Translink have announced a “new” transport hub for Belfast based on the existing bus/rail stations behind the Europa Hotel. So how, exactly, will this new hub do something that the present station doesn’t? Full story on the Irish Independent site.
Archive for the ‘NIR’ Category
“New” transport hub for Belfast
Friday, March 26th, 2010Ladder evacuation of Derry Train
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Oh dear! My favourite public transport company (they beat Irish Rail to that title, which is no mean feat) suffered an embarrassing breakdown near Ballymoney today and passengers had to be evacuated by ladder and walked along the track.
Did you charge the passengers with trespass?
Full story here
DETI proposes tourist train for Derry Line.
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Well, I suppose it takes so long to get to Derry by train that it probably counts as such! In all seriousness though, if this is what counts for strategic thinking on railway development, the future is not bright for railways in Northern Ireland.
Read the full story here.
District councils want Derry line restored
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
The Tyrone Times has reported that Dungannon, Donegal, Derry, Omagh, Fermanagh and Craigavon Councils have had discussions with a view to seeking restoration of the Derry Road (Portadown to Derry railway line).
Whilst I cannot see this happening anytime soon, I would hope that they also have the foresight to prevent encroachment on the right of way along the alignment of the route - especially as none of the route is in public ownership any more - the NI administration having compelled adjacent landowners to buy the route back.
Translink launch integrated smartcard
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009They have beaten CIE/RPA to it. The BBC has reported on the launch of a smartcard for daily, weekly or monthly travel on Translink bus and rail services. Prices appear quite reasonable and are broken into 3 zones as follows:
Zone one covers Metro bus services in Belfast and Ulsterbus services operating in the city, railway services between Belfast and Holywood, Jordanstown, Mossley West and Derriaghy and all stops in between, as well as the Airport Express 600 service which covers George Best Belfast City Airport.
Adult top-ups cost £5 a day, £20 for a week and £70 a month.
Zone two is valid on Metro bus services, rail journeys between Belfast and Bangor, Carrickfergus, Antrim and Lisburn and all stops in between, and Ulsterbus services for towns within the zone including those in Bangor, Carrickfergus, Antrim and Lisburn.
It also includes Ulsterbus services within the zone’s boundary, including Bangor, Carrickfergus, Lisburn, Antrim, Comber, Newtownards, Ballygowan, Saintfield, Ballynahinch, Templepatrick and Ballyclare.
Adult top-ups cost £9 a day, £35 for a week and £125 a month.
Zone three covers all Translink bus and rail services and costs £15 a day, £55 a week and £195 a month.
All children’s fares across the three zones are half the cost of the adult ones.
Newry Railway Station
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009RailNews.com has a brief piece about the railway station at Newry.
Riots in Lurgan affect railway services
Saturday, September 19th, 2009The BBC has reported on sectarian violence in Northern Ireland spilling over onto the railway line with Lake Street level crossing in Lurgan on the Dublin to Belfast railway line being blocked by two vans that were hijacked and set alight on the crossing.
Apology to Irish Rail
Sunday, August 16th, 2009I would like to formally apologise to Irish Rail for having previously branded them as the worst railway company in Europe as, based on the experiences outlined in my previous post, it is quite clear that this title goes to Translink - NI Railways.
15th August 2009 - NIR
Saturday, August 15th, 2009Well, they were right about NIR on IRN (careful with the letters there!). They are incompetent. In fact,I’d go so far as to say that they are the worst railway company I have ever had the misfortune to do business with - beating Irish Rail to that title by many miles.
I ended up spending an unreasonable length of time (probably enough to have NIR try to prosecute me for loitering) at Balmoral Station in south Belfast trying to get back into the city centre to ensure my return to Dublin on the 1810 ex Central. Trains stopped but were like cattle ships - full to the gills with useless NIR employees standing at the doors shrugging their shoulders.
Whilst an attempt was made to make PA announcements, those at Balmoral were emitted as white noise rendering them purposeless. Eventually, as one of the few remaining passengers who hadn’t given up and left the station (having walked for 5/6 miles around Belfast ending up at Balmoral, I didn’t fancy walking back in again), I managed to board a Bangor bound service. No ticket checker came along the train to sell me a ticket, leaving me with the joy of facing a penalty fare as I exited at Great Victoria Street. Fortunately, the staff at the exit gate at Great Victoria Street had the sense to issue me with a ticket for the trip from Balmoral to Great Victoria Street only as otherwise, citizens arrest for harassment and extortion would have followed.
All this from the UKs “Rail Business of the Year” winner. If this is the service standards that gets you classified thus, the railway companies in Britain must be absolutely appalling.
And so to the return to Dublin. Despite having a ticket from Irish Rail which gave me a seat number on both the outward and return journeys, NIR don’t do seat reservations and so started the public transport’s answer to Ryanair rush for any available seat as a result of gross overcrowding on the return service to Dublin. Next time I go to Belfast, I’ll drive.
Belfast 15th August 2009
Friday, August 14th, 2009OK - so I shouldn’t have decided to travel to Belfast when the Tall Ships are there and if the reports on IRN are anything to go by, Translink make Irish Rail look good (no mean feat that!).
I wonder what joy of joys awaits me in Belfast tomorrow?