The challenge
Translink needed to replace Belfast's ageing Great Victoria Street station and Europa Bus Centre with a single hub bringing together regional rail, bus and Enterprise cross-border services to the Republic of Ireland. The £300m scheme also needed to unlock development of the wider Weavers' Cross site. Northern Ireland's investment process required a staged business case: a Strategic Business Case, a two-stage Outline Business Case and a Full Business Case, following HM Treasury's Green Book and the Northern Ireland Guide to Expenditure Appraisal and Evaluation. Translink needed a partner able to build a funding case capable of withstanding scrutiny from its board and government departments.
How we helped
Grant Thornton developed the business case for Translink's Grand Central Station from Strategic Business Case, through a two-stage Outline Business Case (OBC1 and OBC2), to Full Business Case, applying the Northern Ireland Guide to Expenditure Appraisal and Evaluation and HM Treasury's five-case model. We built the economic case, covering wider economic and regeneration impacts and land value uplifts, and modelled capital and revenue funding requirements across financing options. Working with Translink's design teams, operational and technical advisers, we identified and monetised a broad range of benefits, and supported Translink through review from the Department for Infrastructure and Department of Finance.
The results
The Outline Business Case (OBC2) secured c.£203m of capital funding from the Department of Finance in June 2017, and the subsequent Full Business Case took the £300m project through to construction. Grand Central Station opened in autumn 2024, allowing Translink to move to a hub-and-spoke timetable for all rail services into and out of Belfast, including hourly Enterprise services to and from Dublin, within a vastly expanded concourse at the heart of a regenerating Weavers' Cross city quarter. The station has since exceeded expectations on both patronage and customer satisfaction.
About our team
Grant Thornton's rail and transit team combines commercial, economic and financial specialists with deep experience of major transport business cases across the UK and Ireland. Rupert Ingham, Director, Infrastructure Advisory, led the business case for Grand Central Station throughout its development, applying HM Treasury's Green Book and devolved appraisal methodologies. Rupert provided the continuity over the years supported by a changing team of specialists according to requirements at the various phases. We also involved advisory subcontractors on specialist areas including transport economics and bus / rail operations.
