Northern Ireland

Belfast Grand Central Station welcomes first customers

The first bus passengers travelled from the station at 5am on Saturday

Pacemaker Press 08-09-2024: A new £340m public transport hub has opened in the centre of Belfast with the start of bus services. Translink has estimated the new Grand Central Station will cater for up to 20 million journeys a year. The Europa bus centre closed its doors at 23:30 BST on Saturday, with the first bus departures - to Dublin and to Belfast International Airport - from the new station at 05:00 BST on Sunday. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.
Belfast's £340m Grand Central Station has opened in the centre of Belfast, with the start of bus services on Sunday. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.
By Mark Robinson

Belfast Grand Central Station officially opened its doors to the public on Sunday as it welcomed its first bus passengers.

Early birds heading to both Dublin and Belfast International Airport on the 5am bus services were the first to use the new £340 million transport hub.

The new site, which is located on the Grosvenor Road, is the largest integrated transport hub on the island of Ireland.

More: Your guide to the new Belfast Grand Central Station

It replaces Great Victoria Street for train travel and the Europa Bus Centre, which closed its doors on Saturday night at 11:30pm.

Morgan Maggee and Anna Harris from Banbridge were among the first passengers as services at the new Grand Central Station opened in Belfast this morning. Picture by Brian Morrison.
Passengers enjoyed the new facilities as doors opened this morning. Picture by Brian Morrison.

While bus passengers will now be able to use the new facility, Translink has not yet announced when trains will depart from the station.

Chris Conway, Translink Chief Executive, previously told The Irish News that extra time was needed.

“We’re working very closely with the safety authority – obviously safety is our number one priority – and we hope to be able to announce a date for that soon,” he said.

Pacemaker Press 08-09-2024: A new £340m public transport hub has opened in the centre of Belfast with the start of bus services. Translink has estimated the new Grand Central Station will cater for up to 20 million journeys a year. The Europa bus centre closed its doors at 23:30 BST on Saturday, with the first bus departures - to Dublin and to Belfast International Airport - from the new station at 05:00 BST on Sunday. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.
Bus services will now operate from the station following the closure of the Europa Bus Centre. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

Construction at the site has been ongoing for the past four years, with this summer seeing an escalation in the construction.

The new station will feature an array of retailers, including a Prêt-à-Manger and BrewDog, with hopes local businesses will also set up pop-up stores.

The full range of retailers are expected to be open by Christmas.