] The next stage of development, from February 2021, involved the relocating of bus engineering and operation facilities to new accommodation, and the construction of a new bus wash facility, engineering garage, storage facilities and a bus parking area.[24] The Main Works and Infrastructure Enhancement phases of the project were expected to be conducted in 2022,[24] with the project due for completion in 2024/2025.[9][24] The project was said to potentially create 400 jobs over a five-year period.[25]
The main works of the project were delivered by a joint venture of Farrans Construction and Sacyr, with railway system works by Babcock.[26] The Busway Bridge was completed in August 2023.[27]
In April 2024, it was announced that Great Victoria Street station would close permanently on 10 May 2024, several months before the new Grand Central station was scheduled to open in autumn 2024.
On 29 May 2024, the first "The Grand Connection Roadshow" was held at Lanyon Place Train Station to communicate plans for the facility. The roadshow toured various locations throughout Northern Ireland, including shopping centres and train and bus stations.[28]
On 3 July 2024, Translink closed the rail line between Lisburn and Belfast Lanyon Place to facilitate the Grand Central enabling works scheduled for the summer. All stations between these two points were closed, with a temporary shuttle service running between Portadown and Lisburn. Enterprise passengers traveling to/from Belfast took a bus to/from Newry train station.[29]
On 8 July 2024, Translink launched a series of 11 videos across all its social media channels titled "The Grand Connection: Behind the Scenes at Belfast Grand Central Station." These videos showcased the progress made since the closure of Great Victoria Street station in May and highlighted how stakeholders and interest groups contributed to the station's development.[30]
On 13 August 2024, the first trains began arriving at the station for driver training runs. A NIR 4000 Class train operated these runs between Belfast Lanyon Place and Belfast Grand Central and Adelaide Depot.[31][32]
On 19 August 2024, Translink announced that bus operations at Belfast Grand Central would commence on Sunday, 8 September 2024. The final day of operations at the Europa Buscentre was to be Saturday, 7 September, 2024.
On 4 September 2024, Translink invited the press for a final preview of Grand Central Station before its official opening. It also announced that the station's first departure would be the X1 Goldline bus service to Dublin Busáras, scheduled for 8 September 2024 at 05:00 UTC+1.[33][34]
Opening
On 8 September 2024, Belfast Grand Central welcomed its first bus passengers, with services to Dublin Busáras via Dublin Airport and Belfast International Airport. Amir Kumat was reportedly the first passenger to enter the station, heading for Belfast International Airport. The former Europa Buscentre was converted into a corridor connecting Belfast Grand Central to Great Victoria Street.[35][36][37]
On 23 September 2024, the cross-border Enterprise service began trial runs at the new station, in advance of its relocation from Belfast Lanyon Place.[38]
On 3 October 2024, Translink announced that train services at Belfast Grand Central Station would commence on 13 October 2024, which marked the reopening of the Belfast to Lisburn Line.
Rail services began operating from the station on Sunday, 13 October 2024. The first departure was the 08:05 Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly, with a once-a-week stop at Lisburn and Lurgan, continuing on to Portadown, Newry, Dundalk Clarke, Drogheda MacBride, and finally, Dublin Connolly. The first arrival was the 09:15 Translink NI Railways service from Portadown. On board this train was the Minister for Infrastructure, John O'Dowd. Also present at the commencement of services was Translink's CEO, Chris Conway. The first 2000 passengers to use the station received a commemorative ticket.[39][40][41][42]
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Some issues with the scheme have arisen, including:
- The planning permission, granted in 2019 for the construction of the new Belfast Transport Hub,[43] included a provision for the removal of the Boyne Bridge, where a bridge was originally built in 1863 to span the railway line leading into Great Victoria Street station, with the current bridge dating to 1936.[44] The bridge is to be replaced by a four-lane road with crossing points for pedestrians and there is to be a new plaza and event-space called Saltwater Square leading up to the entrance of Belfast Grand Central station.[45] Some residents from the Sandy Row district, which lies at the southern end of the Boyne Bridge, as well as architectural and heritage campaigners, opposed the decision to dismantle the bridge on grounds of pedestrian safety and of the "bleakness" of architecture of the proposed Saltwater Square and also because of the bridge's place in the history of Belfast's development.[46] The Sandy Row end of the Boyne Bridge, at its junction with Hope St, contains remnants of a bridge built in 1642, originally named the Great Bridge and later renamed the Saltwater Bridge, spanning marshy and sandy land and, which local folklore describes as having been ridden over by King William of Orange as he passed through Belfast on his way to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.[47] During the construction works in 1936, workmen unearthed wooden pipes that had been made by boring through whole tree-trunks and then connected together using iron fixings. These were understood to be part of the first attempt, in 1680, to pipe a reliable source of clean, fresh water to the new town of Belfast.[48]
- The lack of integration with the new Glider rapid transport system, criticised as a missed opportunity for the transport hub nature of Grand Central.[49]
- The replacement of the large roof covering the railway platforms in the original plans with smaller canopies over each island platform sparked an outcry among railway campaigners. Translink responded, stating that the changes to the roof design of the new Belfast Grand Central Station were driven by considerations of "best design, passenger comfort, and air quality."[50]
- The absence of Irish language signage has disappointed Irish language campaigners, with Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin from An Dream Dearg stating, "This is not just a transport hub for Belfast; it serves people from across the entire island of Ireland. It's crucial that it reflects our identity as a city." A Translink spokesperson responded: "Translink is continuing to engage with all interested parties regarding multi-lingual signage at Belfast Grand Central Station for the official opening in the autumn of 2025."On September 12th, an Irish language protest took place at Grand Central Station, with a large An Dream Dearg banner displayed across the station floor. Protesters of all ages participated, holding signs with station names written in Irish. Eoghan Ó Gairmile from An Dream Dearg expressed their frustration, stating, That they deeply disappointed to see the new Grand Central Station launch without any provision for dual-language signage.[51][52][53][54][55]
- Some have complained that traffic has become congested around the new station during rush hour, with buses delayed by over 60 minutes or being cancelled. John O'Dowd, acknowledged that the new station has contributed to the issue but also highlighted the ongoing resurfacing work on the Sydenham Bypass as a significant factor.[56][57][58]
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Rail services
Grand Central acts as the terminus for all active railway lines in Northern Ireland, with the exception of the Coleraine-Portrush line.
Bangor Line
On the Bangor Line, the station operates a half-hourly stopping service to Bangor on weekdays and Saturdays, with additional express services at peak times. On Sundays, the line reduces to hourly operation between Grand Central and Bangor.[59]
Derry~Londonderry Line
The Derry~Londonderry Line operates an hourly service to Derry~Londonderry on weekdays and Saturdays, with some extra peak services terminating at Coleraine. On Sundays, this services remains hourly, however the terminus alternates every hour between Derry~Londonderry and Portrush. This results in only a two-hourly service to all stations beyond Coleraine.[60]
Dublin Line (Enterprise)
The Enterprise currently operates as an hourly service on the Dublin Line to Dublin Connolly via Portadown, Newry, Dundalk Clarke and Drogheda MacBride from Monday to Saturday. The Sunday service is two-hourly.[61][62][63]
Larne Line
On the Larne Line, the station operates half-hourly services on weekdays and Saturdays. The terminus for these services alternates every half-hour between Larne Harbour and Whitehead. Additional peak-time services operate to Carrickfergus and Larne Town. This pattern results in an hourly service to Larne Harbour. The service reduces to hourly after 7pm. On Sundays, an hourly service runs on this line with the same alternating terminus pattern - this has the effect of providing a two-hourly service to all stations beyond Whitehead.[64]
Portadown/Newry Line
The Portadown/Newry Line operates a half-hourly stopping service to Portadown on weekdays and Saturdays, with additional services (some operating as expresses) at peak times to Lisburn and Newry. On Sundays the line reduces to hourly operation between Grand Central and Portadown, with Newry only being served by the last train of the day. No trains stop at Scarva and Poyntzpass on Sundays.[65]
Bus services
The first bus to use Grand Central's bus station was the X1 Goldline bus service to Dublin Busáras on 8 September 2024.[33][66][67]
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Belfast Grand Central on 10 January 2023
Looking at BGC from the former railway station Great Victoria street
Inside Belfast Grand Central
_Construction_Progress.jpg)
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