Eye on Transport
Translink – Making Northern Ireland Better.Connected An effective and successful public transport network is vital for the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of our society. That’s why we are committed to continuing the transformation of public transport in Northern Ireland Technological Shifts We aim to reduce our emissions by 50% by 2030, and we are making strong progress – around 40% of our Metro fleet in Belfast already utilises Zero Emission technology, with the aim of having the entire Metro fleet reach this target by 2030. Substantial progress will also be made in Derry~Londonderry as early as 2023, when the entirety of the Foyle Metro fleet converts to Zero Emission technology. Incorporating the potential for electric and hydrogen technologies, we are also developing an infrastructure strategy focused on decarbonising the NI Railways network; allied to this are our ongoing plans to grow capacity with the provision of new train carriages; 21 new intermediate carriages have been introduced this year, providing an additional 1,600 seats per day. The shift to Net Zero is about more than just technological advances; it will help to reduce emissions and make our environment, including our urban areas where we want people to live, work and socialise, better, healthier places, thus driving economic activity. The shift is also vital for public health - by 2035, 84,000 new cases of disease in Northern Ireland, directly associated with air pollution, are expected to have been recorded, at a projected cost to our health service of approximately £635m, according to recent Department of Health projections. It is essential that we all do what we can to help reduce this impact.
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