Editorial: Belfast's Grand Central Station ushers in a new phase in public transport in Northern Ireland

​A curious thing has happened to railway services in Belfast city centre.

​They retreated in the 1970s so that the old Great Victoria Street station closed, that had been there since the 1830s. So too did the railway station on Belfast Quay, on the southeastern side of the River Lagan, which had services to Bangor, and once to other destinations such as Donaghadee.

With the advance of the car and the violence of the Troubles, a new line was created, linking the Lisburn and Bangor routes, via a station called Central, near Albertbridge, that was not in fact that central.

That station, now called Lanyon Place, has become more central in the sense that it is now near to buildings that did not exist when it opened, such as the Waterfront Hall and other riverside developments.

In the 1990s, the Larne line and the new route to Londonderry were added by bridge into this Lisburn-Bangor network. A small station re-opened in Great Victoria Street, and the entire rail network seemed to be linked.

Only 20 years ago there was talk of closing part of the rail network in Northern Ireland. It seemed that trains were in trouble, as it had seemed after World War II, with the ever increasing number of car owners. But rail travel has come back into fashion. The trains now are a quieter, more pleasant way to travel than they once were. The growth of the car has led to increased stress for drivers.

Covid has led to a surge in homeworking that could yet wreak havoc with public transport. Let us hope, though, that the magnificent new station comes to fruition at the heart of a continuing increase in rail and bus travel. Trains began to use the Grand Central station for the first time yesterday. There will now be an hourly railway service to Dublin, to complement the motorway between the two capitals.

It is an exciting new era for NI transport.