Farrans Sacyr Joint Venture, the main contractors delivering Belfast Grand Central Station, have successfully reached 1 million hours on the main works package of the project without a health and safety incident as they passed 1,000 days since construction on the major infrastructure project began.

The new multi-modal Transport Hub was opened to the public by Translink in September 2024, replacing the existing Europa and Great Victoria Street bus and rail stations. It has provided greater capacity with an increase to 26 bus stands, 8 railway platforms, enhanced walking and cycling connectivity, greater comfort and accessibility encouraging greener, active travel for a healthier, smarter city.

Further regeneration of the area will be realised by Translink and partner developers, through the Weavers Cross, creating mixed use developments on lands around the transport hub to facilitate economic growth and urban regeneration.

The construction team has placed health and safety as their top priority since starting on site. Over 2,500 people have been inducted on to the project. There have been over 12,500 training hours, over 600 tool box talks, 7,000 daily briefings, bi-annual safety stand downs and an entrance tunnel decorated to focus on site safety and ‘getting home safe every day’.

Duane McCreadie, project director for Farrans Sacyr, said: “We are proud to have delivered 1 million hours without a RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) event on the main works package of the project and this is a credit to everyone who has come on to our site. We all have a role to play in keeping our teams safe and making sure that we all get home to our families every evening.

“To ensure a culture of safety we tried to be innovative in our approach with a focus on behaviour safety awareness initiatives, seasonal campaigns, videos and timely advice and guidance. We also wanted to focus on wellbeing and mental health with regular spin and exercise classes on site, free health screenings and weekly fruit bowls. We have two mental health first aiders on site and we welcomed charitable organisations such as Lighthouse in to present to our team.”