Metro £2 fare extension to boost City retailers

Translink has announced the extension of its special Love Metro Saturdays £2 Metro Day Ticket to include this Thursday 20th and Friday 21st December 2012 to encourage as many people as possible to travel to Belfast City Centre on the last few shopping days until Christmas.

Commenting on the fare extension Catherine Mason, Translink Group Chief Executive said: “This great value £2 Saturday day ticket has proven very popular with our customers; so with only a few more days left before Christmas for shopping or socialising, we are pleased to make it available this Thursday, Friday and Saturday to make it as easy as possible for people to support city retailers on the final run into the festive period. 

“Metro services operate every 5-10mins on all 12 key corridors up until around 9pm every evening, and on average every half hour after 9pm, some as late as 11pm. With quality buses and great value fares Metro services are hassle free, flexible and cost effective - why waste time and money bringing the car and looking for somewhere to park.

“With many cash strapped consumers eager to make their money go further and with many sales already underway in the City, we are encouraging more people to choose  Metro bus travel and catch themselves a real bargain!

“We also know from recent independent research that Metro customers are contributing significantly to the local economy with an average spend of £35 per visit so by extending our Love Metro Saturdays offer we hope to provide a welcome boost to retailers this Thursday and Friday.

Welcoming the announcement is Joe Jordan, President of the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce; “This is a fantastic gift from Translink and is appreciated by the Belfast traders.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Translink for their continuing support for the city centre, I would encourage everyone who travels by public transport to take full advantage of this offer and, who knows, you may even be fortunate enough to be approached by one of our city angels who will offer to pay for your shopping.”

Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) added; “NIIRTA welcomes this extension as every day of trading is vital to City Centre traders in these challenging times. I would encourage shoppers to take advantage of this and enjoy the fantastic Belfast City Centre retail offering"

Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau, also welcomed the move, which he said would help to generate additional support for the local economy. “Affordable travel and easy access to the city are vitally important to ensure that everyone can enjoy what’s great about Belfast – the best shops, big brand names, independent boutiques, world famous attractions and events, fantastic entertainment and the widest choice of restaurants, cafés and bars.

“With less than a week left to go until Christmas, this initiative is welcomed to encourage footfall at this critical time for businesses.  It’s also a great offer for thousands of individuals and families who still have plenty of shopping to do, who still want to enjoy a festive meal out together or who want to visit one of the many special Christmas performances or experiences available at venues such as the MAC, the Belfast Waterfront and Titanic Belfast. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a trip to the city and I hope everyone will take advantage of this special promotion.”

For full details of Translink offers visit www.translink.co.uk or call the Translink contact centre on 028 9066 6630

Notes to the Editor

The £2 Metro Day Ticket (£1 child) offers unlimited Metro journeys after 9.30am and was originally scheduled to be available each Saturday until 5th January; however the great value offer will now also be available Thursday 20th and Friday 21st December 2012.

Additional offers available for the Christmas Period include:

• Expanded Park and Ride Services for Belfast, Lisburn, Newry and Londonderry. Park and Ride services will operate on each evening when there is late night shopping and all day on Saturdays with the last service leaving the city centre 30 minutes after the shops close.  These services will operate between Monday 19th November and Saturday 22nd December.

• Free Park and Ride Services after 4.30pm on weekdays and all day each Saturday. During the five weeks, all the Park and Ride services listed above will provide free parking and bus travel for people travelling into the city after 4.30 pm on the weekdays when late night shopping is in place and all day each Saturday. 

• Goldline 1/3 Off1/3 Off Day Return tickets to and from Belfast (in either direction) Monday – Sunday after 9.30am on selected Goldline services.

• NI Railways 1/3 off1/3 off day return tickets after 9.30am, with free Wifi on board

• Enhanced Rail CapacityFrom 19th November the majority of train services operating between Belfast and Coleraine will be increased from three-carriage to six-carriage services.

• Additional late night Christmas shopping trainFrom Saturday 3rd December an additional late night Christmas shopping train will be introduced from Great Victoria Street Station to Coleraine, departing Belfast at 22:08 (Monday to Saturday). This service will operate until Saturday 22 December.

• Family and Friends TicketUnlimited bus and rail travel available every Saturday and Sunday and available every day from Saturday 22nd December 2012 to Sunday 6th January 2013 inclusive

• Bus Rambler TicketAvailable every Sunday and also available everyday from Saturday 22nd December 2012 to Sunday 6th January 2013 inclusive.  This ticket offers passengers one day of unlimited travel on all Ulsterbus, Goldline and Metro services after 9.15am.

• Metro Family Day TicketAvailable every day from Saturday 22nd December to Sunday 6th January inclusive. A Family Day Ticket allows unlimited travel for up to 2 adults and 4 children (minimum 1 adult + 1 child) anywhere, any time on all Metro services for one day

• Love Metro SaturdaysThe special £2 Metro Day Ticket, which provides unlimited travel on Metro services each Saturday after 9.30am, has been extended to run until Saturday 5 January 2013 inclusive.

• DV8 Promotion Translink have teamed up with retail chain DV8 to offer 15% off during the festive period.  The discount is currently running until Christmas Eve