About Us - Annual Review 2005/06 And Future Plans - Better Bus Services - Translink
Goldline Network
Passenger numbers have grown significantly throughout Translink’s bus operations, outperforming operations in many parts of Great Britain and reversing years of decline. Translink is committed to continued improvement to our bus networks and their attractiveness in order to attract more passengers.
Change for success
In order to introduce our bus network reviews we firstly had to modernise our working practices. With the introduction of a new drivers’ working agreement in early 2005 the company could improve efficiency, productivity and service quality. Metro was introduced and the Goldline network relaunched. In addition, a major strategic review of all Ulsterbus services has commenced.
New fleet
Following the Government’s commitment of £48.4 million in December 2004 for new vehicles for the Ulsterbus, Metro and Goldline fleets and, as part of improving passengers’ journeys, orders placed last year were fulfilled during 2005/06. 215 new coaches and buses entered service with Translink during the year. These included:
- 60 Goldline single deck coaches
- 10 Goldline fully accessible double deck coaches (the first of their type in Europe)
- 60 double deck buses for Metro
- 60 Optare Solo midi buses for Ulsterbus
- A new livery for the Ulsterbus fleet was introduced in September 2005, in the same ‘house style’ as Metro.
Fleet renewal will continue as required by the ongoing enhancements to networks.
Goldline network
The enhanced Goldline interurban express coach service is giving the Northern Ireland public greater choice and frequency on services which link together the main towns and cities in Northern Ireland.
Goldline Phase I
Phase I of the Goldline network changes implemented in April 2004 increased service frequencies on core routes. Service frequencies of between 20 and 30 minutes were introduced on the most popular routes to destinations across Northern Ireland.
The number of passengers using
Goldline has risen by 20% to date.
Goldline Phase II
Further Goldline Express service enhancements were introduced during 2005, as new Goldline vehicles were brought into service. These incorporated more frequency on key routes including a half hourly service between Belfast and Newry, an hourly service between Newry and Dublin and a 15 minutes peak service between Belfast and Derry (30 minutes off peak). These changes have been very successful and passenger numbers continue to grow strongly. Frequencies will increase further on a phased basis.
Promoting Ulsterbus services
A powerful Goldline advertising campaign began in April 2006 with the message ‘Time Better Spent’. Supported by effective communications, the campaign promotes the key strengths of Goldline services as they continue to improve:
- fast and frequent services
- comfort and relaxation
- accessible service network
- value for money
Metro
Translink will continue to improve bus networks to attract more passengers. A key part of this is to continue to work closely with key partners to improve bus priority measures which are central to delivering faster journeys and providing greater frequency. Independent research has validated the success of Metro and the next steps required to sustain the growth.
Belfast’s Metro bus network, launched on 7 February 2005, has been a huge success during its first year of operation. The simplified Metro network delivers improved reliability and frequency, together with better quality including comfort and accessibility. During this first phase of Metro developments, resources were concentrated on 12 key corridors.
By Metro’s first birthday, in February 2006,
over 10% more passengers were using Metro services each week.
This is an impressive increase of 38,000 people per week,
equating to over 700 additional full busloads.
60 new low-floor double decker buses were introduced to the Metro fleet during the year. The state-of-the-art vehicles meet Disability Discrimination Act requirements and replaced older vehicles in the fleet.
New branding and livery, together with improved passenger information including simple easy to use colour-coded timetables, route maps, a “how to use” guide and information at bus stops all contributed to Metro’s success.
Growing numbers of people in Belfast were attracted to using the services through successful advertising and promotional campaigns, including the popular ‘3, 2, 1,’ Metro day tickets.
Metro – Next Steps
Translink is committed to improving service frequencies to between five and ten minutes on all 12 corridors. This will attract more passengers to Metro.
Research shows that on Metro corridors
buses carry 32% of people travelling but
account for only 2% of total vehicles on
the road; more priority for buses is
clearly justified to give bus passengers a
fair deal in the use of road space.
Better bus priority measures are required for the ongoing growth of the Metro network. These measures improve bus speeds through the city. With more bus lanes and the use of traffic light priority for approaching buses, Translink will be able to deliver faster journeys and provide a more attractive and convenient alternative to the car. An average bus speed target of 20 kph has been agreed; current speeds vary between 10-15kph. To this end Translink continues to work in partnership with Roads Service and other key partners to secure further bus priority measures. Improvements to the bus services will focus on the rollout of ‘Quality Bus Corridors’ on 14 corridors, a schedule of implementation has been agreed. Similar measures have been introduced with great success in London, Dublin, Oxford, Brighton, Nottingham and Edinburgh.
Another key issue for future Metro plans is the Belfast City Council and Department of Social Development “public realm project” that will provide more open public spaces around the city over the next three years. Translink supports this aim to make the city centre more attractive and will be working with these bodies to secure good bus transit through the city.
Ulsterbus
Following on from the successful changes to the Metro and Goldline networks, Translink plans to modernise the Ulsterbus network, on a rolling 3 year programme.
Local Area Plans - Coleraine
Implementation of the first new local area plans took place in Coleraine on 24 April 2006. New services launched were the Coleraine town service, “Triangle” services (Coleraine, Portstewart, Portrush), and “county key routes”. New vehicles, enhanced service frequency, improved accessibility and new ‘clockface’ timetables are among the benefits introduced for passengers.
Local Area Plans roll out
Plans are approved for Derry City and Londonderry County and detailed development work is now underway with implementation planned for September 2006. Local area plans for Ulsterbus services in the Dunganon, Enniskillen and Omagh area are under development with implementation planned for the end of 2006. The review process will continue across all Ulsterbus services throughout Northern Ireland.
Airport connections improved
From May 2006 the Airport Express 600 service to George Best Belfast City Airport operates a 20-minute service frequency at peak times, while the new Airport Express 300 service between Belfast City Centre and the International Airport saw the introduction of a 10-minute service frequency at peak times. Promotional fares and a new advertising campaign have been introduced to promote the enhanced services.
E-WAY – the first stage in Belfast Area Rapid Transit
The Belfast Metropolitan transport plan includes the E-WAY corridor as part of a modern integrated public transport network. Translink’s vision is for E-WAY to be the first phase of a Belfast area rapid transit system, a natural extension of the ongoing Metro development programme. The development of E-WAY is dependent on approval and funding from Government.
Steps towards a rapid transit vision:
- further Metro enhancements and improvements
- development of Park & Ride sites with quality bus links
- integrated smart ticketing on all Translink buses, trains and rapid transit
- development of E-WAY as a pilot rapid transport line
- additional rapid transit lines
- longer term possible conversion to light rail
Translink believes E-WAY is the ideal ‘pilot’ rapid transit line as it can be delivered in stages and is relatively low cost with short time frames. It could demonstrate the potential market and provide an opportunity to use highly attractive and distinctive vehicles which will provide seamless journeys to and from Belfast with operational flexibility to utilise city centre streets.
Northern Ireland’s integrated transport system means speedy implementation is possible. For successful delivery, E-WAY requires political commitment, certainty of funding, supportive planning, and a dedicated project team.
E-WAY could be delivered in 5 years but experience from other cities demonstrates that operations must be integrated with Metro. There may also be scope for development opportunities and planning gain.
Further details of the scheme would include:
- a total scheme length of 11.18km, comprising of 5.19km segregated length, 3.14km of shared use on new highway and 2.85km on-street running
- utilising 6.14km of abandoned Belfast & County Down Railway trackbed
- 16 new passenger halts providing access to: Belfast City Centre, Connswater, Police HQ, Ice Bowl and Dundonald, Whitelands, Holywood Arches Re-generation, Central Station and Laganside
- a new and continuous foot / cycleway created for recreational use.
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