Dublin-Belfast corridor
The Dublin-Belfast corridor (population 3 million) is a term used to loosely describe a geographical area that encompasses the cities of Dublin and Belfast and the area between.[1] The term has been used in papers regarding planning strategies in the area, with the aim of capitalising on the expanding economies of both cities.[2]
Economy
The main economic engines of the region are Greater Dublin and Greater Belfast. Greater Dublin produces approximately €85 billion (2012) while Greater Belfast produces €14.5 billion/£11.5 billion (2005).
Third level institutions
- University of Ulster - 27,500
- Queen's University Belfast - 25,000
- University College Dublin - 27,000
- Dublin Institute of Technology - 22,000
- Trinity College Dublin - 15,000
- Dublin City University - 10,000
- Dublin Business School - 9,000
- National University of Ireland, Maynooth - 8,000
- Dundalk Institute of Technology - 5,000+
Infrastructure
The main route linking the two cities is along the M1 and N1 in the Republic of Ireland and the A1 and M1 in Northern Ireland.
There is also the Enterprise (train) service connecting the two city regions.
There are three major airports; Dublin Airport (25 million passengers; 2008), Belfast International Airport (5 million passengers; 2007) and Belfast City Airport (2 million passengers; 2007) which together deal with 30 million passengers each year.
- Dublin
The city is served by the Dublin Suburban Rail network, Dublin Bus network, Luas tram network, Dublin Area Rapid Transit and the planned Metro North and Metro West.
- Belfast
The city is served by the Belfast Suburban Rail network and Metro (Belfast) bus service. A rapid transport system is also planned for Belfast in the near future.
Population
Greater Dublin: 1.7m
- Dublin city - 527,162
- Tallaght - 71,504
- Blanchardstown - 68,156
- Clondalkin - 45,165
- Drogheda - 38,578
- Dundalk - 37,816
- Lucan - 37,622
- Swords - 36,924
- Naas - 32,565
- Bray - 31,872
Greater Belfast: 579,276
- Belfast city - 275,000
- Bangor - 76,388
- Lisburn city - 70,000
- Castlereagh - 65,000
- Newtownabbey - 60,000
- Carrickfergus - 30,000
Statistics
| Region | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Dublin | 1,801,000 | 6,986 km² |
| County Louth | 123,000 | 826 km² |
| Total for Republic part: | 1,924,000 | 7,812 km² |
| (Greater Belfast) | (700,000) | 960 km² |
| County Antrim | 620,000 | 3,046 km² |
| County Down | 532,000 | 2,466 km² |
| Total for Northern Irish part: | 1,152,000 | 5,512 km² |
| Grand total | 3,076,000 | 13324 km² |
City and county council areas
The city and county council areas covered by the corridor are:
Dublin capital region:
- Dublin city - 527,162
- Fingal - 273,991
- Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown - 206,061
- South Dublin - 265,205
Remainder of Greater Dublin Area
- County Wicklow - 136,640
- County Kildare - 210,312
- County Meath - 184,135
- County Louth - 123,897
- County Antrim - 618,108 (incl. Belfast city - 275,000)
- County Down - 531,665 (incl. Lisburn city - 70,000)
- County Armagh - 174,792
See also
- Economy of Dublin
- Economy of Belfast
- Cork-Limerick-Galway corridor
- Central belt Scotland (Glasgow-Edinburgh) (3.5m)
- Oresund Region
- Tricity Poland
- List of European city regions
References
- ↑ http://www.border.ie/downloads/Report%20on%20Workshop%20on%20the%20Dublin%20Belfast%20Corridor.pdf
- ↑ The Dublin-Belfast Development Corridor: Ireland's Mega-City Region? John R. Yarwood