Infrastructure Minister shown “world-leading” work at Wrightbus

Following investment from the Department of Infrastructure, Translink has placed orders for 332 buses from Wrightbus over the past three years, of which 158 are already in service.
By Elinor Glynn
Published 8th Jun 2022, 15:49 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2022, 15:52 BST
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These orders include 138 zero emission buses for use in both Belfast and Derry.

The first 100 zero emission buses started entering the Belfast Metro service in March and the remainder of those will all be in service by the end of this month.

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The buses for Foyle Metro will start to enter service in Spring 2023.

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd pictured with Wrightbus MD Neil Collins on a tour of the Wrightbus factoryInfrastructure Minister John O’Dowd pictured with Wrightbus MD Neil Collins on a tour of the Wrightbus factory
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd pictured with Wrightbus MD Neil Collins on a tour of the Wrightbus factory

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd visited Wrightbus this week to tour the factory and hear about the technologies used in delivering zero-emission buses.

He said: “This is an exciting time for public transport as we continue the move towards decarbonising the Translink fleet to deliver greener transport to help tackle the climate crisis. The technologies developed by Wrightbus are at the forefront of this and I am delighted to have had the opportunity today to see their expertise at first hand and meet with some of the staff delivering this important work.

“Many of the 100 new zero emission buses are already in passenger service across Belfast. When the remainder are delivered Translink will have the fourth largest fleet across these islands of zero emission buses. In addition, Wrightbus is also working on 38 new zero-emission battery electric buses for Derry. When these are ready in Spring 2023 the entire Foyle Metro fleet will be zero-emission which will have a positive impact on air quality in the city.

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“These new buses will offer the latest standards in comfort, quality and accessibility with in-seat USB chargers, WiFi and new accessibility features. With new contactless ticketing also being introduced, these developments will hopefully help more people to consider using public transport.”

Neil Collins, Managing Director of Wrightbus, said: “It was fantastic to welcome the Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd to Wrightbus headquarters and show him the world-leading work we’re doing to further enhance sustainable transport options.

“We are immensely proud that the buses we are manufacturing in Ballymena are helping to lead the way globally - and this investment from the Department demonstrates their commitment to providing more attractive and greener public transport options for service users.”

Read: Wrightbus lands German deal for hydrogen buses

Related topics:John O'DowdTranslinkBelfastDerry