Issues such as overcrowding and lack of capacity at peak times, particularly on the Lisburn-Belfast line, as well as inconvenient and often uncommunicated delays are among the problems recently raised with him.

Mr Honeyford has said: “This is affecting commuters from Lisburn and Moira, but also from Lurgan and beyond.

“Since the opening of Belfast Grand Central station, passengers have been experiencing massive overcrowding and delays on their commute. The station is supposed to operate on a hub-and-spoke basis, but if the incoming trains are delayed then people will miss those connections.

“Also, platforms have been extended to allow for six-carriage trains, but I’m hearing from constituents that there are now more three-carriage trains than previously, which simply isn’t enough to meet demand.

“Since I first raised these issues personally I have been inundated with messages from people across my constituency who have been impacted by similar problems. It’s particularly concerning to hear reports that healthcare workers at the City Hospital are missing connecting trains and are ending up late for work, as well as schoolchildren also being affected.

“Whilst I’m glad to hear from Translink that they are now looking at procuring additional carriages, this really should have been considered alongside the building of the new station, rather than afterwards.

“Alliance is a consistently strong and vocal advocate for public transport, and we want to see even more people availing of our train network where possible. For this to happen though, the service has to be efficient, comfortable and on-time, and we will continue engaging with Translink and the Department for Infrastructure on this.”