Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station
Encyclopedia
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 Street, one of Belfast's premier commercial zones, and Sandy Row
. It is in a more central position than Belfast Central, with the Europa Hotel, Grand Opera House
and The Crown Liquor Saloon
are all nearby.
mill, where Durham Street crossed the Blackstaff River
.
The Ulster Railway
opened the first station on 12 August 1839. It was Belfast's first railway terminus, and as such was called just "Belfast" until 1852. By then two other railway companies had opened termini in Belfast, so the Ulster Railway renamed its terminus "Belfast Victoria Street" for clarity. 1852 was also the year that the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
was completed, making Victoria Street the terminus for one of the most important main lines on the island of Ireland
. The Ulster Railway had added a new station building in 1848, and changed the station name again to "Great Victoria Street" in 1856.
In 1876 the Ulster Railway became part of the Great Northern Railway
(GNR), making Great Victoria Street the terminus for a network that extended south to Dublin and west to Derry
and Bundoran
.
Express passenger traffic to and from Dublin Amiens Street
has always been Great Victoria Street's most prestigious traffic. The GNR upgraded its expresses over the decades and in 1947 introduced the Enterprise non-stop service between the two capitals. As Belfast suburbs grew, commuter traffic also grew in volume and importance for the GNR and for Great Victoria Street station.
In April 1976 Northern Ireland Railways
closed both Great Victoria Street and the terminus of the Bangor line and replaced them with a new Belfast Central station. Great Victoria Steet station was demolished and the Great Northern Tower built in its place.
The second Great Victoria Street Station was opened on 30 September 1995. It is only yards from the site of its predecessor.
s providing a total of four platform faces. Platforms 2 and 3 run the full length of the site and open onto the station's main concourse. Platforms 1 and 4 are half the length and are accessible by walking down the other platforms.
Great Victoria Street is the hub of Northern Ireland's suburban rail services, with Bangor line, Derry Line, Larne line and Newry line trains all terminating there.
in the other with extra services at peak times and the service is hourly in the evenings. On the Larne line there are a few services a day from which end here Mondays-Fridays and on Saturdays the service increases to half-hourly and on the Derry line there is a two-hourly service to with a few services to .
On Sundays the Newry-to-Bangor service runs hourly service to Bangor or Portadown. On the Larne line there is two-hourly service to Larne Harbour and on the Derry line there are five trains to Derry.
s. The opportunity is being taken to improve the infrastructure at Great Victoria Street; there are plans to reduce the curves by realigning the track, and move the buffer stops and the route from the platforms to the concourse to the other side of Durham Street. Also there are plans to add a fifth platform to the station. These plans will culminate in Enterprise services transferring from to Great Victoria Street.
. The Buscentre is the Belfast terminus for most Ulsterbus
"Goldline" services in Northern Ireland . These serve various destinations that are not on the railway network, including Enniskillen
, Omagh
and Armagh
. Also, services from the Buscentre serve both Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport
directly. Bus Éireann
also serves Europa Buscentre for its direct express service between Dublin and Belfast.
Belfast City Centre
Belfast city centre is the central business district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.The city centre was originally centred around the Donegall Street area. Donegall Street is now mainly a business area, but with expanding residential and entertainment development as part of the Cathedral Quarter...
of 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...
, 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 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 Street, one of Belfast's premier commercial zones, and Sandy Row
Sandy Row
Sandy Row is a Protestant working-class community in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It has a population of about 3,000. It is a staunchly loyalist area of Belfast, being a traditional heartland for affiliation with the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and the Orange Order.-Location:Sandy...
. It is in a more central position than Belfast Central, with the Europa Hotel, Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House (Belfast)
The Grand Opera House is a theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the period, Frank Matcham. It opened on 23 December 1895....
and The Crown Liquor Saloon
The Crown Liquor Saloon
The Crown Liquor Saloon is a public house in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Refurbished to a high standard in 1885, it is an outstanding example of a Victorian gin palace, and is one of Northern Ireland's best-known pubs.- History :...
are all nearby.
History
The station is on the site of an former linenLinen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
mill, where Durham Street crossed the Blackstaff River
Blackstaff River
Blackstaff River is a watercourse that flows along the M1 Motorway and then through a series of piped sections under Belfast, discharging into Belfast Lough....
.
The Ulster Railway
Ulster Railway
The Ulster Railway was a railway company operating in Ulster, Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway .-History:...
opened the first station on 12 August 1839. It was Belfast's first railway terminus, and as such was called just "Belfast" until 1852. By then two other railway companies had opened termini in Belfast, so the Ulster Railway renamed its terminus "Belfast Victoria Street" for clarity. 1852 was also the year that the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1845 and opened its line in stages between 1849 and 1853....
was completed, making Victoria Street the terminus for one of the most important main lines on the island of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The Ulster Railway had added a new station building in 1848, and changed the station name again to "Great Victoria Street" in 1856.
In 1876 the Ulster Railway became part of the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
(GNR), making Great Victoria Street the terminus for a network that extended south to Dublin and west 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"...
and Bundoran
Bundoran
Bundoran is a town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. The town is located on the N15 road near Ballyshannon, 3 hours drive from Dublin and around two and a quarter hours drive from Belfast...
.
Express passenger traffic to and from Dublin Amiens Street
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...
has always been Great Victoria Street's most prestigious traffic. The GNR upgraded its expresses over the decades and in 1947 introduced the Enterprise non-stop service between the two capitals. As Belfast suburbs grew, commuter traffic also grew in volume and importance for the GNR and for Great Victoria Street station.
In April 1976 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...
closed both Great Victoria Street and the terminus of the Bangor line and replaced them with a new Belfast Central station. Great Victoria Steet station was demolished and the Great Northern Tower built in its place.
The second Great Victoria Street Station was opened on 30 September 1995. It is only yards from the site of its predecessor.
Railway station
The current station has two island platformIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s providing a total of four platform faces. Platforms 2 and 3 run the full length of the site and open onto the station's main concourse. Platforms 1 and 4 are half the length and are accessible by walking down the other platforms.
Great Victoria Street is the hub of Northern Ireland's suburban rail services, with Bangor line, Derry Line, Larne line and Newry line trains all terminating there.
Service
Mondays to Saturdays on the Newry to Bangor line there is a half-hourly service towards or in one direction and to BangorBangor 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:...
in the other with extra services at peak times and the service is hourly in the evenings. On the Larne line there are a few services a day from which end here Mondays-Fridays and on Saturdays the service increases to half-hourly and on the Derry line there is a two-hourly service to with a few services to .
On Sundays the Newry-to-Bangor service runs hourly service to Bangor or Portadown. On the Larne line there is two-hourly service to Larne Harbour and on the Derry line there are five trains to Derry.
Future
NI Railways are to build a new traincare facility next to Adelaide station for its new Class 4000 diesel multiple unitDiesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s. The opportunity is being taken to improve the infrastructure at Great Victoria Street; there are plans to reduce the curves by realigning the track, and move the buffer stops and the route from the platforms to the concourse to the other side of Durham Street. Also there are plans to add a fifth platform to the station. These plans will culminate in Enterprise services transferring from to Great Victoria Street.
Europa Buscentre
Great Victoria Street is part of a major public transport interchange, being adjacent to the Europa Buscentre. This was built in 1991 as the ground floor level of a multi-storey car parkMulti-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
. The Buscentre is the Belfast terminus for most Ulsterbus
Ulsterbus
Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink , which also includes Northern Ireland Railways, Metro Belfast and Flexibus.-Services:Ulsterbus is responsible for most of the province-wide bus...
"Goldline" services in Northern Ireland . These serve various destinations that are not on the railway network, including Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
and Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
. Also, services from the Buscentre serve both Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
directly. Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...
also serves Europa Buscentre for its direct express service between Dublin and Belfast.