Visitors to Belfast will note that there’s lots of construction activity going on in the city centre right now, one of the more interesting projects being the Belfast Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme, officially branded BRT-Glider. Robin Whitlock reports
The aim of the BRT-Glider scheme is to provide a new and dynamic fast public transport corridor between East and West Belfast – Phase 1 of the project utilising two routes extending east and west, plus a short spur northward serving the Titanic Quarter.
The scheme has been developed and is being implemented by the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure (DfI), which intended this new service to be high quality from the outset. The total route length is approximately 15.2miles (24.5km), but consideration is being given to a second phase in which extensions may be added running into the northern and southern areas of the city, depending on the success of Phase 1 and funding availability.
The route, as it stands at the moment, encompasses the WWAY (approximately 6.1miles/9.8km), EWAY (approximately 5.5miles/8.8km) and the CITI, the latter section consisting of a city centre loop and the northwards spur to Titanic Quarter (approximately 1.7miles/2.8km).
According to the DfI’s stated objectives, the Glider vehicles will provide a comfortable environment for passengers, together with installed CCTV for security and safety. There will be real-time information systems for more efficient journey planning and off-vehicle ticketing to speed up the boarding process. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) will enable information to be fed through to the internet and mobiles but there will also be audio announcements on the vehicles. ITS will also enable automatic vehicle location so that vehicles are given priority at junctions. The vehicles will also be equipped with free WiFi and USB charging facilities. The entire £90million scheme is scheduled to become operational in September 2018 and many of its constituent sections are already in service or are nearing completion.[wlm_nonmember][…]
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Glider will replace the current Metro 4 and Metro 10 services, but some of the other Metro services, serving destinations elsewhere in the city, will continue to be able to use part of the Glider route, thereby benefitting from the scheme’s increased bus priority. Glider aims to secure a 25-30% reduction in public transport journey times while also integrating with other forms of transport. The overriding objective is to provide a highly attractive alternative to travelling by private car, but the scheme will also include resurfacing of roads and footways, LED street lighting, improved pedestrian crossings and improved air quality. It is also hoped that the project in its entirety will help to stimulate local regeneration.
The vehicles selected for use on the Glider have been specially selected because of their ‘tram-like’ appearance and their diesel-electric, low-noise and low-emission hybrid engines. According to a DfI representative, although they will use bus lanes, the vehicles have been branded ‘Gliders’ or ‘Glider vehicles’, rather than ‘buses’, because they offer so much more than the facilities people usually associate with buses, and for that reason the council is keen to make the distinction between what it appears to regard as two very different types of vehicle.
The Gliders will carry 105 passengers, with space for wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs. Glider services will operate at 7-8 minute intervals during the normal working day, with early morning and late services running at 20 minute intervals. The dedicated rapid transit lane along almost the entire length of the route is integral to the scheme’s success.
Background history
The Belfast BRT-Glider has its origins in 2008 with the publication of a Strategic Outline Case by the Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development (DRD), which subsequently, in May 2016, became the present Department for Infrastructure (DfI). For those wanting a more detailed assessment of this fascinating project, an intricate description of its history has been provided online by author and blogger Wesley Johnston. His Northern Ireland Roads website provides constant updates detailing what was, and is, going on with the project up until it opens officially in September 2018.
However, the basic history of the scheme is as follows. According to a communication by the Committee for Regional Development sent in May 2008 to Conor Murphy MP, the (then) Regional Development Minister, the DRD decided from an Atkins KPMG report that a bus-based system would be more economic than light rail. Five proposed routes were assessed by the report. Of these, the CITI Core Route between Belfast City Centre and the Titanic Quarter, the EWAY scheme from the city centre to Dundonald and the WWAY scheme from the city centre to West Belfast, were all found to be viable.
An extension eastward to Belfast City Airport was not found to be viable, although an extension of the CITI route southwards to Queen’s University Belfast and Belfast City Hospital was found to be worthwhile in principle, providing issues around road space allocation and highway capacity could be addressed.
The Atkins KPMG Report found that there was a positive cost-benefit ratio for the bus network, but further findings led the Economic Research Institute of Northern Ireland (ERINI) to conclude that, under present circumstances, Belfast is too small a city to justify the construction of a light rail system. The Committee went on to meet with executives from rapid transit manufacturers and operators elsewhere in Northern Ireland and in The Netherlands. It also visited schemes operating in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Utrecht.
The Committee concluded from these visits that, in order to maximise passenger numbers and provide a positive passenger experience – and to ensure that the scheme provides social, economic and environmental benefits – a range of elements must be incorporated. These include the greatest possible degree of separation between bus rapid transit vehicles and other vehicles; full integration of proposed routes with other forms of public transport; a clearly defined identity but with integration of ticketing, transfer between rapid transit and existing bus and heavy rail systems and Park & Ride facilities; employment of green technologies, and finally, examination of the relationship between land use strategies and rapid transit development.
The scheme was finally approved on November 27, 2008. The scheme went out to public consultation between October 12, 2011 and January 6, 2012, the outcome of the consultation being published on April 24, 2012. This was followed by an Outline Business Case on November 22 of that same year.
The first construction tender was awarded on March 28, 2014 and work on the first section of the BRT commenced on May 19, 2014 at the Dundonald Park & Ride. In a webinar held in May 2016, the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) estimated a cost of construction of around £90million, down from a price tag of £98million estimated in November 2012. £10million of this is allocated to the new ticketing system, which will also apply to buses, the total cost of this being £45million. Another £10million will go towards a new depot at Duncrue Street, operated by Translink, with a total cost of £25million.
The DfI held a 12-week trial beginning in February this year, intended to assess the impact of Class A taxis, private hire taxis operating under green plates and public hire taxis operating under white plates, being allowed to use the bus lanes. This enabled the DfI to gather information on traffic speeds, traffic volumes, vehicle speeds and journey times and also allowed an opportunity to assess collision histories. The trial ended on May 14 and the DfI then consulted on the impacts. At present, the results are still being assessed and considered.
The Network
The Glider network utilises a mixture of dedicated bus lanes and mixed traffic lanes, the bus lanes being three metres wide and resurfaced to ensure maximum ride quality. The bus lanes used by Glider services will also be open to other buses, cyclists, motorcyclists, some taxi services and emergency vehicles and will operate from 0700-1900hrs with some dispensation given to deliveries. Mixed traffic lanes will be available to all traffic. However, existing on-street parking facilities that will adversely impact on the bus lanes will be replaced or removed, although existing lay-by parking will be retained, albeit with special parking arrangements in place to discourage all-day parking. Parking and driving offences on the Glider route will be strictly enforced in order to preserve journey times, and priority will be given to Glider vehicles at signalised junctions. The major part of the route will be illuminated by LED lighting, aiming at savings of 30% and reduced maintenance costs, including at signalised junctions.
Starting from the city centre, the CITI runs from Queen Elizabeth Bridge to Queen’s Bridge, with a short spur to the Titanic Quarter and a city centre loop. Heading east, the EWAY runs from the city centre to Dundonald Park & Ride, via Albertbridge Road and Upper Newtownards Road, while in a westerly direction, the WWAY runs from the city centre to another Park & Ride near the McKinistry Road roundabout, via Divis Street, the Falls Road, Andersontown Road and Stewartstown Road.
The route features numerous ‘halts’, featuring platforms with raised kerbs for easier access for those with mobility issues and parents with pushchairs. The halts are spaced approximately 400m apart and are equipped with large and spacious shelters with real-time passenger information displays, ticket machines, validators and CCTV. The payment systems have been designed to favour cashless payment, but the fares themselves will be roughly comparable to the present Metro services, with concessionary fares applying to Glider as they do to other services in the city.
There is a variety of different types of seating available and secure cycle parking facilities. As with the vehicles, the halts have been specially designed to create a strong public image. There are fewer of them than the bus stops they will replace, due to the necessity to maintain the Glider as a fast public transport corridor. This means that the number of stopping places along the route will be reduced by about a third.
The system as a whole has been designed so that it can be tailored to large events, such as sports matches and large entertainment events. Some of the local bus services will be reorganised so that they act as feeder services, serving the Ballybeen and Coopers Mill areas in East Belfast and Lagmore, Mount Eagles, Poleglass and Twinbrook areas in West Belfast. Interchange facilities and co-ordinated timetables will be provided for these services. Ulsterbus services will also continue to use the BRT corridor, benefitting from the increased bus priority and delivering more reliable and shorter journey times.
The two interchange facilities at either end of the Glider route both serve as a terminus. The £2million Colin Town transport hub, located in Colin Town Centre, will serve as the Glider’s western terminus, consisting of a new signalled T-junction, a terminal building and a turning circle. There has been some concern over the lack of a car park at this location, with Wesley Johnston, for instance, commenting that if the BRT attracts customers from other areas, their vehicles might end up parked in nearby housing estates, as has happened with the small Park & Rides at Magherafelt and Ballygawley. Meanwhile, the Dundonald Park & Ride, serving as the eastern terminus, is already popular. It is currently serviced by a limited stop Metro 4X, although this will be replaced when Glider opens officially in September 2018. Both interchange facilities feature secure cycle parking.
Some sections of the route are still being constructed and therefore not all of the halts are in place yet either. The replacement of the Kennedy Way roundabout by a signalised crossing this summer caused some controversy, but West Belfast MP Paul Maskey countered this by pointing out that the roundabout had actually been the site of numerous accidents over the years, some involving pedestrians and cyclists.
The Albertbridge Road section is particularly noteworthy as it runs along one of the strategic roads used as a long-distance traffic corridor. The traffic using this route can’t realistically be expected to transfer over to the Glider, and there have been some concerns expressed about the impact of the Glider on this route. According to Wesley Johnston, these concerns were addressed by a public official speaking at an information event in 2016, at which he stated that the Glider will incorporate a number of features that will serve to reduce the impact on the strategic road, although the impact will unfortunately still be significant. The potential crunch points on this section include the A55 Outer Ring junction, where two such strategic roads meet. The Glider ends at this point, something that may impact on its speed. However, the alternative would have created a gridlock for both strategic and commuter traffic.
The extensions to Glider currently being considered consist of possible routes north and south, with the northerly extension operating via the Crumlin, Antrim or Shore Roads and the southern extension running along the Ormeau/Saintfield Road and terminating at the Cairnshill Park & Ride. Another component being considered is a limited circular route connecting the city centre to Queen’s University and the City Hospital. If this section was approved, it would run along the Lisburn and University Roads. All these are currently under discussion, but there are no firm plans for any of them as yet.
The general expectation is that Glider will reduce traffic levels on its various corridors by 20%, in the face of predicted longer journey times for general traffic of at least 8% and possibly 40% in some areas. There was some preference for light rail rather than a bus-based system when the Glider project was first mooted, and for this reason the Strategic Outline does include a possible future option of adopting light rail, should there be an increase in demand. Whether this actually happens though remains to be seen.
Vehicles
BRT-Glider will use a total of 30 three-axle articulated Exqui.City rapid transit vehicles manufactured by the Belgian firm Van Hool, which produces buses, coaches and industrial vehicles for public transport systems across Europe. They will be operated by Translink and are 18 metres long, being able to carry 105 passengers, thereby providing greater capacity than the double-deck buses currently operating. At capacity, each vehicle can replace 87 cars, therefore eliminating 0.5 kilometres of congestion per vehicle. Elsewhere in the world, these vehicles are currently operating in Barcelona, Luxembourg, Malmö, Bergen and Metz and the vehicles are seen very much as a growth area for Van Hool.
The vehicles destined for BRT-Glider have already been officially unveiled by the DfI at the Busworld Europe exhibition in Brussels on October 19, 2017. The DfI has emphasised that the Glider brand name, alongside the bright purple livery, is designed to create an immediately-identifiable high quality public appearance that distinguishes them from all other public transport vehicles currently in service in the city. The Glider brand will therefore appear in ticketing, travel information, halts, vehicles and signage.
The Exqui.City has been designed to have an elegant appearance in order to convey the idea of smooth and safe travel. It is equipped with diffused lighting and ergonomically designed interiors with spacious entrances and exits, and improved accessibility for people with reduced mobility and parents with pushchairs. The three sets of double doors will ensure maximum accessibility and the interiors will feature dedicated spaces for wheelchair users, priority seating for disabled and elderly passengers and audio-visual next-stop and destination announcements. There will also be raised kerbs at halts and ramps to allow easier access. CCTV is fitted for security and the vehicles also have on-board WiFi and USB charging facilities. They will utilise a new easy-to-use off-vehicle ticketing system and will feature real-time passenger information displays.
The Belfast BRT is Van Hool’s first order for Exqui.City vehicles in the UK and Ireland. They operate like trams in terms of their level of service. Belfast BRT-Glider will feature fewer stops than previously, but they will be of a higher standard than conventional bus stops with an off-board ticketing system that is more reminiscent of tram services than bus services.
The message being pushed by the DfI is that this is a service of much higher quality than you would get on ordinary buses. Furthermore, it will be quieter and smoother, with lower noise levels, reduced vibration and lower emissions.
BRT – the future of urban public transport?
BRT systems are appearing in several cities across the UK and elsewhere; another prominent BRT scheme is currently being constructed in Bristol, for example.
The general aim of such schemes seems to be from the outset to offer a bus-based system, or a variation thereof, that is of higher quality and presentation than conventional bus services.
This is certainly true of Belfast’s BRT-Glider, which has been carefully designed and branded from the very start with higher quality in mind, thereby attempting to evade the common impression of bus services as a ‘poor’ form of transport.
Given that several BRT systems have either now been developed across the UK or are in the process of being so, it will be interesting to see how the Glider is received and how it compares with other schemes when it finally opens officially in September.
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