£1.8m investment in new Londonderry-bound coaches

The £1.8m investment in Translink’s flagship Goldline coach service 212 operating between the Maiden City and Belfast and the 274 to Dublin is part of a wider Goldline enhanced service that will see 87 new coaches go into passenger service across Northern Ireland by early 2013.

Local customers will enjoy key benefits from additional legroom, leather seating and free WiFi making coach travel even more attractive.

Western Area Manager, Simon Corrigan said: “The popularity of our flagship Goldline coach services has been increasing year on year* and we are confident that the introduction of the new coaches on the Derry~Londonderry route will make the 212 and the 274 services even more popular.

“Our engineers have worked closely with suppliers to develop these high specification vehicles. The new features include more spacious legroom, comfy leather seating and double glazed windows to ensure a quieter travel experience and better temperature control, these improvements will help to further enhance the overall travel experience and comfort for our customers.

“In addition, in a world where time is becoming increasingly precious, the free WiFi now available on board most services is already being well-received as it allows commuters the opportunity to relax and browse the net or to get on with some work, making better use of their time.

“With more new coaches due to be delivered this autumn, we are looking forward to rolling this WiFi facility out across the Goldline fleet early 2013

“A further feature of the new coaches is that they are wheelchair accessible which was an extremely important element of our planning.”

Speaking about the savings that can be made by travelling by bus rather than car Simon continued: “We want to make travel as hassle-free as possible by providing attractive, convenient and affordable services for passengers.

“We recently launched a new Goldline GX212 service departing Foyle Street Bus Station at 6.10am and returning from Belfast Europa Buscentre at 5.45pm, Monday to Friday. This new and a more direct service has been growing steadily over recent weeks as more customers see the benefit of travelling by coach compared to commuting by private car.

“Based on the regular ilink fare, commuters stand to save as much as £383.20 per month travelling from city to city against travelling by car.

“Our coaches also take advantage of bus lanes approaching Belfast so customers avoid sitting in queues of traffic congestion during rush hour.

“We hope more people will choose the comfort, convenience and cost-savings to be enjoyed with the brand new Goldline offering taking the stress out of their commute.” Simon concluded.