'˜Ribbon cut' on new park and ride facility

Located at the junction of Corcrain Road and Northway in Portadown, in close proximity to the town’s train station, the facility now boasts an additional 347 car parking spaces, alongside CCTV systems and extended cycle storage to enhance passenger security and convenience.

Additional accessible parking spaces are also available at the entrance to Portadown Train Station.

The project, valued at £2.4 million, was completed ahead of schedule, wrapping up in late August and thus proving a useful resource school traffic as well as those from the local area attending the recent Papal visit in Dublin.

Translink Project Manager Aidan Stott said: “We’re delighted to have delivered Portadown Park and Ride site ahead of time, and the newly enhanced facility will have a major positive impact for passengers in Portadown and the surrounding area. I’d like to place on record my thanks to our contractors, Gibson Bros Ltd, for their work to ensure that this facility has now entered public use.

“The new site is an accessible, convenient and safe Park and Ride, allowing people to use bus and rail services easily and lowering the risk of traffic congestion in the town centre or elsewhere.

“The development of Park and Ride facilities, in Portadown and across Northern Ireland, is a key part of Translink’s focus in encouraging more people to make use of bus and train services in their daily routine, and it all goes a long way towards fulfilling our objective of making public transport your first choice for travel.’’

Cllr Julie Flaherty, said: “The newly completed Park and Ride site is a great asset to Portadown and the surrounding area, and will be a huge boost to public transport users locally. I welcome this significant investment.”