Translink has confirmed which buses will operate from the new Belfast Grand Central Station as Northern Ireland’s public transport system takes a major step forward this weekend.
The company said it is “all change” as the Europa Bus Centre closes on Saturday and services are relocated to the new nearby transport hub.
Bus will begin to depart from the new station on Sunday, as part of the phased opening of the state-of-the-art integrated transport hub for trains, coaches and buses.
Translink says that “any bus services which have been operating to/from Europa Bus Centre will move across to Belfast Grand Central Station from Sunday”.
The doors and concourse/waiting area of the Europa Bus Centre will close for the final time on Saturday at 11.30pm.
The last buses to leave the Europa Bus Centre are:
- 11pm and 00.00 - 238 Goldliner Express to Newry
- 11.15pm; 00.15am and 1.15am – 212 Goldliner Express to Foyle Street
- 11pm; 1am; 3am– X1 service to Dublin Airport
- 1am; 2am; 3am; 4am Airport Express 300 to Belfast International Airport.
After this overnight buses, including the 212 Goldliner Express; X1 to Dublin, 238 to Newry and Airport 300 Express to Belfast International Airport are accessed via the night gate on Glengall Street.
All bus services will then transfer across to the Belfast Grand Central Station.
The first services from the new station are:
- 5am departure to Dublin
- 5am departure to Belfast International Airport
Any bus services that usually would have operated to/from Europa Bus Centre will then operate from Belfast Grand Central Station.
More: Video shows how to navigate the new Belfast Grand Central Station
Translink says passengers are urged to leave a bit of extra time to plan their journey and take some time to get familiar with the new station surroundings.
Several events are also set to take place this weekend to mark the closure of the Europa Bus Centre.
It has been operational since 1991 enabling thousands of passengers every day get to work, education, leisure, nights out and appointments.
A range of activities are planned to mark the closure of the facility, including a farewell event today attended by pupils from nearby schools.
On Saturday, the closure will also be marked with a group of ‘bus enthusiasts’ set to depart the Europa Bus Centre at 11pm.
Passengers travelling through the bus station on Saturday can also pick up a special commemorative ticket.
A special booklet has been produced, outlining the history of the Europa Bus Centre with a limited number of copies available on Saturday, which is also available to download.
