Belfast’s £340m Grand Central Station Opens to the Public

The £340m Belfast Grand Central Station opened for bus services this week, but it still needs to complete a rail safety authorisation process before welcoming train services. While no date has been set for the rail launch, some predictions suggest it could happen within the next few months.

Northern Ireland’s infrastructure minister John O’Dowd said: “This is truly a new era for public transport here in Belfast and across the north and indeed the island of Ireland.

“This new flagship station is both iconic and historic, signaling our commitment to climate goals and focusing on transport decarbonisation.”

Construction of the transport hub on Grosvenor Road began in 2016 and will continue into next year, with some work still required on pedestrian and cycling routes around the station.

Translink, the state-owned company responsible for rail and bus services in Northern Ireland, stated that the station is expected to cater to approximately 20 million journeys per year once fully operational, replacing the nearly 200-year-old Great Victoria Street Station.

The historic station closed in May 2024, causing rail travel disruptions from the city centre while passengers await the opening of the new rail hub.

Belfast Grand Central Station’s launch follows the publication of the first joint report on rail infrastructure across the island of Ireland by the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which called for further investment in the rail network.

The All-Island Strategic Review report stated that the island’s railway line should be expanded and upgraded to provide faster and more frequent services, aligning with both governments’ net zero ambitions by 2050.