Tall Ships lead to travel chaos
19:24 GMT, Thursday, 13 August 2009 20:24 UK
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8199387.stm
People travelling to Belfast to see the Tall Ships have faced travel chaos on the first of their four-day stay in the city.
Organisers have estimated that almost 100,000 people have so far been to see the flotilla.
Packed trains on the Londonderry line passed through stations without stopping.
Traffic was also much heavier than normal on approach roads, as well as in and around Belfast.
Ciaran Rogan from Translink said they had "every available bus and train in service".
He said "thousands and thousands" of people had been brought to the event very successfully.
"There has been congestion on some services but this is a huge event and literally every bus and train that we have available is out on our network.
"We're just asking for a bit of patience."
Maeve Magowan wanted to catch the 1028 BST train from Ballymoney to Belfast to visit the Tall Ships with her family.
She told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme that the train arrived late, travelled very slowly towards the station and when it stopped the guard immediately shouted that no one was to board the train.
She said: "The train was absolutely bunged and they wouldn't allow anybody on the platform."
She estimated there were around 100 other people affected at the station, including lots of children.
Ms Magowan said it was very disappointing, especially as Tall Ships visitors "were urged not to bring cars and take public transport".
Colin from Marble Hill in Donegal did manage to get on a train, but he told the Talkback programme: "I'm in the last available seat - which is the toilet."
He travelled with his wife and children by train from Derry to Coleraine where passengers were transferred to a Belfast service.
However, he said it was already full and many people had to get a bus instead.
He added: "Every station we go past people aren't getting on because there's no room.
"My children are sitting on the floor with my wife.
It's very disappointing, maybe it's just outside the big smoke people aren't catered for."
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