Translink warns that budget cuts must be reversed or the public transport system across Northern Ireland could be decimated.
Significant budget cuts were made across the Department for Infrastructure in 2015/2016, including slashing Translink's budget for running the NI public transport network. The cuts were expeted to be lifted eventually and Translink has kept services running by spending its reserves, but the budget was never restored.
The Department for Infrastructure warned of this problem in its most recent annual report back in July 2019, which concluded that the annual shortfall in Translink's budget was placing its services at risk of failure. The company has relied on unplanned in-year budgetary contributions to stay afloat throughout 2018 and 2019, but has nevertheless burned through its reserves.
The Department for Infrastructure's deputy secretary John McGrath recently appeared in the NI Assembly to address MLAs on the issue, explaining that Translink will reach a deficit of around £28m by the end of the year if no further funding is allocated. "I doubt there are the savings there to balance the books and yet run the network," he suggested.
Translink has seen rapid passenger growth across its services, reaching a 20-year record high in public transport use. If plans to pursue more environmentally friendly public transport are to go ahead, the company has stated that a further £3bn investment over 10 years would be required in addition to current commitments.
A recent Economic Impact Report by Grant Thornton and commissioned by Translink investigated the performance of investment in public transport, and found that its services generate around £4 in the wider economy for every £1 invested. Around 22% of NI households surveyed were found to have no access to a car and relied solely on public transport, with 53% of respondents agreeing that public transport was important for accessing employment opportunities in Northern Ireland.
Source: BBC News, Belfast Telegraph
