Translink (Northern Ireland) facts for kids
Translink logo as of 2021
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Translink Metro and Glider vehicles at Belfast City Centre in November 2023
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Public Transport |
| Predecessor | Ulster Transport Authority Citybus (Belfast) |
| Founded | 1 January 1996 in Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Headquarters | 22 Great Victoria Street, , |
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Area served
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Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland (via Cross border Services) |
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Key people
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Chris Conway (CEO) Gordon Milligan (Chief Strategy Officer) Jacqui Kennedy (Chief People & Corporate Services Officer) Ronan O’Doherty (Interim Chief Financial Officer) |
| Revenue |  £266.3M (2022) £292.6M (2021)£225.9M (2020) |
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Number of employees
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4,064 (2021-22) |
| Parent | Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company |
| Subsidiaries | Ulsterbus NI Railways Metro Glider |
Translink is a company that helps people travel around Northern Ireland. It is part of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo). Translink runs trains (NI Railways) and buses (Ulsterbus, Goldliner, Metro, and Glider). Chris Conway is the CEO, or boss, of Translink.
Translink's services cover all of Northern Ireland. They also go to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. This is a partnership with an Irish company called Córas Iompar Éireann (CIÉ). Translink also runs local bus services in many towns and cities. These include Bangor, Derry, Ballymena, Omagh, Craigavon, and Antrim. The Metro service operates throughout Belfast and its suburbs.
The NITHCo company started in 1967. It took over the train and bus services from the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA). These services were Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) and Ulsterbus. In 1996, Translink was created. It brought together the services of the UTA and Citybus Limited. Citybus Limited used to run buses only in Belfast. It is now known as Metro.
Contents
Northern Ireland Railways: Train Travel
Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) is in charge of the train network in Northern Ireland. The railway network is about 330.58 kilometers (205.41 miles) long.
The main passenger line runs from Portadown to Bangor. Translink also provides train services between Belfast and Derry to the north. There are also services to Newry in the south. These trains continue across the border to Dublin. This is part of the fast Enterprise service. Trains also go to Larne and Portrush. The Portrush line branches off the Belfast-Derry railway line at Coleraine.
In 2014, Translink looked into ideas for a train service. This service would run from Belfast International Airport to Belfast city centre. One idea was to reopen the Lisburn-Antrim railway line. This line closed to passenger trains in June 2003. It was closed because the Bleach Green line offered a direct route between Belfast and Derry. The Lisburn-Antrim line passes Belfast International Airport. It could be used for airport services. However, these plans have not moved forward yet.
Ulsterbus: Bus Services Across Northern Ireland
Ulsterbus runs most of the bus services in Northern Ireland. They operate from about 20 bus stations. These include Armagh, Antrim, Lisburn, Bangor, Newtownards, Downpatrick, Newry, Craigavon, Dungannon, Omagh, Enniskillen, Derry, Coleraine, Ballymena, Magherafelt, Larne, and Newcastle. They also have stations within Belfast. Ulsterbus has 1,100 buses. They transport over 65,000 children to school every day.
Goldliner: Connecting Major Cities
Goldliner is the name for Ulsterbus's main long-distance bus services. These buses connect major cities in Northern Ireland. They also offer services across the border into the Republic of Ireland. Popular routes include the 212/X212 'Maiden City Flyer' from Belfast to Derry. There are also 'Xpress' routes X1 and X2 from Belfast to Dublin and Dublin Airport.
There is also a service, route 923, that crosses the North Channel. It goes from Belfast to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. This route travels via Belfast Harbour and Stranraer.
Urby: Modern Bus Travel
On August 7, 2018, Translink launched the new Urby bus service. These buses are double deck buses built by Wrightbus. They have free Wi-Fi, leather seats, and USB charging ports. The buses also run on improved schedules. Two Urby networks were started. The first began in June 2018 for routes in Ballyclare, Bangor, Newtownards, and Dromore. Another network started in September 2019 for Ballygowan, Comber, and Moneyreagh.
Metro: Buses in Belfast
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The Translink Metro service runs buses within the greater Belfast area. Metro operates 12 main bus routes in Belfast. It also has several other routes.
This service started as the Belfast Corporation Transport Department. In 1973, these services became Citybus Limited. They were then part of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company. In 1995, Citybus became part of the "Translink" network. In 2004, Translink announced that Citybus would be completely changed. It was reorganized into 12 main routes and combined with Ulsterbus services in Belfast. Citybus was renamed Metro on February 7, 2005.
Foyle Metro: Buses in Derry
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Foyle Metro is a part of Translink that runs bus services in Derry. The service started in August 2017. This followed a £3 million investment to update the city's bus routes. It also replaced some older buses. In May 2023, 38 battery electric buses were delivered. These included Wright GB Kites and Wright StreetDeck Electroliners. This changed the Foyle Metro fleet to zero-emission buses.
Foyle Metro operates on 13 main routes from the city centre. There is also an extra route, 14A/B/C. This route goes around the north side of the city. It travels from Ballymagroarty to Currynierin, passing Altnagelvin Hospital.
Glider: Belfast's Rapid Bus System
The Belfast Rapid Transit System, called Glider, started on September 3, 2018. It is a bus service run by Translink. The routes use 34 long, 18-meter bendy buses. These buses are branded as Glider. They were built by Van Hool and designed for Belfast.
Glider buses have real-time passenger information and announcements. They also have CCTV, free Wi-Fi, and USB charging. The buses are air-conditioned. They run every 7–8 minutes during the day. Route G1 connects the Park and ride facility at Dundonald in East Belfast. It goes to the McKinstry Road roundabout in West Belfast. Route G2 connects the Titanic Quarter with the city centre.
This service helps meet Belfast's transport needs.
Translink's Future Ticketing System
In 2018, Translink announced a new way to pay for tickets. This system is for all its public transport services in Northern Ireland. It includes installing 4500 ticket machines. About 300 of these are in train and bus stations and in Belfast City Centre. Passengers can pay using a contactless credit or debit card. They can also use an "Oyster-Style" 'ePurse' smartcard. This card can be topped up online or with a mobile app. Paper tickets are still available. The first part of the system was launched with the Glider Bus Rapid Transit system in 2018. The new ticketing system was fully rolled out by the end of 2022. It cost about £43 million to complete. When finished, it became the largest system of its kind in the United Kingdom outside of Greater London.
How Translink Helps People
Translink aims to provide good public transport for everyone. In 2008, some people felt that Translink's service was not good enough. This was despite ticket prices going up. The Consumer Council Chief Executive, Eleanor Gill, said that passengers wondered why fares increased while buses were not always on time.
In 2021, Translink spent about £15,000 on a new logo. Some people thought this was too much money. They felt it was costly when Translink was facing money problems. Translink said the new design helps to "modernise and simplify the brand." They confirmed the cost after a public request for information.
See also
- Enterprise Train; A train service that crosses the border in Ireland.
- Ulster Transport Authority; This group ran trains and buses in Northern Ireland from 1948 to 1966.
- Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company; A government-owned group that took over transport services from the UTA.
