Belfast–Derry railway line

Belfast to Derry line
NI Railways Class 3000 at Castlerock.
Overview
Type	Commuter rail, Regional rail and Heavy rail
System	NI Railways
Status	Operational
Locale	Northern Ireland
Termini	Belfast Great Victoria Street Londonderry (Waterside)
Stations	15
Services	1
Operation
Operator(s)	NI Railways
Rolling stock	Class 3000 "C3K"
Technical
No. of tracks	One-Two
Track gauge	Irish gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification	Un-electrified

Belfast to Derry Line

Legend Londonderry Waterside Culmore Eglinton Faughanvale Carrichue Ballykelly Limavady Jnct Bellarena Magilligan Umbra Downhill Castlerock Barmouth Coleraine-Portrush line Coleraine Macfin Ballymoney Dunloy Killagan Glarryford Cullybackey Ballymena Andraid Kellswater Antrim Lisburn-Antrim line (Disused) Muckamore Dunadry Templepatrick Ballyrobert Mossley West Belfast-Larne line Bleach Green Whiteabbey Yorkgate Belfast-Bangor line Belfast Central Botanic City Hospital Belfast-Newry line Belfast-Dublin Main line Belfast Great Victoria Street

The Belfast–Derry railway line (known as the Derry Line^[1] or Londonderry Line^[2]) runs from Belfast to Derry in Northern Ireland. This line is composed of mainly single track from just below Mossley West station up to Londonderry Station. Before the Lisburn-Antrim line closed, there was a double track between Ballymena and Antrim, however due to insufficient passenger numbers, one of the lines was pulled up, to reduce maintenance costs. Hence, services on this line can be subject to delays if the trains do not reach the passing points at the same time. In future plans for this line, there is speculation that Translink would like to reinstate the double line, however there is currently not the funding in place for such a project and is not likely in the next decade since the 450 Class trains are due replacement in 2010-2012.

Relaying of the track between Derry and Coleraine was due to commence during April 2012 and finishing in 2013, with a passing loop was also to be introduced around Ballykelly.,^[3] however due to budget constraints, the future of the railway line upgrade was thrown into doubt in August 2011 when Department for Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy (Ulster Unionist Party) announced that the departmental budget could not stretch and the £75million earmarked for the upgrade project would not be made available until the 2016-2017 period.^[4] In real terms, this would mean that, in order to maintain safety on the line and to carry out remedial safety work to keep the line in serviceable condition, one in three of all trains over the Coleraine-Londonderry section would travel it, while the rest would commence/terminate at Coleraine, intending passengers being subsequently bussed to/from Derry with an enhanced Ulsterbus service.^[5]

Upgrades on the line caused the line to close temporarily in March 2009, to be replaced by bus services. The line has since reopened on Monday 29 June 2009.^[6]

Further plans are in place for the Derry line, starting with the doubling of the track between Monkstown and Templepatrick due to be completed in early 2015 and a complete relay of the line between Ballymena and Coleraine which has an estimated completion date of 2018.

Services

On the weekday timetable (Monday - Friday) services run every two hours between Great Victoria Street and Londonderry Waterside during off peak hours. During Peak Hours there are extra services which start or end at either Portrush or Ballymena. The Saturday timetable is slightly reduced but services still operate every two hours. On Sundays there are 5 trains in each direction.

Although Whiteabbey 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, Ballinderry and Lisburn. 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.

References

1. ^ "NI Railways - Derry Line, Friday 29 October". Translink. 29 October 2010. http://www.translink.co.uk/News/News-Archive/Travel-News-Archive/NI-Railways---Derry-Line-Friday-29-October/. Retrieved 25 May 2011. 
2. ^ http://www.translink.co.uk/Documents/Services/NI%20Railways/NIRailways%20routemap.pdf
3. ^ http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/New-Waterside-rail-station-at.6103812.jp
4. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-14643621
5. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14550900
6. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}

External links

• NIR Timetables