Glider (Belfast)

Belfast Glider G1
McKinstry Road Lagmore Avenue Twinbrook Road Colin Connect Upper Dunmurry Lane Glengoland Woodbourne Lenadoon Avenue St. Genevieve's Shaw's Road Slievegallion Drive Casement Park Fruithill Park Beech Hall Kennedy Centre Falls Park City Cemetery Beechville Park Beechmount Children's Hospital Royal Hospitals Clonard Twin Spires Divis Tower Millfield College Square East G2 loop Wellington Place May Street (City Hall) Chichester Street May Street (St George's Market) Custom House Square G2 towards Titanic Quarter Waterfront Lanyon Place River Lagan Albert Bridge Short Strand Templemore Avenue Avoniel Connswater Holywood Arches Beersbridge Road Oakland Avenue North Road Ballyhackamore Astonia Gardens Greenwood Park Knock Road Cabin Hill Stormont Summerhill Avenue Rosepark Comber Road Ulster Hospital Cherry Hill Dundonald Park & Ride

Belfast Glider G2
Catalyst Thompson Dry Dock Titanic Odyssey River Lagan Queen's Bridge │ Queen Elizabeth Bridge G1 towards East Belfast Custom House Square May Street (St George's Market) Chichester Street May Street (City Hall) Wellington Place G1 towards West Belfast

The vehicles are Van Hool ExquiCity 18 articulated buses of a so-called light tram design with three doors and approximately 18 metres (59 ft) in length. The interior is a mixture of seating and standing, plus free WiFi, USB sockets, real-time visual and audible information and CCTV. The diesel hybrid electrical engines emit a low level of pollution and noise, complying with environmental concerns. In October 2017 the Glider vehicle was unveiled at the Busworld Europe exhibition in Belgium.[7]

Halts along each route are approximately 400 metres apart compared to previous bus stops which were 150–250 metres apart.[8] Halts, which are covered and have some seating and ticket machines, are 18 metres as standard but may be extended to 30 metres to allow simultaneous docking of Glider, Metro and Ulsterbus vehicles. Each halt has Kassel kerbs that allow Glider vehicles to align with the footpath to ensure quick and safe boarding and alighting. Glider vehicles on the G1 route operate between Dundonald interchange on Dunlady Road, which operates as a park and ride facility facilitating up to 519 vehicles, and runs through the city centre continuing to the West Belfast terminus at Mc Kinistry Roundabout on Stewartstown Road.[9][10][11] The G2 route operates from Titanic Quarter to the city centre.[12]

Bus lanes along Glider routes operate from 07:00 to 19:00 on Monday to Saturday. The Department for Infrastructure introduced the lanes in advance of Glider services commencing. 12 hour bus lanes were introduced on 23 July 2018 in west Belfast, 30 July in East Belfast and on 6 August in the Titanic Quarter. City bound bus lanes were suspended in Titanic Quarter on 21 August following severe congestion. [13]

The road width on the bus routes, which incorporate bus lanes and mixed traffic lanes, is designed with a minimum width of 12 metres, with each individual runway a minimum 3 metres wide. As well as the Glider vehicles, any other buses which can carry more than 8 passengers, motorcycles, bicycles, black taxis and wheelchair-accessible private hire taxis are allowed in the bus lanes during their hours of operation.[14]

The routes were rebranded for launch on 3 September 2018. The G1 service combining the planned EWAY and WWAY routes with vehicles running between McKinstry roundabout and Dundonald via the city centre. The G2 service covers the CITI route between Titanic Quarter and city centre.[15]

Belfast public transit began with the introduction of trams in 1905, which were superseded by trolley buses in 1938; both were operated by the Belfast Corporation Tramways. The 1967 Transport Act created a public corporation, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, to oversee public transport. A Regional Development Strategy document was created, leading to the more specific Regional Transport Strategy and the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan. To further this plan, the "Belfast Rapid Transit" project was undertaken, overseen by the Department for Regional Development, as an extension of the public transport system in Northern Ireland, which in 2016 operates under the name Translink, a collaboration of three companies Citybus (Metro), Ulsterbus and Northern Ireland Railways.

In 2014 the first construction began on the transit system,[25] and by 2015 several sections were partially built.[26]

In December 2015, the Northern Ireland Executive confirmed that the project would go ahead as planned.[27] In 2016, the government continued to give progress updates and detailed information about routes and vehicles.[28]

The Upper Newtownards road bus lane was under construction in 2015 and was expected to be in operation by August, with fines given out to motorists who drove in the lane.[29] However, in June 2016 announcements were still being made of the impending opening of this section.[30]

Several more sections were completed in 2016, and work on the West Belfast transit hub began in 2017.[31]

The opening of the system was delayed because of budget restrictions.[32][33] Trial services carrying paying passengers commenced on 28 August 2018 and full service began on 3 September 2018.[34]

On 26 July 2021, the Department for Infrastructure opened public consultation on "Belfast Rapid Transit Phase 2", an expansion of the Glider network.[35] Plans were unveiled for an extension of G2; and two entirely new lines: one to the south and one to the north. These two lines may be combined into a single service, much like G1.

• Park and ride bus services in the United Kingdom

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glider (Belfast).

• "Belfast Rapid Transit".
• Translink
• "Home Page - Department for Regional Development".
• Translink. "NI Railways - Translink". Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2014.