NEWS

Staff at Ballymena Station are celebrating after winning a Gold SPIRIT of Translink Facility Award 2026. Celebrating the Gold Award at Ballymena Bus Station are (L-R): Enda Sheridan (Translink), Christopher Allen (Translink), Anna Green (Live Here Love Here) Thursday 08 October 2026 Ballymena’s bus and railway stations have both earned Gold recognition in the 2026 SPIRIT of Translink Facility Awards, celebrating the work of staff to maintain safe, environmentally responsible

Sozopol old town on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria Thursday 08 October 2026 Northern Ireland holidaymakers can now book their summer 2028 getaways, with Jet2 launching flights and holidays to 21 destinations from Belfast International Airport – including a brand-new direct route to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. The airline and tour operator has released more than 618,000 seats for summer 2028, with up to 56 departing flights each week during peak periods, giving families and c

Krakow, Poland, Main Market square in the winter season, during Christmas fairs decorated with Christmas tree. Sunday 04 October 2026 Northern Ireland travellers can now book Christmas market flights from Belfast International Airport to Krakow and Vienna for the 2027 festive season. Jet2 has released almost 6,000 seats across the two routes for Winter 2027/28, with both destinations served twice a week in the run-up to Christmas. Two festive destinations Flights to Krakow an

Tuesday 29 September 2026 Travellers heading to Belfast International Airport are being urged to allow extra journey time as an £816,000 resurfacing scheme brings overnight closures to one of its approach roads. Work has started on approximately two kilometres of the A57 Ballyrobin Road at Killead, between the A26 Killead Roundabout and the Airport Roundabout. The affected stretch links the A26 with the airport, forming part of the approach for traffic coming through Templepa

Sunday 27 September 2026 A yellow weather warning has come into force across most of Northern Ireland this morning, with heavy rain expected to bring difficult travelling conditions in places. The Met Office warning is in force from 8.30am until 2pm today, Sunday 27 September, and covers every county except Fermanagh. Up to 40mm possible in a few hours Rain is expected to become heavy at times during the morning, with some locations potentially receiving between 20mm and 40mm

Thursday 24 September 2026 Holidaymakers planning ahead for summer 2027 have 18 new easyJet routes to choose from, including new connections to Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Montenegro, Germany and Bulgaria. The airline has put the new flights on sale from 10 UK airports, with fares starting from £35.48 and package holidays also available across every destination announced. New destination joins easyJet network Among the biggest additions is Girona, which easyJet will

Monday 21 September 2026 Ryanair has demanded the immediate resignation of NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe as a fresh air traffic control technical failure causes flight disruption at both Belfast International and Belfast City airports. The airline says more than 25,000 of its passengers are expected to be disrupted, with over 140 Ryanair flights delayed, and has called on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to remove Mr Rolfe if he does not step down voluntarily. The disr

Aerial view of Ballymena Park & Ride, located adjacent to Translink’s Bus & Rail Centre Friday 18 September 2026 Ballymena is to receive more than £2 million in new funding towards the major expansion of its Park and Ride facility, increasing capacity from 222 spaces to more than 600. The £2.05 million allocation has been confirmed by Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins as part of £3.25 million in Local Growth Fund Capital being directed towards transport and connectivity pro

Thursday 17 September 2026 Passengers travelling between Derry–Londonderry and Coleraine face replacement buses over the next two weekends and both following Mondays as essential railway maintenance takes place. Early morning trains on the two following Tuesdays will also be affected. Translink is urging passengers to allow extra journey time and check services before setting off. For Ballymena passengers, trains on the Coleraine–Belfast Grand Central route will continue to o

Ballydunmaul Flute Band Wednesday 16 September 2026 Drivers are being urged to allow extra time or use an alternative route through Randalstown on Saturday evening, 19 September, with traffic disruption expected during Ballydunmaul Flute Band’s parade. Police have advised road users to expect delays in and around the town between 8pm and 10pm as participants and spectators gather for the event. The parade will leave Shane’s Terrace at 8pm and is expected to finish at the same

The first Wrightbus ultra low-emission buses are hitting the streets of Liverpool as part of a £150 million investment in a new 560-strong fleet. Ballymena-built buses are beginning to arrive on the streets of Liverpool as part of a major £150 million investment in a new public transport fleet. Many of the 560 new ultra low-emission buses being introduced across the Liverpool City Region have been manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland, providing another significant or

The Education Authority has agreed to accept a number of school taxi bids it considers excessively expensive to ensure children can continue getting to and from school — but has warned some families could ultimately be offered payments to make alternative transport arrangements themselves. The decision follows a major tendering exercise involving more than 1,200 school taxi runs ahead of the new academic year. The EA says early analysis shows tendered mileage rates have falle

Councillor Tyler Hoey, Chairman of Mid &East Antrim Policing and Community Safety partnership is pictured with Elena Brewer, Training Officer at ASCERT; Sergeant Wickham-Thomas, Neighbourhood Policing Officer, PSNI; Christina Li, ASCERT and Colin Robinson, Training Services Manager at ASCERT. A new free training programme aimed at helping bar, restaurant, club and off-licence staff deal confidently with alcohol-related risks is being rolled out across Mid and East Antrim this

Passengers are being urged to check their journey before travelling from Tuesday as changes to a number of bus timetables come into effect with the return of schools across Northern Ireland. Translink has advised customers using Ulsterbus, Metro and Glider services, as well as Goldliner routes, that some timetables will change from Tuesday 1 September as services move back to school-term arrangements. Check before you travel The changes mean passengers who have become accusto

A yellow weather warning is in force across Northern Ireland today as forecasters warn heavy and thundery showers could bring flooding, travel disruption, lightning and hail. The Met Office warning takes effect from 11am on Sunday 30 August, with conditions expected to deteriorate as widespread showers develop later this morning and continue through the afternoon and evening. The latest Met Office warning currently shows the yellow thunderstorm warning remaining in force unti

Families across Northern Ireland are being urged to check school travel arrangements now, with more than 60,000 pupils expected to use bus and rail services each day when school services return from Tuesday 1 September. Translink says the beginning of the new school year is one of the busiest periods on the public transport network and is advising pupils and parents to check timetables in advance, allow extra time during the first few weeks and make sure pupil Smartpasses are

Motorists in Ballymena and Larne are being warned to expect delays this Saturday as thousands of Royal Black Institution members and supporters take part in the annual Last Saturday demonstrations. Around 5,000 participants, 76 preceptories and 71 bands are expected at the main County Antrim demonstration in Larne on Saturday 29 August, with up to 10,000 spectators anticipated. For Ballymena residents, the impact will begin much closer to home. A number of feeder and return p

Northern Ireland holidaymakers looking to squeeze in a late-summer getaway have been given some inspiration, with Porto named among Ryanair’s three top UK destinations for summer 2026 — and it can be reached directly from Belfast. The Portuguese city joins Bergerac in France and Pula in Croatia in the airline’s top three, revealed on Wednesday 26 August as the main summer holiday season draws towards a close. For travellers from Ballymena and across Northern Ireland, Porto is

Drivers could be banned from overtaking school buses on single-carriageway roads where the national 60mph speed limit applies, under proposed new legislation aimed at protecting children as they get on and off buses. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has confirmed she has selected the Department for Infrastructure’s preferred legislative approach following consultation, with plans to bring the proposal to the Northern Ireland Executive before potentially introducing legisla

Paul Savage (left) with Christian Reynolds in front of the 80th anniversary mural. Wrightbus is asking generations of workers, passengers and bus enthusiasts to help recover eight decades of its history after significant archive material was lost before the Ballymena manufacturer was rescued from administration in 2019. As the company marks its 80th anniversary, it has launched a public appeal for photographs, stories and personal memories that can help rebuild a record stret