Translink Reviews 548

What can I say, the new grand central station with all the money spent on it has actually managed to become less efficient than what was already in place, which wasn’t that great. So if you buy a ticket online, It will be genuinely very little use, you can’t use that qr code at the barrier...that is just crazy! You need to print a ticket so one of the 6 staff standing at the barriers can look at it and press a button. Going to Dublin?? wow don't think you can just rock up and buy a ticket at the machine... that's common sense. You have to go to the customer service desk, but don't worry if you cant find it, as there are no signs, the 4-5 people at the information desk doing nothing can direct you. Then you're faced with the likelihood of there being only one person on the desk. I like to call this trans link efficient working.... if there is a chance its going to be the busiest desk, stick the least amount of people on it. But you will be told if you are in a rush rail staff can issue tickets... when you manage to track one of these elusive creatures down, you will be told they cant issue tickets and you will be sent back to the desk were a cheery happy individual will charge you over £30 to get on the train. This special ticket however will not open any barriers, you will need to carefully approach a group of staff as they will be in full conversation about how much they hate their jobs and how much they get paid to do nothing. Once you've politely interrupted them they will glance at your ticket and press a button for you to go through the disabled barrier. Here you will reach the next stage of your quest, once you get to the right platform there will be 2 guys standing chatting, one armed with a bic pen, his job is to scribble on your ticket. This secret code has been used in trans link since adam was a lad and a system I have never seen used anywhere else, We are truly special here so embrace it! Well done trans link, with all that money you spent you have managed to achieve time travel..... unfortunately, its back about 35 years! This achievement needs recognition, and I am surprised more people haven't decided to talk about it. What an experience, well done on being completely useless!

Never ever have I had a good experience on the glider.
Yesterday got on from stormont bus was packed and temperature outside bus was 23 inside the bus was awful and the windows were locked. Was warming inside the bus.No aircon! Got of the bus and ballyhack to change to another glider as was so uncomfortable. Got on another glider and it was not as busy but same heat and windows locked! No aircon! Come on translink. Joke of a company. Just pay for a taxi

Impossible to buy a ticket for Dublin Airport bus !!!! What's wrong 😡

security follows me and my friend around every time we are in belfast grand central i know it’s there job but they quite literally follow us everywhere and surround us we arent criminals we are wee girls who are trying to get the train or bus we got on the bus today and the man shouted no vaping girls we don’t even vape im ashamed too even write this i’m very upset and feel uncomfortable

By far the worst public transport I have used. What’s the point in having set times if the buses are always delayed / don’t show up / arrive too early? Constantly let down by translink.

One bus pulled off as I was approaching, the driver could clearly see me and the next one didn't bother to turn up. No wonder people drive to work in Belfast. Thank goodness I don't have to use this service too often.

At 15.49 2 elderly lady's trying to get bus at Donegal street belfast to Monkstown 2d bus .
We where a minute to wait for bus but the bus was there and I left without us he didn't even check we where there

The bus driver was so rude and ignorant all because i asked if the bus was going back to town ? i paid for a ticket i should be allowed on the bus as much as i want? he kept giving me dirty looks and just being so rude and im only a child too no person should have to deal with that

I tried to plan Journey from Aldergrove to Omagh. So you need to take line 300 than change at grand central station to 273. But you only can book online tickets for line 300. It says that 273 can only be sent by post within 5 days? When my journey is due in 2 days? What is the use of this website? Chat bot is also crap, basically tells you the timetable, cant even advise you on tickets price saying it encountered an IT related problem, lol. And I thought that BusEireann services are terrible.

Partner and I had a two hour journey on the Connolly to grand central train to connect us to the Derry line. The Connolly train was 8 minutes late, we ran across the platforms and the doors of the connecting train locked infront of us. There was no reason they could have not waited 5 minutes for passengers to swap over. Especially considering the trains are usually delayed on canceled due to a conductor needing to sneeze. There were about 30 other people who also had the same issue, this lead to an extra hour long wait benign added to our already 4 hour journey, with no compensation. They’ll threaten up to £1000 fines if you dare to not buy a ticket but yet they’ll offer no compensation or refunds in the case of delayed or cancelled trains. Absolute joke of a company, they should be ashamed

Third world country levels of service.

On the way from Dublin Airport to Belfast we couldn’t buy return tickets for 2 adults and a junior because it exceeded their credit card limit.
On the return journey we couldn’t buy tickets in advance on the app. Called in advance only to be told they couldn’t tell us if the bus would be full. Waited in line on the day only to find out the tickets were sold out. We had to find someone to drive us at the last minute. Locals probably know all of the peculiarities of the service and the booking. This is the only weak link in the Dublin flight process. Northern Ireland should be ashamed of this.

Our journey home to Derry from Portrush was a disaster. We arrived at Coleraine train station with return ticket in hand 20 minutes before the train was supposed to arrive. We were told that there was no train available and we were thrown on a bus that was supposed to be taking us to Derry, we sat for 20 minutes then we were told to move to a different bus. We then got on this other bus which didn't have enough capacity. Some of us, me included were made to stand in the middle of this coach which had no standing handles. It created a very dangerous situation for everyone on the coach. I am beyond furious with Translink and their actions.

When you don’t feel like a criminal, the Glider works quite well. However, if you board a bus without tapping on the machine, God help you. You will be sent off the bus or fined and I found out tonight that if a machine doesn’t work, the inspectors can actually take the money from your (Oyster) card. It’s not my fault your machines don’t work properly. Not everyone is a criminal, so don’t treat us as one!

Somebody try and book a ticket from belfast to dublin airport because I found it impossible.They spent 380 million on their hub and 50p on their website it's a joke . Also why do I have to wait in Queen st for a bus to Crumlin in the rain and it's not in a good area . Why does the bus not leave from the hub as most others do.

I travel extensively throughout Europe for work, I purchase all my tickets online and the only platform that is utterly frustrating and inadequate is Translink. I can see journeys, timetables and prices but can't purchase a ticket properly.
I can travel from a remote area outside Helsinki to Belfast with all different modes of transport with no issues but can't get from Belfast to Castledawson with out jumping through hoops.
Shambles of a company with no interest in customer service or convenience.

I purchased a ticket online on 19/06/2025 to use the Enterprise service Belfast to Dublin 28/06/2025.

On arrival at the Grand Central station Belfast, the ticket office was unable to print my ticket, apparently because I did not have a QR code . All I was able to provide was a screen shot , taken at the time confirming purchase. I should have received a confirmation email from Translink with a QR code to retrieve my ticket. I did not receive this confirmation email from Translink. At Grand central station customer support, advised to search my email, spam email and trash email, all of which I did there and then. There was no confirmation email from Translink to be found anywhere in my Gmail. The station assistant advised I would be unable to travel but suggested I would receive a refund because my ticket would remain unprinted and therefore serve as evidence it had not been used.
Response from email to feedback at translink . co . uk said "We have investigated this and have found that the email was sent to your email address which was entered at time of booking" "In this instance your request was not made 80 minutes in advance of the outward journey from origin station of the train, therefore we cannot offer a refund on this occasion."
However, Translink Contact Centre can not provide me with evidence that a confirmation email was sent to my email account.
This is appauling. Translink took money for a ticket from my bank account. Translink did not provide a confirmation email. I was unable to retrieve my ticket to travel to my Dublin appointment. Translink will not issue refund.

Have tried to use glider service both last Friday evening (2 cancelled services at 5pm rush hour and 3rd one late) and now Saturday night this weekend (2 should have been by now but still waiting...). No one will notice when they go on strike because the service is already so abysmal.

Currently on the bus up to Belfast from Dublin airport. The ride is like sitting on a 20 year old washing machine with a brick inside

You made me cry
I feel like I could die
Cancelled my train
I might as well get a plane
Places to be
Just go and kill me

Train has been cancelled everyday this week causing me to miss my important meeting therefore losing my job. Now my child does not have a bed and we both have to sleep on the floor. I am currently working 3 jobs now to try and buy my daughter’s birthday present which is exhausting me. This is unacceptable.