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After more than three months, rail services have begun running at Belfast’s new Grand Central Station following safety authorities providing the green light. The station, which cost £340m to build, includes eight railway platforms and 26 bus stands, and will serve as the “largest integrated travel hub on the island of Ireland”, according to public transport company Translink. The first train to depart the station was the 08:05 BST Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly Station, carrying just over 100 passengers. Services to Dublin will become more frequent from later this month.
Infrastructure minister John O’Dowd, who was on board the first train arriving at the station, described the opening as a “hugely significant day for public transport” that was about “the future”. Meanwhile, railway enthusiast Chris Playfair said the station’s launch was a “great day for history,” adding that it was “nice to be part of it”. However, despite the opening of the landmark station, traffic congestion in Belfast City Centre has increased.
Land around Grand Central Station is also being redeveloped, with activists attempting to save the nearby Boyne Bridge, built in 1936 and with origins dating back to the 17th century as William of Orange reputedly crossed it on his way to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. However, campaigners failed in their recent legal attempt to preserve the structure, with the bridge to be “sensitively dismantled” in a bid to preserve key elements. The development includes the closure of Durham Street for a year to facilitate the work.
Public transport advocates have sought to encourage people to use the complex and avoid traffic problems. The new hub includes more modern facilities and services, and services up to 20 million passenger journeys a year
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