A new train station under construction at York Street in Belfast will cost more than the original £10 million estimate, the head of Translink has said.
The north Belfast scheme, which is being funded by the Department for Infrastructure, is due to open at the end of April.
The new station was originally announced prior to the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.
Senior figures at Translink said the project, like other public sector schemes, had been hit by the impact of inflation.
But the publicly owned transport company would not be drawn on the final cost during a hard hat site tour of the site on Wednesday.
“It’s a very challenging environment over the past number of years, with Covid and the inflation that has taken place after that, supply chain challenges as well,” said Translink chief executive Chris Conway.
“It has been a challenging environment to implement large infrastructure projects.”
Co Down construction group Graham remains on site at York Street, with the first phase of work expected to be complete by the end of April.
Watch: Todays site visit the new York Street Train Station in North Belfast due to open next month. #translink @irish_news pic.twitter.com/V7QbAWeWsL
— Mal McCann (@MalMccann) March 13, 2024
That will see the new station and its new pedestrian bridge opened to the public.
The demolition of the current Yorkgate station is expected to commence in May, with all work, including public realm, due to be finished by the autumn.
“The benefits for us in terms of investing in public transport infrastructure generally, is to encourage more people to use public transport, and to get that modal shift away from private cars, to really benefit climate change,” said Chris Conway.
“But also the social, economic and environmental benefits of just developing infrastructure to encourage more people to use public transport.
“We’ve done a major piece of community work here in terms of social value, encouraging employment in construction and also working with the local community to reflect the arts and heritage in the area.”
One of the most striking aspects of the upgraded station is expected to be the art sculpture, which will overlook the York Street and Dock Street traffic junction.
Created by Belfast artist Kevin Killen, the eight metre ‘Journeylines’ light installation is expected to become a new north Belfast landmark.
“The artwork explores the kinetic flux and movement of intersecting and interconnecting with each other, and it’s important that the artwork is not just sympathetic to its surroundings but becomes an integral part of the landscape,” said Mr Killen.
The work, facilitated by Arts & Business NI, is a partnership between Translink and the Golden Thread Gallery.
Elizabeth Byrne from the Golden Thread Gallery said: “Kevin has drawn a lot on the community engagement. People in this area are very passionate about their heritage and the history of this area.
“The artwork is going to be eight metres tall. It will be constructed of interconnected galvanised steel tubes.
“There will be different colours. There will also be LED lighting within the sculpture. That will be kinetic, again to emphasise that idea of flow and travel, which means the lights will be breathing, and can be programmed.
“There will be different colours. There will also be LED lighting within the sculpture. That will be kinetic, again to emphasise that idea of flow and travel, which means the lights will be breathing, and can be programmed.
“It will make the sculpture very spectacular both during the day and at night.
“It’ll be visible really from the entire station on approach, on the skyline, it will be a real addition to north Belfast.”
