Bus & rail facilities across NI compete in 2025 SPIRIT of Translink Awards

Bridgeen Torrens, Duty Lead, Translink, Eric Randall, Chief Executive, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive, Translink and Luke Carter, Customer Support Advisor, Translink  

Ballymena and 36 other transport facilities prepare to showcase sustainability, safety, and community excellence

Translink, in partnership with Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful (KNIB), has officially launched the 2025 SPIRIT of Translink Facility Awards, with 37 bus and rail stations across Northern Ireland—including Ballymena Bus and Train Station—gearing up to compete for top honours in environmental performance, safety standards, and community engagement.

The awards programme, now a staple in Translink’s annual calendar, celebrates the hard work and innovation of staff who go above and beyond to create welcoming, sustainable, and safe transport environments for passengers and colleagues alike.

Driving continuous improvement

Designed to foster a culture of continuous improvement, the SPIRIT of Translink Awards recognise excellence across several critical areas, including:

• Resource efficiency and waste reduction

• Energy and carbon management

• Biodiversity and green spaces

• Health and wellbeing initiatives

• Community and stakeholder engagement

• Leadership and workplace culture

Facilities are assessed by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, an independent charity focused on environmental sustainability, and awarded according to their performance against these benchmarks.

Leading the transformation of public transport

Eric Randall, Chief Executive, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive, Translink 

Launching this year’s awards, Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive of Translink, said:

“We’re committed to leading the transformation of transport in Northern Ireland and keeping everyone Better. Connected. Our people and facilities play a crucial role in achieving this every day.

“The SPIRIT of Translink Awards inspire colleagues across the business to make things even better for everyone that uses our services and works at our stations and I’d like to wish everyone good luck in this year’s awards.

“Embracing four key themes around Safety, Environment, Health and Community, staff create a positive culture and display a real sense of pride in their workplace. This enhances overall journey experience and drives more people to use public transport as their first choice for travel, today for tomorrow.

“Attractive facilities also play an important role in overall visitor experience. During the summer especially, we welcome customers from across the world and would encourage everyone to use bus and rail services plus good value tickets to enjoy all that Northern Ireland has to offer – find out more at Days Out | Translink.”

Recognising sustainability and stewardship

Eric Randall, Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, added:

“These annual awards reflect Translink’s commitment to environmental stewardship; employee and passenger experience; and community engagement. Last year’s SPIRIT awards saw 36 facilities awarded, with 14 facilities achieving the highest status, Platinum.

“It’s crucially important that best practice in these areas is recognised and celebrated – we look forward to getting the 2025 awards underway.”

With growing interest in sustainable travel and climate-conscious commuting, the SPIRIT of Translink Awards aim not only to enhance the experience for regular commuters but also to align with global sustainable development goals.

The winners will be announced in September 2025, following rigorous site assessments.