One year on: Belfast Grand Central Station, Gull Wing and Govan to Partick Bridge
This week marks one full year since we celebrated the opening events for three of our major transport infrastructure projects. In a rare turn of events, all three grand openings took place within 24-hours of each other in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
Today we look at the positive impact these projects have had on the lives of people living in these regions.
Belfast Grand Central Station
Client: Translink
Since opening last autumn, Belfast Grand Central Station has become a vital hub for integrated travel, connecting passengers across bus, coach, rail, and active travel networks.
Farrans Sacyr JV delivered this project for Translink.
With a 96% user satisfaction rating and an almost 40% increase in Enterprise cross-border journeys since the hourly services commenced, the station plays a pivotal role in strengthening the Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor.
Over the past year, the station has welcomed over 8 million people. This success has contributed to more than 4 million additional journeys across the wider public transport network since opening, reflecting a significant modal shift.
This transformation has been driven by the opening of Belfast Grand Central Station, York Street Station, and enhancements such as contactless ticketing, improved passenger information, and the new Journey Planner App—all encouraging healthier, greener, and cleaner travel choices.
Translink won the Digital Construction Excellence category at the Construction News awards for revolutionary digital leadership at Belfast Grand Central Station. The judges said: “A standout example of a digitally minded infrastructure client with a long-term, holistic vision, Translink is setting the pace for the industry.”
Gull Wing, Lowestoft
Client: Suffolk County Council
Since being opened to traffic on September 7, 2024 the bridge has significantly reduced congestion and improved connectivity between the northern and southern parts of the town.
It has performed more than 1,000 lifts in its first year of operation, with more than 350 vessels travelling under the span without causing delay to traffic during the summer.
It has won awards – the 2025 Bridges Design and Construction Award for projects over £10 million, and a Highly Commended honour at the Chartered Institute of Highways & Transport award.
It is also currently shortlisted in the Best Transport Project category for the British Construction and Infrastructure Awards 2025, which are being held in October 2025.
The bridge crosses Lake Lothing and the East Suffolk railway line and comprises of eight spans, including the largest hydraulically driven rolling bascule bridge in the world.
Govan to Partick Bridge, Glasgow
Client: Glasgow City Council
The Govan – Partick Bridge in Glasgow has been a tremendous success, with more than one million pedestrian and cyclist crossings since opening on 7 September 2024.
The Glasgow City Region City Deal project – the Scottish and UK Governments each provided £12.685million in funding for the Bridge – re-established the historic connection between Govan and Partick, with the Bridge crossing between Water Row on the south side and Pointhouse Quay beside the Riverside Museum on the north.
Since the public opening last September, there have been more than 820,000 crossings of the Bridge by pedestrians, and 185,000 cyclist crossings.
The bridge is significant economically, environmentally and socially through the link it provides not only between communities, but also a number of visitor attractions and institutions of national economic importance. The crossing is also a central part of the active travel route between the University of Glasgow’s campus at Gilmorehill and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
One of the longest opening pedestrian/cycle bridges in Europe, the Govan – Partick Bridge has a width of six metres and two spans. The moving span, which weighs 650 tonnes, is 99 metres long and uses the South Pier (at Water Row) as its access; and the fixed span, which weighs 45 tonnes and is 15.7 metres long.
The Govan – Partick Bridge is key to and complements public and private sector investments such as the £38million UK Government Strength In Places funding to help the University of Glasgow develop the Clyde Waterfront Innovation Campus next to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital; the Water Row (housing and commercial) development; and proposals for more than 1,000 homes at Yorkhill Quay and the mixed-use redevelopment of Govan Graving Docks.
Govan to Partick Bridge has been awarded the Regeneration Award at this year’s Scottish Civil Engineering Awards. It also won Project of the Year (£20m – £50m) at the Construction News Awards 2025, an excellent award on a national stage. It is currently shortlisted for the Footbridge Awards 2025 and the British Construction and Infrastructure Awards.