Coleraine-Portrush railway line

The Coleraine-Portrush line is a short branch railway line in Northern Ireland between the town of Coleraine in County Londonderry and the seaside resort of Portrush in County Antrim. The line, which is operated by Northern Ireland Railways, now has two intermediate stopping places and connects to the main Belfast-Derry line at Coleraine.

Current service

As of summer 2007 there are twenty trains each way on weekdays (one each through to/from Belfast and Derry). The line has for long been operated by diesel multiple units: as of 2007 the NIR 450 Class sees some replacement by the newer 3000 Class.

History

The line was built as part of the Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway, authorised in 1853. The engineer was Charles Lanyon and the contractor and major sponsor of the line was William Dargan. It was opened in 1855. In 1860 a junction with the Derry line was made at Coleraine, leaving the line from there to the terminus at Portrush as a branch. [cite book|author=Currie, J. R. L.|title=The Northern Counties Railway, vol. 1|date=1973|publisher=David & Charles|location=Newton Abbot|isbn=0-7153-5934-7]

Winter services were suspended from 1960, but opening of the New University of Ulster near Coleraine saw them restored, together with the addition of new halts at University (1968) and Dhu Varren (1969), to cater for student travel.

The intermediate station for Portstewart (via the Portstewart Tramway) was located at Cromore and closed in 1964. It also reopened in 1968 but closed again in 1988. [cite book|author=Rowledge, J. W. P.|title=A regional history of railways, vol. 16 – Ireland|date=1995|publisher=Atlantic Transport Publishers|location=Penryn|isbn=0-906899-63-X]

References