Belfast-Derry railway line
Encyclopedia
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The Belfast–Derry railway line (known as the Derry Line or Londonderry Line) runs from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. This line is composed of mainly single track from just below Mossley West station up to Londonderry Station with passing points at Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Castlerock.
Services
On the weekday timetable (Monday - Friday) services run every two hours between Great Victoria StreetBelfast Great Victoria Street railway station
Belfast Great Victoria Street is a major railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with , and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Belfast Central, and . It is near Great Victoria...
and Londonderry Waterside
Londonderry railway station
Londonderry/Derry Railway Station, known commonly as Waterside Railway Station, serves the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. The station is also used by residents of the west of County Londonderry, much of west Tyrone and County Donegal. It is operated by Northern Ireland Railways...
during off peak hours. During Peak Hours there are extra services which start or end at either Portrush
Portrush railway station
Portrush railway station is the terminus of the Northern Ireland Railways Coleraine-Portrush line serving the seaside town of Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.-History:The station, which is 67¾ miles from Belfast, was opened on 4 December 1855...
or Ballymena
Ballymena railway station
Ballymena railway station serves the Ballymena area in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located just outside of Ballymena town centre on the Galgorm Road, and is integrated with the local bus station. It is situated on the Derry line between Antrim and Cullybackey...
. The Saturday timetable is slightly reduced but services still operate every two hours. On Sundays there are 5 trains in each direction.
Although Whiteabbey
Whiteabbey railway station
Whiteabbey railway station serves Whiteabbey in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. The station opened on 11 April 1848. It is the first station outside Belfast on the Larne Line....
station lies on this line there are only two weekday morning inbound services from Portrush stopping there. There are no other services calling at Whiteabbey as it is served by Larne line services.
Before 2001 when the Bleach Green line reopened services used to operate via Crumlin, Glenavy
Glenavy railway station
Glenavy railway station served Glenavy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The station is currently closed to passengers.The station was built for the Dublin and Antrim Junction Railway and opened on 13 November 1871. Translink withdrew passenger services from the line when it reopened the more...
, Ballinderry
Ballinderry railway station
Ballinderry railway station served Upper Ballinderry in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is currently closed to passengers.The station was built for the Dublin and Antrim Junction Railway and opened on 13 November 1871. Translink withdrew passenger services from the line when it reopened the...
and Lisburn
Lisburn railway station
Lisburn railway station serves the city of Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The station was opened on 12 August 1839. It has been renovated, with a new waiting area on platform 1, new toilets and vending machines. addition, on platforms 2 and 3, a coffee shop operates on weekday...
. The reopening of the Bleach Green line had resulted in shorter journeys between Belfast and Derry. Up until 2003 there was a skeleton service on the Lisburn-Antrim line but afterwards the line and its stations were closed down and the route is only used for driver training and emergency diversions.
Future
In August 2011 it was planned that services on the Coleraine to Derry section were going to be reduced to five weekday services in each direction in order to carry out safety improvement works in 2012. A refurbishment of the line was due to commence in April 2012 but the £75 million was not available. This however lead to opposition from supporters of the section as they feared that the line would be permanently closed down.In Early October 2011 after years of frustration Department for Regional Development
Department for Regional Development
The Department for Regional Development is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
minister Danny Kennedy relocated funding from the A5 dualling project to the railway upgrade project allowing a 3 phase upgrade to begin in July 2012.
Phase 1 will see the line close for 9 months to completely relay two sections (Coleraine to Castlerock and Eglington to Derry) of the route and extend the life of the remaining part by re-railing from jointed track to CWR, elimination of wet spots and essential bridge repairs. The line will reopen in time for the City of Culture year allowing 8 return services on the line per day.
Phase 2 will begin in 2014/15 comprising the addition of a passing loop and resignalling the route. Phase 2 will see the signal cabins in Castlerock and Derry close down centralising the signalling from Coleraine and deliver an hourly service from Derry to Belfast.
Phase 3 will include the complete relay between Castlerock and Eglington in 2021 delivering a half hourly service.
Other future plans for the Derry line include the reinstatement of the double line from Antrim to Ballymena and the doubling of the track from Monkstown to Templepatrick.