Belfast’s Grand Central Station Creates New Era for Northern Ireland’s Public Transport

A new central railway station in Belfast due to begin train services soon could do much to streamline Northern Ireland’s public transportation.

Belfast’s Grand Central Station, designed by architects John McAslan + Partners in conjunction with Arup and Juno for Translink, is a state-of-the-art facility that integrates train and bus facilities, where bus services have already commenced, into a single hub. Unusually large in scale for a city on the island of Ireland, its hangar-like, sawtooth-roofed hall will offer almost double the capacity of its now-demolished predecessor, expanding the number of rail platforms from four to eight and bus stands from 16 to 24. When full service begins — possibly by the end of the month, although no fixed date has yet been confirmed — new space will allow more frequent services, potentially increasing public transit use in one of the most car-dependent regions anywhere in Britain or Ireland.