Translink Press Release: Metro Hailed a Success
Metro Hailed a Success
17June 2005
Translink have announced that since the introduction of the new Metro network in Greater Belfast, passenger numbers have jumped by 6.3%.
Speaking at the Translink annual public meeting held in Central Station last night, Translink Chief Executive Keith Moffatt declared Metro as a ‘significant success story’.
“This represents an impressive increase of 24,000 people using the service each week which equates to around 450 additional full busloads.
“It is an excellent start for Metro and clearly shows that we have successfully begun the change process and are attracting more and more passengers every day. However, it is only the first step and we still have a long way to go to ensure we deliver on the challenging targets as set out in the Regional Transportation Strategy and the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan.
“If we are to maintain this growth, we must continue to make improvements on our bus networks and service frequencies. Crucially, enhanced bus priority measures are central to sustaining this growth and the ongoing success of the new network. Better priority means a fairer deal for bus passengers. Faster journeys and more frequency for buses will then be able to deliver a quantum increase in bus use. To this end we will continue to work alongside Road Service and other key partners in order to deliver these measures.
Mr Moffatt also noted that enhancements to the Goldline network introduced last April had resulted in a growth of more than 10% in passenger journeys on the previous 12 months’ figures.
“We are also making good progress on the implementation of a new rail service,” Mr Moffatt continued. “This new service aims to deliver improvements across all aspects including customer service and station upgrades. The new timetable introduced earlier this month is already bedding in well and we expect the full complement of 23 new trains to be available for passenger service in the next number of months.”
“We have also secured additional funding for the bus and rail businesses. We welcomed Governments’ December announcements of £48.4 million for investment in new vehicles for the Ulsterbus, Metro and Goldline fleets, alongside the £23.6 million rail investment securing the future of the threatened railway lines north of Ballymena and Whitehead.
Mr Moffatt concluded, “Overall it has been a good year for public transport in Northern Ireland and we have started a process of change for the better. I would like to thank our staff for their ongoing efforts and professionalism throughout the year. We will continue to work together with our Government agencies, staff and stakeholders to implement changes to provide better services for more people.”
Ends.
For further press information contact Christopher Carson at Morrow Communications tel: 028 9039 3837 mob: 07808 584 691
email: c.carson@,morrowcommunications.com
Notes to the Editor:
The figures shown compare passenger numbers during April and May 2005 to passenger numbers during the same period in 2004,
Also at the Public Meeting, Translink launched a new revised Passenger’s Charter. The charter is a statement of Translink’s commitment to provide the high-quality service passengers have the right to expect on buses and trains in Northern Ireland.
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