A HUGE £340million train station will open in the UK later this year.

Train journeys in Northern Ireland are set to improve when Belfast Grand Central opens this autumn.

Construction work first started in 2022 and will continue on other parts of the project until the end of 2025.

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Now in its final stages, work is focusing on the station’s internal fit, as well as other key features like platforms and track and signalling infrastructure.

Work will also intensify over the next few months, with road enhancements.

When Belfast Grand Central opens, it will become the largest integrated transport hub in Ireland.

The brand-new train station will replace bus and rail facilities at Europa Bus Centre and Great Victoria Street Train Station.

It will also provide a cross-border railway service to Dublin.

With all this in mind, the huge new train station will have eight platforms and 26 bus stands, as well as room to accommodate bicycles and taxis.

According to rail bosses, Belfast Grand Central will be able to accommodate up to 20million passengers each year.

The full site will include other features too, like offices and residential and student housing.

There will also be a retail and leisure space, as well as a new public square for outdoor performances and community events.

Dual Irish and English language signage will also be installed.

John Glass, Director of Infrastructure and Projects at Translink, told the Belfast Telegraph: “Belfast Grand Central Station is a hugely important project and we have welcomed endorsement from a range of business, community, and environmental groups.

“Catering for some 20 million passenger journeys a year, the new station will improve connectivity for everyone in Northern Ireland, cross border and beyond.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the general public for their patience during these essential works.”

Other new train stations

Belfast isn’t the only part of the UK that’s set to benefit from a new train station.

Several are set to open across the West Midlands, including Moseley Village Train Station, first opened to the public in 1867, which closed down in 1941 as a wartime economy measure.

It will be one of three stations to reopen along the Camp Hill line in Birmingham, with the other two stations being Pineapple Road and Kings Heath.

The new stations will provide regular train services into Birmingham New Street.

Meanwhile, Aldridge station in Walsall, West Midlands, is also set to reopen following a £30million revamp.

While the station closed to passengers in 1965, its tracks have routinely been used by freight services.

Earlier this year, plans were put forward to transform London Waterloo – the third busiest train station in the UK.

The proposals detailed new entrances, increased space on the station’s concourses and new shops and restaurants.

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