Everything you need to know as Northern Ireland late night transport starts this week

Additional services will be in place every Friday and Saturday night for the next year

Everything you need to know

• Late night transport across Northern Ireland, travelling to and from Belfast, will start this Friday, November 28. This will include buses and trains, and is a pilot scheme which will last for one year, with late night services operating every Friday and Saturday night.
• As part of the year-long pilot scheme, Metro bus services will operate until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. Some Goldliner services will operate until 1.15am, and Ulsterbus services will be extended until 12.15am.
• There will be additional capacity on all NI Railway services on Friday and Saturday nights for the four weekends leading up to Christmas, running until Friday December 19, and Saturday December 20. Translink said this is to help support the seasonal celebrations and help build Belfast’s night-time economy, enhance safety for evening travellers, and encourage sustainable travel choices. These services will only be in place for the festive period.
• Standard fares apply and all half fare and full fare concession passes will be accepted as normal on Christmas services and additional services as part of the pilot scheme. This means those travelling on late night services will be able to use day tickets as normal, as opposed to previous festive services that were ticketed differently.
• Last year, over 17,000 people used the late night services to and from Belfast. Speaking to Belfast Live last week, the city’s night czar, Michael Stewart, said he hopes to see this number more than double. He has encouraged the public to “use it or lose it”, adding that services would be extended or become permanent if the demand is there.
• The total estimated cost for the year long pilot scheme is around £650,000. In September, Belfast City Council agreed to co-fund the pilot alongside Stormont.
• READ THE FULL STORY: Translink release full details and times of NI’s late-night bus services.

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