The huge new £340million train station set to open in the UK this year

A HUGE £340million pound 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.

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Construction work on Belfast Grand Central first started back in 2022, with work on the train station nearing completion.

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 around the station will also intensify over the next few months, with road enhancements also taking place.

When Belfast Grand Central opens, it will become the largest integrated transport hub on the island of 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 the 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.

Belfast Grand Central will open this autumn, with work continuing on other parts of the project until the end of 2025.

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."

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

Other new train stations

Several new train stations are set to open across the West Midlands, despite being one being closed for more than 80 years.

Moseley Village Train Station first opened to the public in 1867, but closed down in 1941 as a wartime economy measure.

Despite its 80-year closure, the train station is set to reopen to the public.

It will be one of three stations to reopen along the Camp Hill line in Birmingham, with the other two stations including 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 still been routinely used by freight services in the years since its closure.

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 brand new shops and restaurants.

Meanwhile, a derelict train station dating back to 1881 could be transformed into a holiday park.

And these tourists found a forgotten but perfectly preserved station in London that hadn’t been touched for decades.

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