There has been a call to slash the number of daily train services between Dublin and Belfast by residents in a loyalist neighbourhood beside the new Grand Central Station.
The number of daily cross-border Enterprise services increased from eight to 15 each way last month, following the opening of the new £340m transport hub.
The new timetable also has eight services each way on Sundays, up from the previous six.
The increase in connectivity between the island’s two main cities was welcomed on both sides of the border, with the north’s infrastructure minister John O’Dowd describing it as a “huge boost” for public transport and the economy.
The Republic’s transport minister Eamon Ryan called it “the start of our all-island rail transformation”.
However, residents in the Sandy Row area, which is adjacent to Grand Central Station, are calling for the Enterprise service to be cut back “in the interest of residential amenity”.
At a recent rally in Sandy Row opposing the demolition of Boyne Bridge at Durham Street, a speaker also called for the Enterprise service reduction.
Billy Dickson, a local Orangeman leading the campaign to retain Boyne Bridge, made the call as one of a series of proposals to “save Sandy Row”.
He also questioned why the services had already increased when a consultation on a planning application made in November 2023 by the NI Transport Holding Company – which oversees Translink – to lift a restriction on the number of daily Belfast to Dublin trains remained open.
Mr Dickon said in his proposal: “We the people of Sandy Row assembled at an open air meeting beside the Boyne Bridge on 5th November 2024, call upon Translink to reverse the decision to increase the number of trains operating from the new central station.
“Because in our view Translink did not and still do not have planning permission to do so. We also call upon the planning authorities to enforce the planning condition 5 under section 54 which restricts the number of train services to no more than 8 daily Belfast to Dublin services each way – 16 in total…in the interest of residential amenity”.
In responses to the consultation, one resident said the new services had caused an increase in noise and the “level of vibrations”. Another said locals “working from home or with young children will be particularly impacted by the increased noise and disturbances”.
In a response to the claim regarding planning permission for the Enterprise services, a Translink spokesperson told the Irish News: “Work to complete Belfast Grand Central Station is ongoing and has been recognised as one of the most multifaceted infrastructure projects in the UK this year.
“Translink continues to collaborate closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment with each phase of this complex planning process, working diligently to deliver a transformative infrastructure project that will enhance Northern Ireland’s transport system for a better future for all.”
They added: “The introduction of the hourly Enterprise services represents the most significant expansion of services, bringing many benefits for passengers but also for business, retail and tourism, boosting the all-island economy. It also helps to advance climate goals and has been welcomed across the whole island of Ireland”.
The planning application to lift the Enterprise restriction is being assessed by the Department for Infrastructure, which has been approached for comment.
