The largest-ever investment in public transport in Northern Ireland, Belfast Grand Central Station will become a new landmark for the city. The £340m project brings train and bus services together under one roof, while housing bus maintenance facilities and parking sites for both buses and cars. In addition to streamlining journeys around the capital and the wider region, the new station will support economic growth, attract tourists, cut carbon emissions and improve air quality across the city.

Delivering this investment in Belfast’s future was a significant challenge. For over a decade, our technical specialists led the design process, collaborating with Translink and supported by architects John McAslan & Partners, to ensure the best possible passenger experience. The station has been designed to improve connectivity into the city, contributing to the masterplan for the wider area and ensuring Translink meets its statutory requirements.

Belfast Grand Central Station will transform travel, both within the city and beyond. The efficient, accessible and sustainable station will accelerate Belfast’s ongoing regeneration, and Arup’s multidisciplinary expertise has been integral to this success.

Enabling seamless journeys through innovative design  

Ten years ago, Translink recognised that the existing Europa Bus Station and Great Victoria Train Station were under strain. Passenger demand was growing, but the city’s constrained station sites had reached their capacity limits. Buses and trains departed from different stations, and many people were choosing car travel over public transport.   

Translink’s vision for Grand Central Station was to create a new, integrated, purpose-built transport hub, where passengers could change easily between frequent train and bus services. The station would connect communities, provide a new gateway to Belfast for visitors and encourage a modal shift from private cars to active travel and public transport. 

Arup’s experts across a wide range of specialist disciplines – including engineering, environmental and urban planning – have turned this vision into reality. Drawing on our experience in major transport projects such as King’s Cross St. Pancras Station in London, our team led the design of the station, its surroundings and the wider masterplan from the outset and guided the project all the way to successful completion.  

How could the new station improve the bus and train networks to offer frequent, reliable services for passengers? We carefully examined the track requirements, considering how services might evolve and evaluating competing demands on the available space. The resulting station layout incorporates 26 bus stands and eight railway platforms within an 8-hectare city centre site. To speed up bus journeys, we designed Busway Bridge, a bridge that passes over the railway tracks. Our design for the durable Corten steel bridge structure was the first of its kind for Translink and has reduced maintenance requirements.

Arup brings a very proactive approach to technical challenges whenever they arise. Whenever a challenge comes over our desk, we work at it collectively and with a collaborative attitude to try and find the correct solution.

Duane McCready

Operations Director for Station Delivery, Farrans Sacyr

Harnessing advanced modelling and passive design  

One of Translink’s priorities was the air quality inside the station building. To analyse this, our team used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model airflow throughout the concourse. We factored in weather conditions, peak and off-peak capacity and upcoming changes to the rail locomotives. This analysis influenced the design of the roof, conceived by the architect to reference the city’s nineteenth century linen mills. We adjusted and refined the internal arrangement and structure to ensure that air quality would surpass that of a typical railway station and meet Translink’s ambitious targets.  

It was also important to provide a comfortable environment for passengers. We used passive design throughout the new concourse to keep operational energy use low, maximising solar gain and minimising the need for heating and cooling. In addition, solar panels will be installed on the roof to generate renewable energy. As a result of our attention to detail in the design, the building is on track to receive BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and BREEAM Infrastructure ‘Excellent’ awards, recognising the project’s exceptional environmental and social performance. 

Arup workers in hard hats
Arup's innovative approach has created a sustainable, accessible and integrated transport hub using over 50,000 tonnes of recycled materials.

To ensure that all passengers experience the station as a welcoming, safe and accessible space, we undertook extensive pedestrian modelling. Using our 3D MassMotion software, we predicted the paths people would take to, from and through the station, examining dwell times and potential pinch points. This analysis allowed us to determine the ideal number and location of ticket gates, the dimensions of platforms, and the most efficient evacuation strategy for the building. We also used these models to design the wayfinding strategy and elements of the surrounding public realm.  

Keeping a major project on track is a huge challenge requiring meticulous planning. Working alongside Juno Planning, our experts prepared and submitted the planning applications. We used advanced 3D modelling to devise a phasing and implementation strategy for the project, including re-routing the complex web of services in the streets surrounding the site. Fully integrated with BIM Level 2, everyone could view information and collaborate in real time, supporting good communication across the project team.

Shaping Belfast’s future through engineering excellence  

In autumn 2024, Belfast Grand Central Station welcomed its first passengers onto trains and bus services offering easier and faster connections. The station has simplified travel across Northern Ireland and now hosts 15 daily Enterprise train services to Dublin. 

Inside the station, passengers can wait for the new, seamless services in comfort and enjoy a range of seating areas, shops and cafes. Beyond its doors, Grand Central Station is a platform for regeneration in this quarter of Belfast and a visible symbol of investment in the city. Drawing on our experience of urban renewal projects like Coal Drops Yard in London, and our local team’s in-depth knowledge of Belfast, we worked to maximise the project’s regeneration potential. This will help develop the surrounding area known as Weavers Cross, that includes Saltwater Public Square and several future development sites.  

Translink anticipates that Grand Central Station will serve 20 million journeys per year by 2040, three times as many as its predecessors. This new transport hub, and the regeneration opportunity it has enabled, are the foundations for a more sustainable, better connected future for Belfast. 

Belfast Central Train Station ariel view
Arup’s commitment to sustainability, accessibility and innovation has shaped a greener, more connected city for generations.

John McAslan & Partners Ltd