Northern Ireland

Special transport plans for golf fans travelling to The Open

There will be no public parking in the vicinity of Portrush Golf Club during The Open. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
There will be no public parking in the vicinity of Portrush Golf Club during The Open. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin There will be no public parking in the vicinity of Portrush Golf Club during The Open. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

SPECIAL transport plans will be in place for golf fans travelling to The Open in Portrush.

With tens of thousands of visitors expected to descend on the Causeway Coast, people are encouraged to plan their travel in advance and leave extra time for journeys.

Public transport will be significantly increased during the week of The 148th Open from July 15 to 21.

Fans attending the tournament at Royal Portrush can avail of an increased number of trains and buses for the week of the Championship.

A range of bus, coach and train options services will be on offer.

Translink say regular train services from Belfast to Portrush will operate with enhanced capacity plus additional early morning trains from Belfast.

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There will also be additional evening services from Portrush and Coleraine.

Passengers coming from Belfast can also travel direct to Portrush without changing trains.

There will be an hourly train service and enhanced capacity from Derry to Coleraine plus extra early morning services and a Portrush bus connection.

There will also be additional coach services operating directly between Belfast and Portrush. Special day return coaches will operate between the Europa Buscentre and the Co Antrim town.

Spectators can also choose the Goldline 218 coach service from Belfast or 234 service from Derry to Coleraine with onward Portrush bus connection.

Local Ulsterbus 140 services travelling between Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart will also be enhanced and stop at major caravan/camping sites along the route.

An additional morning and evening service will also operate on both Ulsterbus 402 between Coleraine, Portrush and Ballycastle and Ulsterbus 134 between Coleraine and Limavady.

For those driving to the Open Championship, there will be restrictions on road usage and parking will be enforced near the site.

There will be no public parking in the vicinity of the club, but there will be a paid park-and-ride facility with shuttle buses to and from the course.

PSNI Superintendent John Magill has said a large amount of planning had gone into the traffic and transport arrangements.

"We would encourage everyone attending to familiarise themselves with the various options available ahead of time," he said.

"The policing operation is very much about supporting our partners to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time."