Letter: Grand Central is a costly new station, yet some train journeys take longer

A letter from Rory Higgins:

I read your paper’s article on the new Grand Central Station (Some train journeys now taking longer, October 19) with interest.

placeholder image — Trains are now operating from the new £340m Grand Central Station - but some journeys are taking longer than previously due to the need to change trains

The impact of the new "terminus" approach adopted by Translink appears to have quite a number of unintended consequences, including the moving impact on cancer patients travelling to hospital for treatment, which your article highlights.

I thought it would also interest your readers to let you know that even within the new standalone sectors of train line, there are additional delays caused by unnecessary train changes imposed by Translink.

I experienced this for the first time recently when travelling from Belfast to Dublin return on the Enterprise, for business in Dublin. My journey from my home station on the Bangor to Belfast line (Seahill) to and from the Enterprise terminus station Grand Central, is along the direct section of train line between Bangor and Grand Central, but for some unknown reason requires an additional change of trains at Lanyon Place station, in both directions!

On the return leg from Dublin, in addition to this requirement to change trains at Lanyon Place, the connecting train from that station was delayed by about 10 minutes, so the local train connection from the Enterprise to my home station took triple the amount of time it should have done without a change.

For context, when the Enterprise ran from Lanyon Place this connecting journey took 13 minutes (without a change) and ran like clockwork. Last week, the same journey took me just under an hour from arrival at Grand Central.

Translink have a lot of work to do in order to make this very costly station, which we as taxpayers have all paid for, operate efficiently for its paying customers. I think this is worthy of being highlighted by the News Letter.

To add some colour, a single homeward bound Enterprise ticket purchased in Dublin immediately before departure cost me €15.99 from Irish Rail, compared to £19.99 for my single journey along the same route purchased from Translink (and that was a cheaper web saver ticket, purchased in advance). I don't understand how this difference in pricing is justifiable, particularly where in NI we have lower cost staff wages, land, insurance, construction costs.

What is going on at Translink?

Rory Higgins, Holywood