Launching Translink's Late Night Services areDavid Curry, General Manager at Translink (centre) joined by (L-R) are Martina Connolly, CEO of Belfast One; Mary Jo McCanny from Visit Belfast; Damien Corr, Manager of Cathedral Quarter Bid; Christopher McCausland from Valuecab; Michael Stewart, Belfast Night Czar; Joel Neill, Operations Director, Hospitality Ulster; William McCausland, fonaCAB Managing Director; Cllr Sam Nelson, Chair of Belfast City Council's City Growth and Regeneration Committee; Lisa Comerton, Belfast Chamber and McCracken, Managing Director of Linen Quarter Bid.
With Christmas party planning well underway, Translink has revealed full details of its popular late-night bus, coach and train services at weekends starting on Saturday 30th November.
Working with a range of partners including the Belfast's Business Improvement Districts, Hospitality Ulster, Visit Belfast and local taxi companies fonaCAB and Valuecabs, the aim is to encourage revellers to use public transport to visit the city and enjoy all the festive delights that Belfast has to offer in the knowledge they can get a bus, coach or train home.
Late-night Belfast Metro services will operate every Friday and Saturday starting around midnight and run through to 1.30am.
Additional late night Goldliner/Urby bus services will operate every Friday and Saturday from Belfast to towns and cities across Northern Ireland departing at various times from around midnight.
Rail services will also operate later services across all lines on both Friday and Saturday nights departing at various times up to midnight.
The late-night services will run for 4 weekends up to and including Saturday 21st December.
Commenting on the return of the late-night timetable, Translink Group Chief Executive, Chris Conway said:
“We are encouraging people to get familiar with the late-nightservices on offer and build them into their festive planning for great nights out in Belfast. People can extend their night out whether it’s going to the panto, socialising with family or friends or a shopping trip. Using greener public transport to get in and out of the city also means it’s a little gift to the planet too!
“We are pleased to be working with city partners again who will be helping us promote these services. We look forward to playing our part in helping to boost the night-time economy, supporting employment, tourism and keeping people better connected to the fantastic hospitality and festivities that the city has to offer,” Chris concluded.
Commenting on the return of late-night services Joel Neill, Operations Director, Hospitality Ulster, added:
"Hospitality Ulster are very happy to see Translink's festive late-night bus and train services start. We are happy to have played our part in ensuring that Belfast city centre is well served during the festive season and that customers can come and go from the city on public transport late into the night.
"This is a crucial enabler that will serve to boost Belfast's night-time economy and support the hospitality businesses in our city centre that are so important within the local economy. We would encourage as many people as possible to avail of these services, to both stay safe and to prove that demand for such late-night services exists so that this approach may be replicated at different times of the year and in different regions”.
Full details are available on the Translink website here and more details will follow soon.