Uncertain future for north-south Glider
Full delivery of the Belfast Rapid Transport Phase 2 (BRT2) project, including the Glider 2 (G2) extension connecting Glengormley and Carryduff, remains uncertain due to a lack of funding.
BRT2 is expected to cost between £142 million and £148 million but the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) has only secured £48 million to date. This comprises £35 million from partners of the Belfast Region City Deal and £13 million from DfI.
In March 2026, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins MLA acknowledged the “significant funding shortfall” and told the Assembly: “I hope that the full extension, which includes Glengormley and Carryduff, can be delivered by 2033.”
Minister Kimmins said the £48 million secured to date “will allow the commencement of the phased delivery of the project”. She outlined planned developments including extending the existing G2 service to provide links to Queen’s University and Belfast City Hospital and delivery of a park-and-ride facility at O’Neill Road.
Four electric Glider vehicles are also to be trialled on the east-west G1 route with the outcomes of this to inform future rollout of electric Gliders. This phase of works is expected to be completed by 2030.
In 2022, then-Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd MLA decided that the north-south G2 route should extend from Glengormley to Carryduff. DfI estimated that the north-south service could be operational by autumn 2027 at this time.
In February 2025, Kimmins told the Assembly that BRT2 would have to be scaled back as the extension to Carryduff was “not economically viable” at the time. She also announced that the proposed extension to Glengormley was “not feasible” due to insufficient funding, congestion, and a public realm scheme planned for the area.
Kimmins said: “It is possible that the north-south Glider service could become operational by 2030, but it is hoped that the initial phase could be delivered by 2027.”
Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA says: “The north-south Glider route was supposed to be completed in 2027. Instead progress has barely started and the first buses will not run until at least 2030s, more than half a decade behind schedule.
“It is deeply frustrating that meaningful improvements will not be in place until the middle of next decade.
“I am incredibly frustrated that there is no allocation for the project in the Finance Minister’s draft multi-year budget.
“If the Minister is serious about delivering this crucial project then both she and the Finance Minister should put the money where their mouth is to fund this crucial upgrade to Belfast’s transport infrastructure.”
