Irish language signs point to the correct direction of travel at Grand Central Station - The Irish News view

Grand Central Station in Belfast has been a significant addition to the travel and tourism infrastructure of Ireland, north and south, since it opened last year at a cost of £350m.

It is the largest integrated transport facility on either side of the border, and its train and bus services are designed to cope with up to 20 million journeys annually, with the hourly link to Dublin a particularly welcome expansion.

There were inevitably more than a few teething difficulties at the massive centre, with concerns expressed about the initial shortage of adjacent public car parking, the limited access for taxis and the absence of any cycle racks.

Translink acknowledged all these issues from the start, saying it was engaged on finalising solutions and would also be addressing the lack of Irish language signage.

It was confirmed earlier this week that the bilingual upgrade, including messaging across the station and on ticket vending machines, would proceed at a cost of around £150,000, representing less than 0.05% of the overall cost of the project,

While this is certainly money well spent, it can be expected that the bill would have been even lower if the work had been completed as it should have been during the original construction stage.

It was depressing to hear the kneejerk response from some unionist voices, with one suggesting that the resources should instead have been diverted towards improving roads, although no estimate was offered over the range of new routes which might be built within a budget of £150,000.

Another claimed the move was “divisive”, and attempted to have it referred for further consideration by the Stormont executive, while there were even proposals that the High Court should be asked to intervene.

Bilingual signs are of course already commonplace across Scotland and Wales, and it is genuinely difficult to understand why the unionist representatives should be so appalled by a similar approach at the Belfast transport hub.

The Irish language is open to everyone, with an increasing number of people from the Protestant and unionist tradition taking an active interest in its use and in many cases becoming enthusiastic speakers.

If some of those who have been so exercised about bilingual policies were to study placenames in their own areas, they might possibly develop a better understanding of the way in which the Irish language has always helped to shape our society.

We are hopefully on our way towards the stage when all cultures are equally respected, and the revised signage at Grand Central Station represents another small step in the right direction.