INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT VIA MOTORWAY NORTH BOUND ST ANNE S CATHEDRAL CATHEDRAL QUARTER LAGANSIDE BUSCENTRE CASTLE COURT SHOPPING CENTRE CITY CENTRE

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1 INTRODUCTION combine bus and rail termini with interfaces to private car, taxi, bus and cycle modes whilst acknowledging Metro bus and Belfast Rapid Transit. It will provide a catalyst for the regeneration of the Station Quarter, considerably enhancing the area for everyone, and will create a fantastic first impression of Belfast as a progressive and confident capital city. Translink, in conjunction with the Department for Regional Development, are working to explore the opportunity of creating a new integrated transport hub in Belfast on the site of the current Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street Rail Station. The Hub will be designed to cater for forecast passenger demand, alleviate constraints on the network, offer the highest levels of operational performance and enhance the overall passenger journey experience. A design team has been appointed comprising Arup and John McAslan + Partners, who have an extensive portfolio in the development and delivery of modern and highly-efficient transport infrastructure facilities including Kings Cross Station in London. It is envisioned to be a modern, multi-modal, transport interchange that will enhance the environment, serve the community and better support the local economy. It will INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT VIA MOTORWAY NORTH BOUND M2 UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER ODYSSEY ARENA BELFAST BELFAST CITY AIRPORT ST ANNE S CATHEDRAL CITY CENTRE ROYAL BELFAST ACADEMICAL INSTITUTION 400 m 800 m 120 0m CASTLE COURT SHOPPING CENTRE ST PETER S CATHEDRAL ROYAL VICTORIA HOSPITAL M3 CATHEDRAL QUARTER LAGANSIDE BUSCENTRE VICTORIA SQUARE BELFAST WATERFRONT HALL BELFAST CITY HALL B CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION MAIN OFFICE AREA THE SITE GASWORKS SHAFTESBURY SQUARE M1 CITY HOSPITAL STATION CITY HOSPITAL BOTANIC RAIL STATION ORMEAU PARK QUEEN S QUARTER QUEEN S UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENS TO DUBLIN Background Passenger transport in Belfast and Northern Ireland is a story of success with record levels of journeys being undertaken on bus and rail. Almost 80 million passenger journeys are made on the Northern Ireland public transport infrastructure each year. Goldline coach services have continued to grow throughout the recession with the number of journeys made increasing by 45% over the last 10 years. This is expected to grow even more over the coming years. Rail journeys have increased by 23% in the last two years alone. The growth in passenger journeys is evident in the current utilisation of the Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street Rail Station with the number of passengers using these facilities now exceeding the capacity for which they were originally designed. At the level of demand forecast, current platforms and concourses will not be able to cater. The Hub has also been identified as a key project within Belfast City Council s draft Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan. A New Heart of the City The project recognises the value of station investment on surrounding areas and the major impact it can have in terms of urban regeneration and transformation. This translates into job creation, investment and economic output. The Station The new station will form a fully integrated transportation hub, allowing passengers to interchange between all modes of travel available, including rail, coach, bike, taxi and private car as well as acknowledging Metro bus and the Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT). Rail The Hub anticipates the requirement for an increase in the number of platforms, allowing more trains to run on the network every hour. It is also envisaged that the cross-border Enterprise rail service will operate into/out of the new hub, reducing journey times. Coach/Bus There will be an increase in coach/ bus bays to cope with the increased passenger demand. This will also enable more flexible timetabling and services to be distributed throughout the network. Bike Cycling is rapidly becoming a popular mode of travel, especially within the inner city environment. Translink recognise the importance of accommodating cycling as a primary mode of travel and the various initiatives and emerging policies that aim to further promote this. The Hub will integrate cycle provision as part of the scheme. Private Car/ Taxi The Hub will provide dedicated pick-up and set-down points, allowing passengers structured, accessible and well-defined provision.

2 McCutcheon, 1969, p.44 PRONI: OS/8/30/1/35, /36, /42 and /43 STATION HISTORY Litho print of station façade The station designed by John Godwin opened in 1848 and replaced the original train terminus. Sir John Betjeman regarded the station as one the finest examples of railway architecture in Britain and Ireland Ordnance Survey Map The Blackstaff River runs through the site. The river was canalised in the 1830s to allow the development of the rail station and freight yards. The river was culverted in the 20th Century. Ulster Railway Company opens Belfast-Lisburn railway. Completion of continuous track between Belfast and Dublin. Ulster Railway becomes part of the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). Great Victoria Street Station rebuilt. Opening of Boyne Bridge over River Blackstaff. Ulster Museum W10/29/21 Source: (Ulster Museum Welch Collection: UM W10/29/19) Ireland s first railway opens between Dublin and Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) Boyne Bridge rebuilt Great Victoria Street laid out (originally called New Dublin Road) Belfast Central Railway opens The porte cochere (carriage porch) added to the station s façade in Photograph by R. Welch General view of marshalling yard The reservoir was known as the Duck Pond and supplied water to the adjacent Linfield Flax Spinning Mill. Station Stories My mum took me and my wee brother to Great Victoria Street station via the Sandy Row. It was the first time I had been on a train let alone outside Belfast. Agnes, Belfast Douglas Ferguson, Railway enthusiast The border came in 1920 and that threw up a whole load of questions as to who would be responsible for the railway, the rolling stock, everything Use of the railways fell away. It just wasn t fashionable anymore, too slow, it was quicker to get about by car or bus. It s a complete shame.

3 STATION HISTORY Pollock & Parkhill 1997, pg Europa Hotel Great Victoria Street Railway Station adjacent to the Europa Hotel. TheTurfBurner licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution- Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence Great Victoria Street Bus Station With the train station s closure in 1976 Great Victoria Street became a bus station only. The station had been an integrated hub since Station frontage Partially demolished. Europa Buscentre opens and opening of Great Northern Tower and Shopping Mall. Ulster Transport Authority take over Northern Ireland s rail and bus services. Train operations cease at Great Victoria Street and Central Railway Station opens at Maysfield. Grosvenor Road flyover Westlink opens Enterprise services introduced between Belfast and Dublin. Europa Hotel opens on section of old station. New Great Victoria Street Railway Station opens beside Europa Buscentre. Great Victoria Street Station modernised and bus station added. Westlink opens between Broadway and Grosvenor Road. Johnston 2014, p Aerial view of site and West Link The Westlink now defines the north-west boundary of the site. Most of the site is vacant apart from the northern half which is occupied by warehouses. TheTurfBurner licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution- Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence 1995 Opening day at the new Great Victoria Street Station Great Victoria Street rail station reopened 19 years after its closure in Station Stories It was a great place to work (Europa Buscentre). You met different people, learned new stories and craic, and had different challenges every day. Sean Hanley, Newry, former Translink employee Augher, Clogher, Fivemiletown - this place-name rhyme is forever ingrained in my brain from Friday afternoons spent at Europa Bus Station waiting for a bus to take me home after a week spent at QUB. Jenny A., Belfast, former QUB Student

4 CURRENT DAY - THE NEED FOR CHANGE There are four key drivers of need for the new integrated transport hub: Capacity building for bus and rail passenger demand and enhancement of customer experience The existing Great Victoria Street Rail Station and Europa Buscentre are operating at, and at times above, their optimum operational capacity. With current growth in passenger demand the concourses, platforms and bus stands will become too small. The present facilities accommodate approximately 7 million passenger movements per year. Forecasts suggest this figure has the potential to grow to 13 million by Translink Translink Stimulating the development and regeneration of a key gateway to Belfast City The Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street Station occupy a circa 22 acre site that is positioned in a prime gateway location to the west of Belfast s central commercial district at the intersection of two major traffic routes through Belfast. The strategic need to regenerate this area of the city centre, and to create a highly visible gateway to the city with a new integrated transport hub at its centre, is recognised by a range of strategic planning policies. Supporting economic growth and jobs in Belfast City and Northern Ireland Government policy recognises the critical role that cities have to play in creating and sustaining employment and delivering economic growth, both locally and nationally, and also the importance of having high quality transport infrastructure to support long term growth. Experience elsewhere also provides strong evidence of the positive contribution that investment in modern transport hubs can have in regenerating inner cities and promoting job creation and economic growth. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Translink s operations and properties The proposal to create a new integrated Transport Hub on the site of the existing Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street Rail Station provides the opportunity for Translink to review its long term strategies for meeting its bus storage and engineering requirements. It provides the potential for Translink to secure improvements in the efficiency, productivity and cost of its operations and associated properties. Translink Translink

5 STATION QUARTER - REGENERATION The Hub project will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider site and the area around it. Through its connectivity it will create an opportunity for businesses to establish themselves incentivising economic growth in the area. In addition the development of the public realm will increase public safety and provide pedestrian connections in this area of the city as well as pleasant cycle routes to neighbouring areas. Initial studies suggest the Hub could provide the opportunity for the creation of up to 1 million square feet gross floor area. This could potentially support a range of uses including commercial (office), residential, hospitality and retail. A report commissioned by Network Rail entitled The Value of Station Investment (Steer Davies Gleeve, 2011), considers the impact of station investment on regeneration, other local impacts and wider economic development. It confirms that investing in stations can be an economic catalyst at a local and regional level in addition to delivering improvements for passengers. Site Features A12 Westlink Busway Boyne Bridge Britannia Construction Ltd Project site boundary Inner Ring SUSTAINABLE THEMES The proposals for the Belfast Hub embody an exemplar Sustainability Strategy, in line with Translink s Sustainability Policy. FOR THE CITY Supporting the economic growth of Belfast, creating a sense of arrival in the City, aiding inward investment and regeneration of the Northern Ireland region. Economic Impact FOR THE COMMUNITY Optimising the social value of the redevelopment, creating an urban landscape and environment which connects with and relates to the local community. Urban Design Four key Outcomes and ten Sustainability Themes are shown below. FOR THE CUSTOMER Enhancing the customer experience, capitalising on improved connectivity and service provision across the transport network, to encourage sustainable travel. Customer Journey Experience Social Return on Investment Green Urban Gateway Regeneration Operational Performance and Resilience FOR THE HUB Providing a transport hub which is attractive and resilient, resource efficient and future-proofed to meet changing needs. Whole Life Value Energy, Carbon and Climate Change Smart Digital Environment

6 TRANSPORT EXPANSION There are currently over 14,000 passengers using Great Victoria Street Rail Station and Europa Buscentre on an average day (equally split between rail and bus passengers). Studies have suggested that with the possible reintroduction of the Enterprise Service to Great Victoria Street Rail Station, this demand is forecast to increase by between 50% and 130% by Analysis has shown that significant investment will be required in bus and rail infrastructure to cater for this forecast passenger demand. This could include: Increased bus/ coach stands with dedicated alighting stands; Dedicated platform(s) for the cross border Enterprise Rail Service; Additional rail platforms to support the number of trains per hour that can be accommodated; Remodelling of the existing rail infrastructure (permanent way and signalling and telecommunications); Customer service enhancements such as integrated bus and rail concourse, comfortable waiting areas, automatic timetable information, integrated ticket sales; desks/ vending machines; information points, internet access; Attractive retail offerings including food and beverage outlets; Bus maintenance and engineering facilities; Car parking and cycle provision. Martin Saunders Photography Giles Rocholl Photography Initial Feasibility Options The design team are developing a range of high-level feasibility options for the Hub which includes determining the extent of rail track infrastructure and signalling works, bus and coach infrastructure as well as associated engineering facilities. The feasibility options also consider the wider regeneration opportunities and how the project could interface within its existing surroundings. Stakeholder Consultations A number of consultations have taken place, and remain on-going, with internal and external project stakeholders. These consultations are helping to shape the project thinking as well as define the operational and functional requirements of the new Hub. Feedback is being sought from users of the current facilities as well as those with whom the new Hub will interface. This event marks the first of a series of formal public consultations, which is aimed at giving those interested and impacted by the proposals the opportunity to share views and aspirations. Future events will be held as the project progresses. We hope you will join us on this exciting journey. Project Funding The Belfast Hub is co-financed by the European Union s TEN-T programme. In September 2014, 2.8 million European funding was awarded to the Hub project to bring forward the technical development study. Making history: your station, your future, your views. We value your comments on this exciting project and invite you to share your vision for a new Belfast Hub, as part of this Public Consultation event. We are also especially keen to hear your Station Stories, tell us about your experiences and memories of the bus and rail station over the years. For further information and to submit your views and stories online, visit :