Translink welcomed a delegation from the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland to the new Belfast Grand Central Station set for operational opening this autumn.
The group was treated to a virtual reality tour of what the station will look like when completed, shown around the site and updated on work so far and next steps.
Duncan McAllister, Head of Belfast Transport Hub Programmes, said: “Belfast Grand Central Station will be the largest integrated transport facility on the island of Ireland and will replace the current bus and rail facilities at Europa BusCentre and Great Victoria Street Train Station.
“Designed to be fully inclusive for all, this impressive high-quality facility will offer an enhanced user experience for around 20million customer journeys every year. There will be double the number of rail platforms from 4 to 8 and an increase in the number of bus stands to 26 increasing the available capacity.
“In addition, the modern spacious transport facility with mezzanine level will also be a destination retail space with a dedicated public realm space, Saltwater Square, for arts, culture and community events and activities. When fully complete its footprint will exceed that of London’s King Cross.”
Noyona Chundur, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland said: “Belfast Grand Central Station is an excellent project that will bring many socio-economic benefits to consumers right across Northern Ireland.
“It is an ambitious plan which will strengthen connectivity across all parts of Belfast and beyond, improve the customer experience, and offer greater choice for passengers. Passengers will be able to integrate rail, bus, coach and active travel and importantly, by addressing consumers’ desire for choice, convenience and greater accessibility, it will also help many people reduce the environmental impact of their travel.” Noyona concluded.
The cross-border Enterprise service will relocate to the new Station from Lanyon Place Station bringing passengers into the heart of the city and increasing connectivity across Northern Ireland.
With a clear focus on active travel, the streets adjoining Belfast Grand Central Station will include allocation of road space to pedestrians and cyclists and provide parking for more than 200 cycles.
The Consumer Council delegation also included Richard Williams, Head of Transport, Hannah Brown, Senior Policy Officer and Michelle Kelly, Policy Officer.
