Planning for the future of Translink in Northern Ireland

Chris Conway joined Translink as Group Chief Executive in September 2015. Seven months on, he is driving the business forward to build on the track record of success, growth and investment that has been achieved in recent years. As a champion of public transport, he wants to encourage even more people to consider the benefits of using the bus, coach and train.

Chris highlights some of Translink’s successes and plans for the future:

I believe that good public transport enables a region to thrive. It benefits and impacts on everyone, driving economic growth, supporting social inclusion and improving the welfare of local communities. It also helps to address the challenge of congestion and climate change creating healthier towns and cities. It gives people choices, freedom and opportunities in business, education, retail and leisure pursuits.

We are passionate about delivering high quality public transport for Northern Ireland, growing passenger numbers through a clear focus on our customers and delivering service excellence through our people. In the last decade, investment in our bus and train networks has contributed to the ongoing success of Northern Ireland with strong passenger growth; over 80 per cent on rail, over 50 per cent on Goldline coach travel and in Belfast over 30 per cent on Metro.

We recognise the on-going fiscal challenges for the Northern Ireland Assembly budgets; however, we will work collaboratively with all stakeholders in mobility, to deliver attractive, integrated and efficient transport solutions for all the people of Northern Ireland.

Service excellence and customer satisfaction

We employee around 3,800 people and operate our services through a fleet of around 1,400 buses, coaches and trains which do an average of 44 million miles per year. Our priority is to ensure continuous improvement in everything that we do. We aim to provide a service that is attractive, integrated, safe and accessible to everyone and in doing so, meet and even exceed our customer expectations. We have set ourselves high standards for service performance, communicating with customers on how we are doing and continuing to invest in technology and the capability of our employees. With over 1.6 million weekly passenger journeys, many people have already made the bus and train their preferred choice of travel and independent research shows that customer satisfaction remains positive and service quality is good.

Enhancing our economy and delivering growth

Quality public transport enhances the economy by providing transport links, employment and reducing congestion. Modern transport links can spark a chain reaction giving our region a competitive edge which helps to attract business and tourism, a key driver for job creation, social development and economic wealth. In fact, every £1 invested in public transport can generate £4 in the local economy.

We are committed to investing in our services and have exciting projects underway including the Belfast Hub, Belfast Rapid Transport and completion of the Derry~Londonderry railline signalling upgrade. Our newly refurbished Enterprise trains are also getting excellent feedback on the high levels of comfort and quality.

We are currently planning a ‘Bus and Train Week’ in June to celebrate and promote the advantages of using public transport. Through this initiative we hope to attract even more people to try the bus and train as well as gain wider stakeholder support for public transport and the vital role it has to play in the success of our region and the quality of life for all.

We remain focused on providing excellent public transport and are uniquely placed with the right expertise to deliver bus, coach and train services that everyone can be proud of.

We hope you will ‘Get on board’ with us.

Twitter: @Translink_ni #smartmovers

Web: www.translink.co.uk

Tel: 028 9066 6630