Great Victoria Street Train Station in Belfast is set to permanently close next month with the last train leaving on May 10

The last passenger train will leave Great Victoria Street train station on Friday, May 10, to connect the new rail line to Grand Central Station at Weaver's Cross.

But the Europa Bus centre will remain operational until the new station opens.

In a statement released today Translink say that activity will intensify in coming months and there will be a programme of roadworks to facilitate necessary utilities for the modern world class facility.

They advise these works will disrupt the road network around the new station.

Check out new fly through CGI footage of the future here: Belfast Grand Central Station Fly Through (youtube.com)

They add that Translink has been working collaboratively with a range of organisations to plan and prepare for these works and are introducing a range of measures to encourage more use of active and public transport to minimise the overall impact.

The timetable of activity impacting preparation for the new station is –

• April to August - Public Realm improvements: A single lane and footpath closure on Grosvenor Road heading westbound starting before Durham Street junction and ending at junction with the A12 (Westlink). – Left turn onto Durham Street and the A12 (Westlink) will remain operational.
• lane and footpath closures on Glengall Street and the Great Victoria Street / Grosvenor Road junction October until project completion 2025 - Public Realm improvements: Durham Street closed.
• New Bus Lanes (June / July 2024) – Outbound bus lanes on Howard Street, Great Victoria Street, Bruce Street, Dublin Road providing priority for bus passengers to allow more people to move more efficiently with more reliable journey times to help encourage modal shift.
• Train lines – Saturday, May 11th - Great Victoria Street station: Closes permanently. Last passenger train, Friday 10th May. *Bus substitution services in place.
• July/August 2024 - Rail works: - Closure of railway line from Lanyon Place to Lisburn to connect train lines into new station. *Revised Metro, Ulsterbus timetables and bus substitution services in place.
• Belfast Grand Central Station opens in the autumn bringing increased rail capacity. The Enterprise service will relocate to operate from the new station.
• The Europa Buscentre will remain open as normal until BGCS is operational.

John Glass, Director of Infrastructure and Projects at Translink said: “As engineering works ramp up on this complex project, it is important that passengers and the wider public are aware of the implications of these works and provided with timely advice and guidance to help them plan their future journeys.

“To date, through careful planning, the work has largely progressed with minimal impact on passengers or the wider public.

"To ensure we keep the city moving, we are introducing a range of special measures and mitigations to encourage active and public transport.

"These will include enhancing public transport capacity with additional Metro and Goldliner services on key routes and enhanced park and ride services.

"We are also introducing pedestrian and bus passenger priority measures working closely with colleagues in the Department for Infrastructure.

"Belfast Grand Central Station, set to be Ireland’s largest integrated transport hub on the island of Ireland, offers an exciting opportunity to reimagine the city where more people travel on public transport, walk, wheel and cycle.

"Over the coming months we hope people consider choosing cleaner, greener travel choices and start the city’s transformation tackling the climate crisis and transition to a healthier city and region for everyone.

“While we will be monitoring the impact of the works, road users should expect some delays and are encouraged to switch to an alternative mode of travel or chose a different route.

“Belfast Grand Central Station is a hugely important project and we have welcomed endorsement from a range of business, community, and environmental groups.

"Catering for some 20 million passenger journeys a year, the new station will improve connectivity for everyone in Northern Ireland, cross border and beyond.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the general public for their patience during these essential works.”

For more information visit the website www.translink.co.uk/bgcs