Translink cuts proposed under budget pressure show the UK Treasury needs to “get real” about Northern Ireland’s funding, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has told MLAs.
The Sinn Féin minister was answering Assembly Questions at Stormont on Tuesday 13 October, when she was pressed on cost-saving measures that Translink put out to public consultation, citing significant financial pressures.
Where things stand
Ms Kimmins said the consultation has now closed and that Translink is weighing up the responses. She said she expects the company to give them full consideration, and that she met trade union representatives last week, acknowledging deep concern about what the cuts would mean if implemented.
Proposals reported to have been in the consultation include removing a number of late-evening bus and rail services, ending off-peak return fares and reducing concessions for young people.
Budget stand-off
The minister linked the proposals directly to the absence of an agreed Executive budget, saying: “These are the types of cuts that could come from the budget settlement that is being offered to us at present.”
She pointed to talk in Westminster of capping fares at £2, saying: “We want to do more of that, but we need a budget that will enable us to do that in a sustainable way.”
“They need to understand the impacts of the decisions that they’re taking in Westminster for people here, people who deserve much better than what they have,” she added.
What’s next
No decision has been announced on which measures, if any, Translink will adopt. For now, services run as normal; if you rely on buses and trains for trips out of the city, our guide to day trips from Belfast without a car sets out the current options.
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