Belfast Grand Central Station

Last updated

Belfast Grand Central Station is a new railway and bus station, currently under construction, which will replace Great Victoria Street railway station and the Europa Buscentre. [1] The project was announced as Belfast Transport Hub, but Translink announced the new name on 7th April 2022.

Contents

Context

The first railway station in Ulster was opened on the site of today's Great Victoria Street station in 1839. It became the northern terminus of the GNR's non-stop Dublin–Belfast express in 1947, and in 1962, having been taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority, platform 5 was closed, filled in, and turned into a bus station providing a truly integrated bus-rail station for the first time in Belfast's history. [2] Northern Ireland Railways closed the railway part of the station altogether in 1976 and the original buildings disappeared beneath the Europa Hotel and Great Northern Mall. Railway services resumed, however, in 1995 with the opening of the present-day Great Victoria Street station, integrated with the Europa Buscentre, yards away from the site of the original 1839 station. [3]

Belfast Grand Central Station will not be on strictly the same site as today's Great Victoria Street station, instead being in the corner of Grosvenor Road and Durham Street, occupying an 8 hectare site. Historically this area was occupied by the railway goods yard, until goods traffic ended in 1976, and at present is partly used as the bus depot. [4]

Belfast Grand Central Station thus fits into a history of bus-rail integration linked to the Great Victoria Street area that goes back to 1962, save for a 19-year interruption between 1976 and 1995.

Proposal

Railway Station

The new station would have eight platforms (double that of Great Victoria Street) under a large overall roof, composed of four island platforms with two faces each. Two of these islands would be short, covered entirely by the roof, and two long. [5] Like the current Great Victoria Street, it will be the terminus of NIR's Derry, Larne, Bangor and Newry lines. The Enterprise will be moved from Lanyon Place as part of the project, meaning the flagship express service between Belfast and Dublin will terminate here. [6] Unlike at Lanyon Place, there will be a dedicated Enterprise lounge.

Bus Station

Like the present Europa Buscentre, the new station will have stands for Ulsterbus, Goldline and Metro buses. However, the number of stands will be increased from Europa's 18 [7] to 26. There will be a dedicated lounge for Goldliner passengers.

Weaver's Cross

The area surrounding the hub will become a new neighbourhood which Translink has named ''Weaver's Cross''. [8] This 100,000m2 site will comprise leisure, residential and commercial facilities. [9] [10]

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. [11]

Progress

As of 2022, progress has been made on enabling works. The project is due for completion in 2024/25.

Controversies

Though the project is still in its early days a few issues have arisen, including:

Related Research Articles

Glengormley is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Glengormley is within the urban area of Newtownabbey and the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is also situated in the civil parish of Carnmoney and the historic barony of Belfast Lower.

NI Railways Parastatal rail transport organisation of Northern Ireland

NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ; and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), and is one of seven publicly-owned train operators in the United Kingdom, the others being Direct Rail Services, Northern Trains, Transport for Wales Rail, Southeastern, LNER, and ScotRail. It has a common Board of Management with the other two companies in the group, Ulsterbus and Metro.

Belfast International Airport Main airport in Northern Ireland

Belfast International Airport is an airport 11.5 NM northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland, is the main Airport for the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Until 1983, it was known as Aldergrove Airport, after the nearby village of Aldergrove. In 2018, over 6.2 million passengers travelled through the airport, marking a 7.4% increase compared with 2017. The majority of flights from Belfast International are operated by easyJet, Northern Ireland's biggest airline. It features flights to some European metropolitan and several leisure destinations as well as a seasonal route to Orlando operated by Virgin Atlantic.

Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the public transport in the region. NI Railways, Ulsterbus and Metro are all part of Translink. It is led by CEO Chris Conway.

Ulsterbus Bus operator in Northern Ireland

Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink, the brand name for the subsidiary operating companies of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, which also includes Northern Ireland Railways and Metro Belfast.

<i>Enterprise</i> (train service) Train service between Dublin, Ireland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland

Enterprise is the cross-border inter-city train service between Dublin Connolly in the Republic of Ireland and Belfast Lanyon Place in Northern Ireland, jointly operated by Iarnród Éireann (IE) and NI Railways (NIR). It operates on the Belfast–Dublin railway line.

Lanyon Place railway station Railway station in Belfast

Belfast Lanyon Place is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Located on Bridge Street in the Laganside area of central Belfast, it is one of four stations in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic. Lanyon Place is the northern terminus of the cross-border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly. It is also served by Northern Ireland Railways, which operates routes to other locations in Northern Ireland, including Derry, Bangor, Portadown and Larne.

Londonderry railway station

Londonderry railway station, known commonly as Waterside railway station, is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, terminating at Belfast Great Victoria Street.

Metro (Belfast) Trading name for Citybus in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Metro is the trading name for bus company Citybus in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a subsidiary of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, within the common management structure of Translink, along with Ulsterbus and Northern Ireland Railways.

Ballygowan Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Ballygowan is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the Ards and North Down Borough. The town of Comber is a short distance to the north-east, the town of Saintfield to the south, and the city of Belfast further to the north-west. It is within the civil parishes of Killinchy and Comber and the historic barony of Castlereagh Lower. It had a population of 2,957 people in the 2011 Census.

Coleraine railway station

Coleraine railway station serves the town of Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It shares facilities with the town's Ulsterbus bus depot.

Belfast–Larne line

The Belfast–Larne line, or Larne line, is a railway line in Northern Ireland, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It runs as double track along the majority of its route north along the scenic east Antrim coastline from Belfast to the coastal seaport town of Larne, serving commuters and ferry passengers.

Belfast–Derry line Northern Irish railway line

The Belfast–Derry line runs from Belfast to Derry in Northern Ireland. The line is double-track on the short section it shares with the Belfast–Larne line, but is composed primarily of single track from Monkstown to Derry with passing points at Templepatrick, Antrim, Magherabeg, Ballymena, Killagan, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Bellarena.

Portadown railway station Railway station in County Armagh, Northern Ireland

Portadown Railway Station serves Portadown in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

Portrush railway station

Portrush railway station is the terminus of the Coleraine-Portrush railway line and serves the seaside town of Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Transportation systems in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland include road, air, rail, and sea. It is still a relatively car dependent city however it is also served by a comprehensive rail and bus network. Belfast also ran electric trams prior to 1954. The city has two major airports and the Port of Belfast is the busiest ferry port on the island of Ireland.

Linen Quarter, Belfast

The Linen Quarter is a vibrant area of Belfast city centre. The name is derived from the great many linen warehouses that are still present in the area. The Linen Quarter is host to some of the major cultural venues of Belfast, including the Ulster Hall and Grand Opera House, alongside a large number of hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes. The district also includes the main transport hub of Belfast.

Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station Railway station in Belfast

Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with Lanyon Place, and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Lanyon Place, Botanic and City Hospital. It is situated near Great Victoria Street, one of Belfast's premier commercial zones, and Sandy Row. It is also in a more central position than Lanyon Place, with the Europa Hotel, Grand Opera House and The Crown Liquor Saloon all nearby.

Glider (Belfast)

Glider is a bus rapid transit system in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed to improve the efficiency of mass transit in the city by connecting East and West Belfast and the Titanic Quarter via the city centre. The service is operated by Translink.

References

  1. ↑ "Work on £175m Belfast transport hub to start in 2018, says Translink boss". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Sinclair, Ian (2009). Along UTA Lines. Newtownards: Colourpoint. p. 10. ISBN   978-1-906578-49-7.
  3. ↑ "Geograph:: Great Victoria Street railway station – Belfast [56 photos] in J3373". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Belfast Transport Hub - Future Belfast". www.futurebelfast.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "Belfast Transport Hub - Future Belfast". www.futurebelfast.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  6. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "Belfast Transport Hub planning underway". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "Europa Buscentre". www.translink.co.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  8. ↑ McGonagle, Suzanne. "Video: Neighbourhood surrounding new Belfast transport hub to be called Weavers Cross". The Irish News. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Translink. "The Belfast Hub - Translink". www.translink.co.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "Belfast Hub - Belfast City Council". www.belfastcity.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "Belfast Hub Public Consultation Boards" (PDF). Translink. February–March 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Row over replacing Belfast's Boyne Bridge". BBC News. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "Translink 'to work with community' to address transport hub concerns". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Belfast rapid transit Glider bus revealed ... but passengers face walk to transport hub". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.