Belfast Grand Central station

The first railway station in Ulster was opened on the site of the former 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 (UTA), 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.^[11] Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) 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.^[12]

Belfast Grand Central Station is not built on strictly the same site as the former Great Victoria Street Station, instead being in the corner of the Grosvenor Road and Durham Street, occupying an 8-hectare (20-acre) 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.^[13]

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.

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  The original Great Victoria Street railway station.
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  Interior of the original Great Victoria Street Station.
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  The west wing outlasted the rest of the original building.
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  An Enterprise service departs the original railway station on its last day.
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  The station continued to be served by buses after the railway left in 1976
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  An Ulsterbus coach departing the station in July 1976
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  The 'new' railway station, which opened in 1995, under construction.
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  Great Victoria Street as of 2016.
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  The Europa Buscentre in 2011.

The station is located on a 8-hectare (860,000 sq ft) site owned by Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company between the current Europa Buscentre and Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station,^[2] both of which it replaces.^[8] The station's capacity is designed to cater for twenty million passenger journeys annually, more than the 12 million combined capacity of the pre-existing bus and railway station.^[8] In addition to rail and bus improvements, the station is due to also have cycle and taxi provision for enhanced connectivity, with a potential 300 cycle parking spaces.^[14][15] Upon completion it is said to be the "largest integrated transport facility on the island of Ireland".^[14] The proposal is described as the Northern Ireland Executive's "flagship project".^[15]

The new station will have eight platforms^[7] (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.^[13] Like the former Great Victoria Street, it will be the terminus of Northern Ireland Railway's Derry, Larne, Bangor and Newry lines. This also means that the Portadown to Bangor route will no longer have direct through traffic and will be divided into two separate lines. The Enterprise express service to Dublin will be moved from Lanyon Place as part of the project, meaning the flagship express service between Belfast and Dublin will terminate here.^[16] Unlike at Lanyon Place, there is due to be a dedicated Enterprise lounge.^{[citation needed]}

Like the present Europa Buscentre, the new station will have stands for Ulsterbus, Goldline and Metro buses. However, the number of stands are due to be increased from Europa's 18^[17] to 26.^[8][7] A dedicated lounge for Goldliner passengers is planned.^{[citation needed]}

The area surrounding the hub will become a new neighbourhood which Translink has named 'Weaver's Cross'.^[18] This 100,000 m² site is planned to comprise leisure, residential and commercial facilities.^[19][20] Some of the proposals for the neighbourhood were described as "bleak" due to the plan's use of tall buildings and little space in between, with Belfast's Orange Order being among the objectors.^[21]

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.^[22]

By February 2021, the first stage of enabling works was completed by construction contractor company Graham,^[23][24] clearing the 8-hectare (860,000 sq ft) for construction.^[25] The next stage of development from February 2021, involves 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.^[25] The Main Works and Infrastructure enhancement phases of the project are expected to be conducted in 2022.^[25] The project was due for completion in 2024/2025.^[8][25] The project was said to potentially create 400 jobs over a five-year period.^[26]

The main works of the project would be delivered by a joint venture of Farrans and Sacyr, with railway system works by Babcock.^[27] Translink promotes the project using the local expression "It's Grand".^[7]

The Busway Bridge was completed in August 2023.^[28]

In April 2024, it was announced that Great Victoria Street station would close permanently on 10 May, several months before the new Grand Central station opens in autumn 2024. In July and August, the whole railway line between Lanyon Place and Lisburn are to be closed while the tracks are linked to the new station.^[29]

On 29 May 2024, the first "The Grand Connection Roadshow" was held at Lanyon Place Train Station to communicate their "grand plans" for the largest integrated transport facility on the island of Ireland. The roadshow toured various locations throughout Northern Ireland, including shopping centers and train and bus stations. These events also distributed exclusive Belfast Grand Central merchandise.^[30]

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.^[31]

On 8 July 2024, Translink launched a video series across all its social media channels titled "The Grand Connection: Behind the Scenes at Belfast Grand Central Station." These videos showcase the progress made since the closure of Great Victoria Street station in May and highlight how stakeholders and interest groups contributed to the station's development. To date there have been 11 of these videos posted^[32]

On 9 August 2024, Translink announced "The GRAND Pianist," a competition to find pianists for a GRAND performance at the opening of Belfast Grand Central Station. The competition's piano will make five stops across Northern Ireland: Newry Bus Station, the Northwest Transport Hub (Derry~Londonderry) and the railway stations at Lanyon Place, Bangor, and Coleraine. The regional heats will take place throughout August and September 2024.^[33]

On 13 August 2024, the first trains began arriving at the station for driver training runs. DMU 4001 was observed operating these runs between Belfast Lanyon Place and Belfast Grand Central and Adelaide Depot.^[34][35]

On 19 August 2024, Translink announced that bus operations at Belfast Grand Central will commence on Sunday, 8 September, 2024. The final day of operations at the Europa Buscentre will be Saturday, 7 September, 2024. This will be a semi-soft opening as the start date for rail operations has not yet been announced. Translink stated, "We are excited to offer a 'grand' welcome to visitors and passengers and want to thank everyone for their patience and support. We know there has been much interest and anticipation in the new facility, which is set to help unlock the true potential of our region as a great place to live, work, and visit."^[36][37]

On 4 September 2024, Translink invited the press for a final preview of Grand Central Station before its official opening. They also announced that the station's first departure would the X1 Goldline bus service to Dublin Busáras via Sprucefield Shopping Centre (Lisburn), Kenlis Street (Banbridge), Newry Bus Station and Dublin Airport, scheduled for 8 September 2024 at 05:00 UTC+1^[38][39]. When asked about the station's readiness for the Sunday opening, station manager Louise Doyle compared it to "a baby about to take its first steps." However, the day was also marked by criticism over the absence of Irish language signage {See Below}^[40][41][42]

Some issues with the scheme have arisen, including:

• The demolition of the Boyne Bridge, which has particularly upset the residents of Sandy Row.^[43][44] In a June 2022 meeting, a majority of the 120 objections to the Weaver's Cross redevelopment plan concerned the removal of the bridge.^[21]
• The lack of integration with the new Glider rapid transport system, criticised as a missed opportunity for the transport hub nature of Grand Central.^[45]
• The replacement of the large roof covering the railway platforms in the orginal 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."^[46]
• 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."^{[47] [40]}

No trains serve the station at present.

The first bus will be the X1 Goldline bus service to Dublin Busáras on Sunday the 8th of September 2024. Followed by the 300 Airport Express to Belfast International Airport.^[48][38]

Train Services

The station is intended to become the terminus of all lines which previously terminated at either Great Victoria Street or Lanyon Place.

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  Belfast Grand Central on the 10th of January 2023
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  Looking at BGC from the former railway station Great Victoria street

• Belfast Grand Central live train departures
• Weavers Cross Website
• Belfast Grand Central Website