CHANGES to the roof design of the new Belfast Grand Central Station were motivated by ‘best design, passenger comfort and air quality’, Translink has said.
The transport company has responded to criticism of the apparent alteration to the scale of roof coverage for the new rail platform, which has prompted a public petition.
Due to open in 2025, the new Belfast Grand Central Station will replace the existing Europa and Great Victoria Street bus and rail stations with 26 bus stands and eight railway platforms based around a large new building.
Rail campaigners claim alterations to the final design of the new £200 million transport hub, currently being built on Grosvenor Road, has resulted in around one-quarter of the train hall/canopy section being removed “for design reasons unknown”.
In a petition launched online this week, campaigners claim “it violently changes the silhouette of the entire upcoming transport hub from a beautiful 'guitar pick' shape into an unfinished and depressing looking right angled mess”.
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Responding to questions over the change in design, a spokesperson for Translink said: “The layout of the roof and canopies has gone through a number of design stages, in line with best practice in complex design and build contracts.”
There has been a small issue regarding #BelfastGrandCentralStation that I have refrained from speaking upon publically until I got a concrete answer from @Translink.
— Fund The NINE | Expand Northern Ireland's Railways (@FundTheNINE) November 6, 2023
The 'station canopy' or 'train hall' like what you see at Dublin Connoly or Hueston Stations has been axed.
1/7 pic.twitter.com/u2rx0To1ga
The spokesperson added: “The roof is not being removed over the platforms, although the extent of it has marginally changed.
“This along with the canopies design is considered to be the best design for the station taking in to account a number of design criteria, including passenger comfort and air quality.”
As well has ‘enhancing air quality’, Translink claim the current arrangement of roof and canopies will improve protection for passengers from the elements by extending the canopies over the entire length of the platforms, “which was not the case in the original plans”.
An Executive flagship project, the new transport hub forms the core of the wider £500m Weavers Cross scheme.
A largely speculative venture that will require private sector investment, Weavers Cross aims to regenerate a 30-acre site between the Europa bus station and the West Link that surrounds Belfast Grand Central Station.
