Belfast Glider G2 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Titanic to Wellington Place (City Centre) via Catalyst
The Glider is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in in Belfast, Northern Ireland with the main trunk east-west G1 route via the city centre, and the G2 route between the city centre and Titanic Quarter. Heading back to the city centre, I took Glider G2 from Titanic with my mLink Off Peak Day Ticket from the mLink app.
Titanic Glider Bus Stop
If heading back to Belfast city centre from Titanic, cross the road to the bus stop opposite.
Bus arrival information is displayed at Titanic Glider bus stop.
Ticket machines are available at the Glider bus stop. The Glider operates like a tram with open boarding and on-board revenue protection checks. Ensure that you buy your Glider ticket before boarding the Glider bus.
A Glider Adult Single ticket costs £1.60 and a Glider Adult Day ticket costs £4.20. However, an mLink Off Peak Day Ticket valid after 9.30am from Mondays to Sundays costs only £3. So if you are considering returning to the city centre by Glider, just buy the mLink Off Peak Day Ticket from the mLink app.
The route map of the Glider network in Belfast. Note the one-way loop route in the city centre.
The timetable for Glider G2 is also displayed.
With the long wait time, I decided to take Glider G2 from the bus stop at SS Nomadic instead, since it will be the same bus looping around.
Bus arrival information is displayed at Titanic Glider bus stop.
The timetable for Glider G2 is displayed.
The arriving Glider G2 with most passengers alighting.
The Glider bus has almost level boarding with the kerb. Boarding the Glider is straightforward – just step on with a valid ticket.
The Glider operates with 18m-long Van Hool ExquiCity articulated buses. There is a mix of open spaces, longitudinal, and transverse seats on board, making it feel more like a tram instead.
Passing by Titanic Studios.
Catalyst Inc is the last stop on the Glider B2 line. However, passengers are allowed to stay on board as the bus loops.
Looping at the road end of Queens Road.
Passing by the Harland & Wolff shipyard’s iconic Samson and Goliath twin shipbuilding gantry cranes.
Arriving back at Titanic.
Picking up passengers who had been waiting at Titanic. The Glider G2 route operates at a low frequency during most times, around every half an hour. More services are aded during weekday peak periods, though still not as frequent as the main G1 line.
Crossing the Queen’s Bridge over the River Lagan.
Passing by the Nuala with the Hula sculpture along the River Lagan.
Turning on to Oxford Street.
The on-board route information states May Street (City Hall) as the last stop of Glider G2. However, this is not exactly true as the Glider G2 loops around the city centre on the one-way road layout, and the route map indicates this loop as well.
The information screen seems to re-loop at this point.
As expected, no one was chased off the bus, and the next stop was indeed Wellington Place.
Turning on to Wellington Place at Henry Cooke Monument.
Wellington Place (City Centre) Glider Bus Stop
My Glider G2 bus ride from Titanic to Wellington Place (City Centre) via Catalyst took 19 minutes, including the joyride loop around the end of Queens Road.
The Glider G2 regulates here before departing at the scheduled time.
Belfast City Hall is just adjacent from the Wellington Place Glider Bus Stop, so this provides a good focal point on where you are in Belfast city centre.