Belfast Central railway station
Encyclopedia
Belfast Central is a railway station serving the city of Belfast
in County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. It is one of the four stations located in Belfast City Centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital
and Botanic
.
Located on East Bridge Street in the city, Central is the northern terminus of the cross border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly
, which runs every two hours. As well as this service, Central is also served by Northern Ireland Railways
, which operates routes to other locations in Northern Ireland, including Derry
, Bangor
, Portadown
and Larne
.
Regular services also operate between Central and the city's other main station: Great Victoria Street
. Intending passengers travelling to and from Central are at present, upon presentation of a valid rail ticket, permitted to travel at no cost on Belfast's Metro
service to the city centre.
Despite the name of the station, it is significantly further from Belfast city centre than Great Victoria Street station. Contrary to popular belief, Central Station is in fact so named because it is on the former trackbed of the Belfast Central Railway, which was built in the early 1870s. The station itself was opened on 26 April 1976. The first Station Manager was Mr John Johnston.
By the 1990s, it became clear that the facilities at Central were in need of upgrading. A major refurbishment programme started in 2000 and was completed in 2003.
There are two Island Platforms at Belfast Central, capable of accommodating trains up to 9 coaches long. Enterprise services are only able to serve platforms 2 and 4 due to the curvature of the track.
Platform 1 is used by southbound trains from Derry
or Portrush
on their way to Great Victoria Street
. Platform 2 tends to be used for Enterpise services to Dublin
. Platform 3 is a bi-directional platform used for northbound trains heading to Derry, Portrush and Bangor
, and by trains coming from Bangor on route to Portadown
via Great Victoria Street and Platform 4 is used for trains terminating off the Larne Line.
to Portadown
, with some trains continuing on to Newry
. During peak times there are up to 6 trains per hour operating to Bangor with 3 being express services and the other half being slow services stopping at all stations between here and Bangor. The service is reduced to hourly operation in the evenings. Some early morning trains in either direction will terminate at or start from Great Victoria Street
rather than continuing on through Belfast to the respective outlying terminus.
On Sundays, the service is hourly operating between Bangor and Portadown. There are no local services calling at stations between Portadown and Newry on Sundays.
. One train per hour continues on to Larne Harbour
. During peak times a few more outbound services proceed to Larne however there are a small number of services terminating or starting at Whitehead
. A few extra inbound services operate to Great Victoria Street. The service is reduced to hourly operation in the evenings running between Belfast Central and Larne Harbour.
At weekends, Larne Line services do not terminate at Belfast Central. Instead, they proceed through to Great Victoria Street
. The service still calls half-hourly at Belfast Central in each direction, with the outbound terminus again alternating between Carrickfergus and Larne Harbour. On Sundays, the service still runs through to Great Victoria Street, however is reduced to operating every one and a half hours. All Sunday trains operate between Great Victoria Street and Larne Harbour.
and Great Victoria Street
. Some extra services run to and from Portrush
or Ballymena
at peak times.
On Saturdays, the service is slightly reduced, however operation remains much the same as during the week. On Sundays, there are only five trains in each direction.
and Belfast Central, with the service being reduced to five trains each way on Sundays.
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...
in County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, 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...
. It is one of the four stations located in Belfast City Centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital
City Hospital railway station
City Hospital railway station serves Belfast City Hospital and the surrounding area of south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, Botanic, and Central....
and Botanic
Botanic railway station
.Botanic railway station serves the Botanic area in south Belfast, Northern Ireland and students for Queen's University Belfast. It is named after the nearby Belfast Botanic Gardens...
.
Located on East Bridge Street in the city, Central is the northern terminus of the cross border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly
Dublin Connolly railway station
Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre...
, which runs every two hours. As well as this service, Central is also served by Northern Ireland Railways
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...
, which operates routes to other locations in Northern Ireland, including 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"...
, Bangor
Bangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
, Portadown
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
and Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
.
Regular services also operate between Central and the city's other main station: Great Victoria Street
Belfast 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...
. Intending passengers travelling to and from Central are at present, upon presentation of a valid rail ticket, permitted to travel at no cost on Belfast's Metro
Metro (Belfast)
Metro is the trading name for bus company Citybus in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a subsidiary of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, within the common management structure of Translink, along with Ulsterbus and Northern Ireland Railways....
service to the city centre.
Despite the name of the station, it is significantly further from Belfast city centre than Great Victoria Street station. Contrary to popular belief, Central Station is in fact so named because it is on the former trackbed of the Belfast Central Railway, which was built in the early 1870s. The station itself was opened on 26 April 1976. The first Station Manager was Mr John Johnston.
By the 1990s, it became clear that the facilities at Central were in need of upgrading. A major refurbishment programme started in 2000 and was completed in 2003.
There are two Island Platforms at Belfast Central, capable of accommodating trains up to 9 coaches long. Enterprise services are only able to serve platforms 2 and 4 due to the curvature of the track.
Platform 1 is used by southbound trains from Derry
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...
or 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...
on their way to Great Victoria Street
Belfast 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...
. Platform 2 tends to be used for Enterpise services to Dublin
Dublin Connolly railway station
Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre...
. Platform 3 is a bi-directional platform used for northbound trains heading to Derry, Portrush and Bangor
Bangor railway station, Northern Ireland
Bangor railway station is a terminal railway station which serves the town of Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland. The station was opened by the Belfast and County Down Railway on 1 May 1865 and closed to goods traffic on 24 April 1950.-Service:...
, and by trains coming from Bangor on route to Portadown
Portadown railway station
Portadown railway station serves Portadown in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The original Portadown station was sited half a mile east of the present station and opened on 12 September 1842, replacing a temporary station at Seagow that had opened the preceding year. The Portadown station was...
via Great Victoria Street and Platform 4 is used for trains terminating off the Larne Line.
Newry–Belfast–Bangor line
From Monday to Saturday, there is a half hourly service from BangorBangor railway station
Bangor railway station may refer to:*Bangor railway station, Northern Ireland*Bangor railway station...
to Portadown
Portadown railway station
Portadown railway station serves Portadown in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The original Portadown station was sited half a mile east of the present station and opened on 12 September 1842, replacing a temporary station at Seagow that had opened the preceding year. The Portadown station was...
, with some trains continuing on to Newry
Newry railway station
Newry railway station serves Newry in Northern Ireland. The station is in the northwest of the town on the Cross Border line next to the 18-arch, high Craigmore Viaduct....
. During peak times there are up to 6 trains per hour operating to Bangor with 3 being express services and the other half being slow services stopping at all stations between here and Bangor. The service is reduced to hourly operation in the evenings. Some early morning trains in either direction will terminate at or start from Great Victoria Street
Belfast 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...
rather than continuing on through Belfast to the respective outlying terminus.
On Sundays, the service is hourly operating between Bangor and Portadown. There are no local services calling at stations between Portadown and Newry on Sundays.
Larne line
On weekdays, all inbound Larne Line services terminate at Belfast Central running half hourly between CarrickfergusCarrickfergus railway station
Carrickfergus railway station serves Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. There are two more railway stations serving Carrickfergus town: Clipperstown and Downshire.Carrickfergus station opened on 1 October 1862....
. One train per hour continues on to Larne Harbour
Larne Harbour railway station
Larne Harbour railway station, Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, serves the ferry port for ferries to Cairnryan and Troon, Scotland and Fleetwood, England...
. During peak times a few more outbound services proceed to Larne however there are a small number of services terminating or starting at Whitehead
Whitehead railway station
Whitehead railway station serves Whitehead in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.The station has two platforms with a waiting room on each and the station is signalled in both directions and remains manned during commuter hours by a Senior Porter, who luckily for the commuters is a fully trained...
. A few extra inbound services operate to Great Victoria Street. The service is reduced to hourly operation in the evenings running between Belfast Central and Larne Harbour.
At weekends, Larne Line services do not terminate at Belfast Central. Instead, they proceed through to Great Victoria Street
Belfast 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...
. The service still calls half-hourly at Belfast Central in each direction, with the outbound terminus again alternating between Carrickfergus and Larne Harbour. On Sundays, the service still runs through to Great Victoria Street, however is reduced to operating every one and a half hours. All Sunday trains operate between Great Victoria Street and Larne Harbour.
Derry line
All Derry Line trains call at Belfast Central. During the week, the service runs every two hours in each direction between Londonderry WatersideLondonderry 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...
and Great Victoria Street
Belfast 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...
. Some extra services run to and from 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...
at peak times.
On Saturdays, the service is slightly reduced, however operation remains much the same as during the week. On Sundays, there are only five trains in each direction.
Dublin line
There is an Enterprise train service every two hours between Dublin ConnollyDublin Connolly railway station
Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre...
and Belfast Central, with the service being reduced to five trains each way on Sundays.