Hey, it's a public bus station. If you came here to be…read moreimpressed or swaddled in the lap of luxury then you were out of order. Adjust your expectations accordingly and read on (smile). Bearing that in mind the buses are on time, the kiosk are in working order and the place is relatively clean. I am also fairly certain that there are working toilets there if you need them. The station is in the heart of Belfast and I saw that a few bus lines operate out of this hub. There are three things I really appreciated about this bus station. Unlike some bus stations in the US, there are: First, no homeless people camping out here or begging. Second, no rats running around. Finally, no obvious pimps attempting to pick up young innocent run aways. So they get a few more stars for just being a decent place for humans to simply board a bus.

Great Victoria Street station, in terms of facilities, is pretty much what you would expect from a…read morestation in a city like Belfast but it is a bit cramped and crowded. It is attached to the Europa bus station and is a 5 minute walk away from the city centre which is pretty good but it is a wee bit far out. In the station building there is a WHSmith, a coffee shop, some seats, a ticket office and some toilets. There are four platforms serving the Larne, Londonderry, Portadown and Bangor lines on the NI Railways network. I am pretty sure the Dublin trains will be moved here in the future as well. The staff here are not rude, but they don't really engage with people, for example, the man on the ticket barrier was very robotic, just letting people through once they have flashed a blue NIR ticket at him. There isn't really anything wrong with GVS station but there isn't anything exceptionally good about it to warrant a 4 star review. The convenient connection to Europa bus station is great, especially if you are transferring between services, and the statue of the two women outside on the street is quite interesting, but otherwise it is just a train station which happens to be the main one in Belfast.

Adelaide Station is a suburban railway halt on the Portadown - Lisburn - Bangor line where you'd…read moredisembark were you to travel to Lisburn Road by train. It's at the end of a quiet residential street near the fashionable shops and you can also get to the Boucher Road retail park from here. There's no ticket office and only one shelter on the platform. While you wait the Enterprise to Dublin may glide swiftly past you. Basically Adelaide is useful for resident, commuters and pupils at Victoria College nearby and with the right timing taking the train to the city centre - Central Station or Victoria - beats crawling down the Lisburn Road by bus.

Botanic Train Station is small but conveniently located on Botanic Avenue, so if you work near…read moreabout or study at Queen's University Belfast it's perfect. Personally I've always found staff and conductors helpful and pleasant. Being teeny don't expect it to have too much in the way of facilities (e.g. there are no toilets) but it has the essentials such as a maned ticket counter, paper timetables on display and two covered platforms. Located on Botanic there are a plethora of cafes, convenience stores and restaurants nearby. It's handy for getting to different parts of Belfast as a train from here can take you to Central Train Station, Great Victoria Street, Titanic Quarter or City Hospital. If you're going further afield you'll find some good off peak deals, for example a day return off peak ticket to Bangor is just £5.70 (March 2016). My one major criticism is that here in Northern Ireland it's a shame our trains don't have late night services, as last train journeys all seem to be around 10pm or 11pm. Fingers crossed this may change in the future.

I'm sorry but I point-blank refuse to give Translink or anything to do with them more than 2/5…read more They are truely dreadful, and as I have even said in other reviews I actually think they're an embrassment to Northern Ireland. My girlfriend is English and she simply can't believe how bad public transport is in this country and its all down to these monopolising idiots who are money grabbing opportunists at best and psuedo war-profiteers at worst. This particular station is extremely handy if you go to Queen's. Its only two minutes down the road so if you study at Queens you will be getting on or off at this station at some stage. The station is also good access to the Ulster Museum, though its probably 50/50 if this place is closer than City Hospital. Its tidy and clean but has no other amenities. This is probably due to the fact there is a Spar right beside it. One last point is that they always ask for your student card, even if you get the train every day. Pointless.

Good schedules and clean trains. Service is friendly and…read morehelpful every time we asked and even when we didn't. WiFi is weak and only available sometimes. Was absolutely terrified by large bully breed that lunged at me suddenly barking ferociously from its seat on the train. Will be more careful when I enter a rail car here in future.

NI Railways is (surprisingly) the company responsible for all the rail networks in Northern…read moreIreland. This includes five main routes from Belfast, a line between Coleraine and Portrush, as well the Enterprise train route from Belfast to Dublin. The five Northern Irish routes are: 1) Belfast to Bangor (incorporating Holywood) 2) Belfast to Londonderry (including Coleraine) 3) Coleraine to Portrush (as previously mentioned) 4) Belfast to Portadown (including Lisburn) 5) Belfast to Larne (incorporating Carrickfergus) The main station for all these networks is Central Station in Belfast, and it is here that the Enterprise train begins its journey to Dublin. Unfortunately, I don't use the train quite as much as I would like to, due to the fact that I don't live that close to a station. In saying that, I have travelled to Central and gotten the train to Lisburn, Portrush and Bangor. All the journeys have been very pleasant, and most of the trains are the latest models and have been well kept. Aside from the enjoyable journey and nice trains, NI Railways have managed to produce some fantastic deals to make the trip even more agreeable. My favourite offer is 1/3 off a day return ticket, available to any station in Northern Ireland when travelling after 9:30am. This meant that a return ticket to Lisburn from Central was only £3.70, and from Central to Portrush was £10! Other offers include an online day return ticket to Dublin for £10, as well as unlimited travel on any train for £6 on Sundays. Bargain. Choo, choo! Trains are definitely the way the way forward...

This is what used to be Bridge End Station and is between Sydenham Station and Belfast Central…read moreStation. I'm glad they changed the name because Bridge End didn't mean anything to anyone. At least now the name Titanic Quarter Station alludes to the fact that this is where you get off the train to go to the Titanic Centre, Harland and Wolf, The Odyssey Arena (Home of the Belfast Giants) as well as global businesses such as Citi Bank. The station itself doesn't have very many amenities. If you're getting on here you'll have to buy a ticket from the inspector on the train although they don't take credit or debit card so you may have to hang on until you get to Belfast Central. There are a few shelters on the platforms although no heated areas so I would plan your journey and consult a timetable so you're not left standing in the (usually) cold too long. Platform 2 is for Belfast bound trains and 1 is for all stops to the Bangor line.

City Hospital Railway station opened on 6 October 1986 and has been given little attention since…read more It is wedged in between Botanic Station and Great Victoria Street, 3 stations that are regarded as City Centre stops. The station itself has two platforms, one that operates services to Portadown and Newry and the other running trains going towards Bangor via Belfast central and Holywood. I feel that City Hospital Railway station is in need of a major refurbishment. It has a huge amount of graffiti, none of it tasteful, on the train line and always has random household items strewn around the platforms. For instance I saw a pram and a microwave on a recent trip. The City Hospital Railway stop as the name suggests is excellent in the fact that it is so close to the City Hospital. Not many other cities have such a close transport link to a major hospital making it relatively easy to commute to and from the hospital. You often see patients from the hospital on the platform who look like they have discharged themselves, this gives a good idea how close the station is to the hospital entrance.

Great train station just off the Lisburn Road that brings you to Great Victoria Street or Central…read moreStation depending on your preference. There is no ticket office though so make sure and buy a ticket on the train and the station itself is partially hidden in side streets.

Irrelevant of what other reviewers think, in my opinion Europa Bus and Train Station is pretty…read moregood. Sure, it's not the prettiest building, but it has everything you're likely to need. There are a few cafes in both the Station and Great Northern Mall which lead to it. You'll also find a shop, seating, ticket counter, information desk, toilets and digital timetable board displaying bus and train times. I personally have always found it clean, tidy, pleasant in atmosphere and the staff helpful. There can be queues at the ticket counter but I know this and always arrive early to allow myself enough time to purchase my ticket. There's really nothing more I could ask for as far as a bus and train station is concerned.

Europa Bus Centre is fine. It's not super modern, but it was climate-controlled and clean. It was…read moreeasy to find the bus information and ticketing. There was also lots of information on visiting NI. Even though I bought my ticket online, I still needed a printed ticket. I appreciate the shops and restaurants, though not sure I noticed an ATM. Restrooms were fine. Not sure if Europa is run by Translink, but I will say that when I needed help with something before my trip, the staff at Translink was super friendly and responsive, and I can't say the same for other national travel companies. Europa is definitely A-OK.

Whiteabbey Station is basically just a little halt on the Larne to Belfast line. I would never…read moreusually have had much dealings with it, apart from when I was a student at Newtownabbey Tech, a number of years ago. I have various 'happy' memories of trudging in the rain up the road to the college from this station, and even happier memories of the days when we 'forgot' to get off at Whiteabbey, and continued on up to Belfast for a day of procrastination. The platforms have decent sized shelters and benches on both sides, with flights of steps on either side leading up to the walkways to enter/access the platforms. There is also a good sized car park for commuters to use, should they not wish to drive all the way into the city centre. There is no ticket booths here, nor have I ever seen a conductor, so it's just a case of hopping on and purchasing your ticket on the train, should you not already have one.

Whiteabbey Train Station was opened in 1848 and has recently been renovated and now includes a…read moregreat new parking space. This means it's much handier for those who avail of the park and ride service. The parking facility here was minimal before this rebuild but it seems a lot more secure and safe now which will keep many drivers at east. The platform itself isn't up to much, it's pretty basic but that's all you need. It is great having the train station in the area as there's no other stop between Whiteabbey and Belfast. From Mondays to Saturdays on the Larne line there is a half-hourly service towards Carrick with one train an hour continuing to Larne and a half-hourly service to Belfast Central. One thing that baffles me is that the train doesn't stop here on the way to Derry. I used to get this train every week up to Coleraine university and had to travel to Mossley West (see review) even through the train passes through this station. Platform 1 takes you in to Belfast and Platform 2 takes you to CArrickfergus / Larne. Check translink website or call for train times and more info.

It's got a shelter and a car park. Really not much else to say about it…read more It's beside a park and handy parking for Moseley mill theatre.

Mossley West railway station was reopened nine years ago and the train line could finally be used…read moreby the public after many years in disuse. Mossley platform is great for those travelling to Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine etc as this provides a quick, direct line for them to get to work or university etc. Because of this schedule it means the train can be very busy in the mornings and evenings, also on a Sunday when the hordes of students travel back up to university. The train that usually runs on this line is one of the newer trains which makes your journey that little bit more quick and comfortable. It's also one of the most scenic train journeys. The beautiful Northern Irish country side flys past you, especially in the Spring when all the lambs are being born and you can see them bounce about the fields. Not bad for a train line I must say.

Sydenham Railway Station is wedged between Holywood Railway Station and Bridge End, it provides a…read moreuseful transport link to George Best Belfast City Airport. Although this is all it really provides, it has no ticketing facilities and no real amenities. Tickets for onward train journeys can be purchased on board the trains from conductors. The only real feather in Sydenhams cap is its proximity to the City airport. Once you depart the train the airport is only a footbridge away. The footbridge runs over the Sydenham Bypass. Sydenham is also the stop to depart at if you wish to visit "The Oval" home of Glentoran Football Club and host to Northern Ireland Under 21 Football matches. As with most other none major Railway Stations on the Bangor to Belfast Line Sydenham operates tow platforms, one that operates services to Belfast Central, Great Victoria Street, Portadown and Newry and the other running trains going towards Bangor via Holywood, Cultra, Marino, Helens bay, Caralea and Bangor West. Express Services are also available at peak times.

Not just a train station...but a gateway to so much more! The bridge over the bypass is perfect for…read moregetting to the airport. Press a button on the other side and the airport will send its free shuttle bus to collect you! (Sometimes they even see you crossing the bridge and send the bus in advance!) The bridge is also an alternative entrance into Victoria Park for pedestrians and joggers! A great station in a great location!