New Belfast Grand Central Station on Track

This Easter, Translink will be carrying out essential engineering work on the railway line between Belfast and Lisburn and Belfast and Portadown, with a line closure planned from Saturday, 30th March until Sunday, 7th April 2024 inclusively.

There are different closure periods and train services along the southern corridor will be impacted. Translink is encouraging passengers to plan their journey before they go using information on the website www.translink.co.uk or Journey Planner and allow extra time for their journey.

These works are essential to continue the process of connecting up the rail lines to the new world class Belfast Grand Central Station, set to be in passenger use, by the end of the year.

Explaining these works, Translink’s John Glass said, “Work on the new integrated transport facility is moving at pace.  Once complete, this impressive high-quality facility will offer an enhanced user experience with a significant increase in capacity, doubling the number of rail platforms from four to eight and increasing bus stands to 26. This will bring significant benefits to people travelling right across Northern Ireland and beyond.

“Designed to be fully inclusive, up to 20 million passenger journeys can be accommodated making it the largest integrated transport facility on the island of Ireland.

“With reduced passenger numbers over the holiday period, we have carefully planned a range of travel options with bus substitution services in place to minimise the overall impact and ensure people can continue to make their journeys and access the city.

“During this closure period we will also be carrying out essential platform works at Adelaide and Derriaghy and complete signalling upgrades at Lisburn.

“Our teams will be hosting pop-up information days at stations along the line during March and I encourage the public to come and meet with them to find out more about these works and their impact.

“I want to thank all our passengers and local neighbours for their support and patience as we progress these essential works”, John concluded.

A Saturday Rail Timetable will operate across the entire rail network during the week except Sunday which will be a normal Sunday timetable. Passengers and residents seeking further details on this work:

Visit: www.translink.co.uk/bcgcs

Attend the passenger pop-up information days at the following stations:

• Lanyon Place – Tuesday 19th March, 7am-9am
• Botanic – Tuesday 19th March, 4pm-6pm
• Great Victoria Street – Wednesday 20th March, 7am-9am
• Lisburn – Wednesday 20th March, 4pm-6pm
• Lurgan – Thursday 21st March, 7am-9am
• Portadown – Monday 25th March, 7am-9am
• Newry – Monday 25th March, 4pm-6pm

For more information visit www.translink.co.uk  or call the Contact Centre 02890 666630

  Timetable changes during Easter week:

Saturday 30th March to Easter Tuesday 2nd April inclusive

• Belfast Lanyon Place to Belfast Gt Victoria Street (GVS) to Portadown will be closed.
• Botanic & City Hospital Stations will be closed.
• Bus substitution services will run between Belfast Lanyon Place and Great Victoria Station approximately every 30 minutes.
• Bus substitution services will operate instead of trains between Great Victoria Street and Portadown, as per the railway timetable.
• The Enterprise service will operate from Portadown to Dublin, with Belfast customers transferred by bus between Belfast Lanyon Place and Newry train station.
• Passengers for City Hospital / Botanic stations can use scheduled Metro/Ulsterbus services along the Lisburn Road. Rail tickets will be accepted on scheduled bus services.

Wednesday 3^rd April to Sunday 7th April inclusive

• Belfast Lanyon Place to Belfast Great Victoria Street (GVS) to Lisburn will be closed.
• Botanic & City Hospital Stations will be closed.
• Bus substitution services between Belfast Lanyon Place and GVS will operate every 30 minutes.
• Bus substitution services between GVS and Lisburn will operate approximately every 10 minutes.
• The Enterprise service will operate from Portadown to Dublin, with Belfast customers transferred by bus between Belfast Lanyon Place and Newry train station.
• Passengers for City Hospital / Botanic stations can use scheduled Metro/Ulsterbus services along the Lisburn Road. Rail tickets will be accepted on scheduled bus services.