Transport in Belfast

Last updated

Transportation systems in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, include road, air, rail, and sea. It is still a relatively car-dependent city; [1] however, it is also served by a comprehensive rail and bus network. Belfast also ran electric trams prior to 1954. [2] The city has two major airports, and the Port of Belfast is the busiest ferry port on the island of Ireland. [3]

Contents

History

In the Victorian city of Belfast, transport consisted of horse-drawn carts on cobbled streets. [4] Some of these streets in the Cathedral Quarter are still cobbled. As the city expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, the need grew for public transport to carry workers in and out of the city. The Belfast Street Tramways Company replaced carts with horse-drawn trams and the Cavehill and Whitewell Tramway company ran a steam tramway from the outlying villages of Whitewell and Glengormley into Belfast. [5] Belfast Zoo was created in 1934 from Bellevue Gardens, a playground and pleasure gardens at the end of the Cavehill line. [5] In 1905, the Belfast Corporation took over and electrified the city's tram network. [2] The trams were partially replaced by trolleybuses from 1938, and finally replaced by buses in 1954. [2]

Recent developments have been proposed in the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan, launched by the Minister for Regional Development in November 2004. It aimed to set a new direction for transport in the city following decades of under-investment. [6]

City layout

Belfast remains a divided city. There are 14 neighborhoods in the inner-city of Belfast some of which are divided by peace lines. [7] These walls were erected by the British Army, after August 1969, at the beginning of the Troubles. They were built in an effort to deal with the nightly rioting in the city at the time, and to stop intimidation and population flight. There was very little community consultation throughout this process. [7]

Since the 1970s, the inner city numbers have dropped and the Greater Belfast suburb population has grown. As with many cities, Belfast's inner city is currently characterised by the elderly, students and single young people, while families tend to live on the periphery. Socio-economic areas radiate out from the Central Business District, with a pronounced wedge of affluence extending out the Malone Road to the south. [8] An area of greater deprivation extends to the west of the city. In fact the areas around the Falls and Shankill Roads are the most deprived wards in Northern Ireland. [9]

Routes

Some important arterial routes into Belfast include:

The most significant road scheme in Belfast for some years began early in 2006, with the upgrading of two junctions along the Westlink dual carriageway to grade separated standard. The Westlink, a dual carriageway skirting the western edge of the City Centre, connects all three Belfast motorways and has suffered from chronic congestion for some years. The work will cost £103.9 million and is scheduled for completion in 2009. [10] Some commentators have argued that this may simply create a new bottleneck at the at-grade York Street intersection until that too is converted to a fully free-flowing grade separated junction, which in 2007 was expected to take place between 2011 and 2016. [11]

Cycling

The Lagan and Lough Cycle Way, part of Route 9 of the National Cycle Network, runs through the city centre along the Laganside promenade and linking north to Jordanstown through the docks and along the lough shore and south-west to Lisburn along the Lagan towpath.

Cars and buses

"Country" bus, Belfast "Country" bus, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 702872.jpg
"Country" bus, Belfast

In the nineteenth century due to suburbanization omnibuses became in to use and in 1869 were recorded running hourly on the Malone Road, Lisburn Road, Antrim Road, County Down Road to Sydenham hourly. [12] Belfast is a now a relatively car-dependent city, by European standards, with an extensive road network including the ten lane M2 motorway. A recent survey of how people travel in Northern Ireland showed that people in Belfast made 77% of all journeys by car, 11% by public transport and 6% on foot. [1] It also showed that Belfast has 0.70 cars per household compared to figures of 1.18 in the East and 1.14 in the West of Northern Ireland. [1]

Glider bus rapid transit services opened in 2018. Belfast-GliderBus-TitanicQuarter-P1510185.jpg
Glider bus rapid transit services opened in 2018.

Most public transport in Northern Ireland is operated by the subsidiaries of Translink. Bus services in the city proper and the nearer suburbs are operated by Translink Metro, with services focusing on linking residential districts with the City Centre on twelve quality bus corridors running along main radial roads, resulting in poor connections between different suburban areas. More distant suburbs are served by Ulsterbus. A small number of private operators are also present, including Aircoach who operate a non-stop route from Belfast to Dublin City, via Dublin Airport which competes with services offered by Translink.

Black taxis are common in the city, operating on a share basis in some areas. Separate associations serving nationalist and unionist areas operate throughout Belfast. During the Troubles, nationalist taxi drivers in West Belfast and Ardoyne became targets for loyalist assassination campaigns. [14] Today black taxis take tourists on tours of the city's sectarian murals. They are now outnumbered by private hire minicabs.

Airports

The city has two airports: The Belfast International Airport offers domestic, European and transatlantic flights and is located north of the city, near Lough Neagh while the George Best Belfast City Airport is closer to the city centre, adjacent to Belfast Lough. In 2005, Belfast International Airport was the 11th busiest commercial airport in the UK, accounting for just over 2% of all UK terminal passengers while the George Best Belfast City Airport was the 16th busiest and had 1% of UK terminal passengers. [15]

Railways

Bus and rail public transport in Northern Ireland is operated by subsidiaries of Translink. Bus services in the city proper and the nearer suburbs are operated by Translink Metro, with services focusing on linking residential districts with the City Centre on twelve quality bus corridors running along main radial roads, resulting in poor connections between different suburban areas. More distant suburbs are served by Ulsterbus.

Northern Ireland Railways provides suburban services along three lines running through Belfast's northern suburbs to Carrickfergus and Larne, eastwards towards Bangor and south-westwards towards Lisburn and Portadown. This service is known as the Belfast Suburban Rail system.

Northern Ireland Railways is the sole public railway operator in Northern Ireland. The network serving Greater Belfast is known as Belfast Suburban Rail and is owned by Translink. These provide rail services along four major routes:

Some important rail stations in Belfast include Lanyon Place, and—due to open in the autumn of 2024, replacing the Great Victoria Street, which closed in May 2024—Belfast Grand central station, Botanic, City Hospital, Yorkgate. The Enterprise is a cross-border inter-city train service between Dublin Connolly in the Republic of Ireland and Belfast Central in Northern Ireland. It is jointly operated by Iarnród Éireann (IE) and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR).

Ferry and Rail

From the Port of Belfast ferries connect with Cairnryan with a bus link to Stranraer station on the Glasgow South Western Line to Ayr station and onto Glasgow Central with trains provided by Abellio ScotRail.

Proposed transport

In 2007, a feasibility study was carried out to construct a light rail system in the city, initially along two routes, eventually along four. It had been compared to Luas, the tram system in Dublin. [18] [19]

These proposals included:

In 2008, the Department for Regional Development issued a report suggesting that a "high class bus-based network could cut commuting times while costing significantly less". [20]

By 2017, this transpired into the Belfast Rapid Transport System. The new service will be run by Translink and is expected to be operational by September 2018. It is expected that the service will transform the public transport system in Belfast. The route will be served by several new 18-metre Glider vehicles, specifically designed for Belfast, which will feature real time passenger information, destination announcements, CCTV, free Wi-Fi, USB charging facilities and air conditioning. These Glider vehicles are expected to operate every 7–8 minutes throughout the working day. The proposed route will link East Belfast, West Belfast and the Titanic Quarter, via the city centre. The service is expected to help meet the future transport needs of Belfast. [21]

Seaport

The Port of Belfast is the busiest ferry port on the island of Ireland with over 1.2 million passengers annually. [3] Belfast also has a large port, used for exporting and importing goods and for passenger ferry services. Stena Line run regular services to Stranraer in Scotland using their Superfast VII & VIII vessels, with a crossing time of around 2 hours 15 minutes. They also run a passenger/cargo ferry to and from Liverpool using the Stena Lagan or Stena Mersey, with a crossing time of eight hours. There are seasonal sailings to Douglas, Isle of Man that are operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet company (formally SeaCat).

Harland and Wolff shipyard in 1907 Belfast's Harland and Wolff Shipyard (RMS Adriatic), 1907.jpg
Harland and Wolff shipyard in 1907

The natural inlet of Belfast Lough gives Belfast its own port. As the city developed, this became the major avenue for trade with Britain and later Europe and North America. [22] In the mid-seventeenth century, Belfast exported beef, butter, hides, tallow and corn and it imported coal, cloth, wine, brandy, paper, timber and tobacco. [22] At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Belfast's significant trade made it the richest commercial town in the north of Ireland. [23] Around this time, the linen trade in Northern Ireland blossomed and by the middle of the eighteenth century, one fifth of all the linen exported from Ireland was shipped from Belfast Harbour. [22]

As the Industrial Revolution arrived, the port provided the outlet for the thriving linen and shipbuilding trades. Belfast harbour was dredged in 1845 to provide deeper berths for larger ships. Donegall Quay was built out into the river as the harbour was developed further and trade flourished. [24] The Harland and Wolff shipbuilding firm was created in 1861 and by the time the Titanic was built in Belfast in 1912, they boasted the largest shipyard in the world. [25]

It is also the biggest gateway for both the import and export of goods in Northern Ireland, receiving 6,000 vessels, and half a million freight units per year. [3] The Harbour Estate is also Northern Ireland's leading logistics & distribution hub.

See also

Related Research Articles

Most of the transport system in Ireland is in public hands, either side of the Irish border. The Irish road network has evolved separately in the two jurisdictions into which Ireland is divided, while the Irish rail network was mostly created prior to the partition of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of transport in the United Kingdom

Transport in the United Kingdom is highly facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. Transport is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NI Railways</span> Parastatal rail transport organisation of Northern Ireland (NIR)

NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways, 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 eight publicly owned train operators in the United Kingdom, the others being Direct Rail Services, Northern Trains, Transport for Wales Rail, Southeastern, LNER, ScotRail, and TransPennine Express. It has a common Board of Management with the other two companies in the group, Ulsterbus and Metro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast International Airport</span> Airport in Northern Ireland

Belfast International Airport is an airport 11.5 NM northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland, and is the main airport for the city of Belfast. Until 1983, it was known as Aldergrove Airport, after the nearby village of Aldergrove in County Antrim. In 2023, over 5.9 million passengers travelled through the airport, a 23.6% increase compared with 2022. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Translink (Northern Ireland)</span> Public transport operator in Northern Ireland

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulsterbus</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Chennai</span>

Transport in Chennai includes various modes of air, sea, road and rail transportation in the city and its suburbs. Chennai's economic development has been closely tied to its port and transport infrastructure, and it is considered one of the best infrastructure systems in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Melbourne</span> Overview of transport in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Transport in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, consists of several interlinking modes. Melbourne is a hub for intercity, intracity and regional travel. Road-based transport accounts for most trips across many parts of the city, facilitated by Australia's largest freeway network. Public transport, including the world's largest tram network, trains and buses, also forms a key part of the transport system. Other dominant modes include walking, cycling and commercial-passenger vehicle services such as taxis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Wales</span> Overview of the transportation system in Wales

Transport in Wales is heavily influenced by the country's geography. Wales is predominantly hilly or mountainous, and the main settlements lie on the coasts of north and south Wales, while mid Wales and west Wales are lightly populated. The main transport corridors are east–west routes, many continuing eastwards into England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry ~ Londonderry railway station</span> Railway station in Northern Ireland

Derry ~ Londonderry railway station, also known as North West Transport Hub or Waterside railway station, is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways and its 7th busiest station across the network with 952,126 passengers boarding or alighting at the station in the 2023/24 financial year. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, terminating at Belfast Lanyon Place. Derry/Londonderry has the longest platforms on the NIR Network, at 258.3 metres in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast–Newry line</span>

The Belfast–Newry line operates from Lanyon Place station in County Antrim to Newry in County Down, Northern Ireland. The manager for this line is based at Portadown railway station, although the line extends to the border to include the Scarva and Poyntzpass halts and Newry. Newry is on the fringe of the network, being the last stop before the border with the Republic of Ireland. The line follows the route of the northern half of the main Dublin–Belfast line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast–Bangor line</span>

The Belfast to Bangor line is a railway line in Northern Ireland, originally part of the Belfast & County Down Railway. All services are operated by NI Railways, the only operator for Northern Ireland (NI). Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, no railway in NI is part of the National Rail network and none is owned by Network Rail. Services run every half-hour, with up to six trains per hour in each direction at peak times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast–Larne line</span> Railway line along Antrim coast, Northern Ireland

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in London</span> Transport network serving London and surrounding regions

London has an extensive and developed transport network which includes both public and private services. Journeys made by public transport systems account for 37% of London's journeys while private services accounted for 36% of journeys, walking 24% and cycling 2%,according to numbers from 2017. London's public transport network serves as the central hub for the United Kingdom in rail, air and road transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Brisbane</span>

Transport in Brisbane, the capital and largest city of Queensland, Australia, is provided by road, rail, river and bay ferries, footpaths, bike paths, sea and air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Dublin</span>

This article deals with transport in the Greater Dublin Area centred on the city of Dublin in Ireland.

The city of Hobart, Tasmania is served by a wide variety of transport. While the city's main form of transport is private transport on the road network, transport is also available by bus, ferry and aircraft. A suburban train service operated between Hobart and Brighton from the 1870s until 31 December 1974. There has been, however, talk in recent years of reinstating a train service in the northern suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban rail in the United Kingdom</span>

Urban andsuburban rail plays a key role in public transport in many of the major cities of the United Kingdom. Urban rail refers to the train service between city centres and suburbs or nearby towns that acts as a main mode of transport for travellers on a daily basis. They consist of several railway lines connecting city centre stations of major cities to suburbs and surrounding towns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station</span> Railway station in Belfast

Great Victoria Street was a railway station that served the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was one of two main stations in the city, along with Lanyon Place, and was nearest to the city centre. The station was situated beside Great Victoria Street and shared a site with the Europa Buscentre, Belfast's main bus station. The railway and bus stations will be replaced by the adjacent Belfast Grand Central station later in 2024. Great Victoria Street railway station closed permanently on 10 May 2024, several months before its replacement was due to open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glider (Belfast)</span> Bus rapid transit system in Northern Ireland

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. 1 2 3 Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (18 October 2005). "Travel Survey for Northern Ireland 2002–04". Department for Regional Development. Retrieved 6 May 2007.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 Mike, Maybin (2003). Belfast's Lost Tramways. Stenlake Publishing. ISBN   1-84033-277-8.
  3. 1 2 3 "About Us: Import, Export... Your Port!". Port of Belfast. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  4. ↑ "Welcome to the Transport Galleries". Tour The Transport Museum. Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  5. 1 2 "Belfast Zoo Information: History". Belfast Zoo. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  6. ↑ "Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan 2015". Department of Regional Development. 30 November 2004. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  7. 1 2 Margrethe C. Lauber. "Belfast's Peacelines: An Analysis of Urban Borders, Design and Social Space in a Divided City". Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ↑ Stephen, Roulston (2006). "Urban Structure: Growth of Belfast". Geography in Action. National Grid for Learning. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  9. ↑ "Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure" (PDF). Department of Finance and Personnel. May 2005.
  10. ↑ "Westlink Upgrade". Road Improvements. Road Service. 2006. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  11. ↑ Johnston, Wesley. "Westlink & M1 Upgrade, Belfast". Northern Ireland Roads Site. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  12. ↑ Connolly, S.J. (ed) Belfast 400 People, Place and History.Liverpool University Press. ISBN   978-1-84631-635-7
  13. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Maurice (27 August 2018). "Glider buses to let passengers on from TOMORROW as part of test run". belfastlive. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  14. ↑ Rolston, Bill (5 August 2003). "Belfast's Gable-Murals". Radio 4: Latest Reports. BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  15. 1 2 3 Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (28 September 2006). "Northern Ireland Transport Statistics Annual 2005–2006". Department for Regional Development. Retrieved 2 May 2007.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. 1 2 "Airport History". Belfast International Airport. 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  17. 1 2 "Facts and figures". George Best City Airport. 2007. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  18. ↑ Morton, Robin (17 January 2007). "'Luas talk' of a light rail option for Belfast". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  19. ↑ "City rapid transit plans examined". BBC News. 16 January 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  20. ↑ Cassidy, Martin. "City to get rapid transit network". BBC Northern Ireland. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  21. ↑ "Pictured: New Belfast rapid transit glider vehicle unveiled". Belfast Telegraph . 19 October 2017.
  22. 1 2 3 Beckett, JC; et al. (2003). Belfast, The Making of the City. Chapter 1: Belfast to the end of the eighteenth century. Belfast: Appletree Press Ltd. pp. 13–26. ISBN   0-86281-878-8.
  23. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Belfast (Ireland)"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 03 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 664–665.
  24. ↑ Beckett, JC; Sweetman, R (2003). Belfast, The Making of the City. Chapter 4: The development of the port. Belfast: Appletree Press Ltd. pp. 57–70. ISBN   0-86281-878-8.
  25. ↑ "Introduction To Titanic – Titanic in History". Titanic. Built in Belfast. Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
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.