Belfast Grand Central Station, Northern Ireland's flagship infrastructure project, continues to progress at pace and is set to open to the public this autumn.
The internal fit out is well underway, alongside work to the bus stands, rail platforms, track and signalling infrastructure.
The internal fit out is well underway, alongside work to the bus stands, rail platforms, track and signalling infrastructure.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:07 Belfast Grand Central Station will be hugely significant for the social, economic and environmental well-being of Northern Ireland.
00:13 We expect the first phase or the operational opening of the station to happen in the autumn of 2024
00:18 and then all of the public realm work to be complete by the autumn of 2025.
00:22 This will be the largest integrated transport facility on the island of Ireland
00:25 and will cater for over 20 million passengers per annum
00:28 and will be a game changer for Belfast Northern Ireland.
00:31 We will have 26 bus stands, 8 railway platforms,
00:34 we will see increased frequency and better connected services.
00:38 We will also be able to see the enterprise, the main connection between Belfast and Dublin on the rail network
00:42 and now leaving from Belfast Grand Central Station.
00:45 [Music]
00:48 We want to increase our footfall and we really want to encourage more people into the city centre
00:52 to support our city centre economy and the central station will really help with all of those agendas.
00:57 We do appreciate that there will be short term disruption
01:00 but in the medium to long term this will be well worthwhile.
01:03 1.7 million people visit the city annually and the vast majority of them don't bring their cars
01:07 and again this investment allows us to ensure that the visitors who come to our city
01:12 can explore more than just the city centre
01:14 and the benefits of tourism are then spread right across Northern Ireland.
01:18 It's an indicator of what Belfast has to offer you just as you arrive on its doorstep.
01:22 It will get you excited, it will get you positive about Belfast.
01:25 The additional tracks and a significantly enhanced timetable can only mean one thing
01:31 more people are going to come to Belfast, particularly from down south.
01:34 Better facilities, more choice and an improved visitor experience
01:37 will help more of us to be able to make the shift to public transport and away from car use.
01:42 This is key to creating a cleaner, greener city, improving our quality and boosting health.
01:47 [Music]
01:50 Projects like this will help reduce each of our carbon footprints
01:54 and will also reduce emissions and thereby improve air quality across the city.
01:59 There will be more regeneration down through Victoria Street to Shaftesbury Square
02:03 which is an area of the city that has been crying out for regeneration for around two decades.
02:08 We're confident that by working with our partners in the City Council and the Department of Infrastructure
02:12 that we can make this a smooth transition for our passengers and for the general public.
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