Passenger growth on Northern Ireland Railways

[Elwyn]

http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news-drd-090914-kennedy-welcomes-increase

Passenger numbers on the Coleraine to Belfast railway increased by a third between 2011/12 and 2013/14 equating to an increase of over 400,000 passengers journeys in three years, taking passenger numbers from over 1.2million in 2011/12 to over 1.6million in 2013/14.

The Minister said: “There has also been passenger growth on the Londonderry to Coleraine stretch of the railway network, and the completion of Phase 1 of the track relay on this stretch has played a key role in this.

“The introduction of a new rail timetable targeted at the Coleraine to Belfast service, introduction of new trains and continued investment in infrastructure has clearly helped to generate this growth. It is important that we continue to invest in our rail infrastructure and ensure rail fares are competitive.”

Across Northern Ireland rail passenger journeys have increased by approximately 2.5 million over the period from 2011/12 to 2013/14. The Minister welcomed the significant upturn in rail passenger growth. He said: “In recent years there has been a significant growth in numbers choosing to use the railway as a mode of transport across Northern Ireland. I believe rail travel offers a safe, comfortable and efficient option, particularly for commuters and inter-city passengers.

“The Railway Investment Prioritisation Strategy published recently sets out the priorities for my department’s investment in railways capital grant over the next 20 years. This includes proposals for upgrading the Coleraine to Belfast corridor.

“My first priority is track maintenance and the improvement of passenger capacity on the existing network. The strategy includes a number of projects on the Northern line between Coleraine and Belfast for track works, station improvements and Park and Ride facilities.

“As passenger demand increases, Translink plans to purchase up to 60 additional carriages which will allow the introduction of longer trains or additional services to extend passenger capacities, including on the Northern line.”

The capacity of the Northern line to carry more trains will depend upon removing potential track bottlenecks around Belfast. There are proposals for dualling of the single track crossing of the Lagan at Dargan Bridge and adding an additional line from Lagan junction to Central Station. This will help improved timetabling of services into Belfast.

In the longer term, the Strategy commits Translink to consider options to enhance timetabling and shorten journey times on the Northern line by either dualling the existing single line track between Bleach Green and Antrim or re-opening the Antrim to Knockmore/Lisburn line.

Good to see there are plans for improving the service. I never understood why the Dargan Bridge was built with only single track. It seemed obvious it would always be a bottle neck.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Good news, although it must always be taken within the context of Northern Ireland. For three decades, rail services in NI were subject to both drastic under funding and disruption as a result of violence from the Troubles. By the mid-nineties passenger numbers were significantly below what they might have reasonably expected to have been had their not been such a sustained period of conflict.

However, it's good to see that public opinion and political will is slowly (like a supertanker) shifting behind public transport. It has taken almost two decades, but post-conflict Ulster folk are finally beginning to leave their beloved cars behind for commuting and leisure.

Next question (which I should be able answer, given my old office used to overlook the Lagan bridge) but could the deck of the existing bridge be re-engineered to carry two tracks? Or will an entirely new span be needed?

 

[Elwyn]

Next question (which I should be able answer, given my old office used to overlook the Lagan bridge) but could the deck of the existing bridge be re-engineered to carry two tracks? Or will an entirely new span be needed?

I went to a public meeting when the bridge was being planned. I thought single track was short-sighted (though I realise it was driven by a need to reduce costs) and I asked then if there was scope for widening it to take double track. I was told that there was none, though they had made provision for electrification should that ever be needed. So it’ll be interesting to see what solution they come up with.

 

[thenorthern]

Are they still going to re-open Belfast to Londonderry via Aldergrove?

Well done though to Northern Ireland Railways I have used their trains a couple of times and their stock now in a way is "better" than a lot of trains in Great Britain and they are really turning the railways around.

 

[Elwyn]

Are they still going to re-open Belfast to Londonderry via Aldergrove?

Re-opening is in the plan, subject to funding. The line itself is still used for specials and as a diversionary route when the main line has maintenance work going on. But the 3 closed stations on the branch would all need a bit spent on them, and I think the signalling needs renewing too.

I would have thought the main business would be commuter traffic from Crumlin, Glenavy, Ballinderry and surrounding areas into Belfast, rather than as through route to Londonderry. (The main line from Belfast via Mossley West being much quicker.)

 

[thenorthern]

In an ideal world in Northern Ireland and Ireland I would do an hourly Londonderry-Belfast-Dublin-Cork service based on the Cross Country services in Great Britain by running a regular direct through train over several lines and using high speed rolling stock and utilising the Phoenix Park Tunnel.

With the way Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann currently work together though I can't see this happening soon.

 

[MK Tom]

In an ideal world in Northern Ireland and Ireland I would do an hourly Londonderry-Belfast-Dublin-Cork service based on the Cross Country services in Great Britain by running a regular direct through train over several lines and using high speed rolling stock and utilising the Phoenix Park Tunnel.

With the way Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann currently work together though I can't see this happening soon.

Would that replace or compliment existing local services on the Derry line? Because they're currently increasing the capacity to be able to handle even a basic stopping service along there, and I don't think your Cork service would want to serve every station.

The intention is to make the current Enterprise hourly in the future, but that would mean more rolling stock. Which would have been an obvious use for those lovely mark 3s, but nobody put two and two together there.

 

[bangor-toad]

Next question (which I should be able answer, given my old office used to overlook the Lagan bridge) but could the deck of the existing bridge be re-engineered to carry two tracks? Or will an entirely new span be needed?

Brought to you from a Translink service on it's way to Belfast...

There's very little room between the Lagan railway & motorway bridges. I've no idea if the pillar supports could take a widened bridge deck but there's little space to squeeze more onto them.

It'd probably need a new bridge span on the city side of the existing one with some imaginative tie in's to the current track which curves and bobs up and down.
Whilst clearly not an impossible build, it's not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination.


Generally though any additional rolling stock would be welcome. It's getting busy on the services I use and doubling up the number of carriages would be great.
[I do appreciate that there's much worse overcrowding almost everywhere else but if don't you ask / wish, you'll never be heard ]

Cheers,
Mr Toad

 

[thenorthern]

Would that replace or compliment existing local services on the Derry line? Because they're currently increasing the capacity to be able to handle even a basic stopping service along there, and I don't think your Cork service would want to serve every station.

The intention is to make the current Enterprise hourly in the future, but that would mean more rolling stock. Which would have been an obvious use for those lovely mark 3s, but nobody put two and two together there.

Compliment, I think there are as many trains per day between Belfast and Londonderry as there is every hour between London and Birmingham.

 

[reb0118]

NIR got a wee plug on The Fall the other week. There was quite an unusual chat up line along the lines of - "Do you think I look like a serial killer" - whilst the train sped along the shores of Belfast Lough.

 

[St Rollox]

Amazing NI Railways survive considering how little money has been spent.
Is most of it still single track?

 

[jamesontheroad]

Amazing NI Railways survive considering how little money has been spent.
Is most of it still single track?

North of Greater Belfast, basically yes. It's doubled to Bangor and along the Belfast-Dublin corridor. Key improvements as part of the Derry Line upgrade include passing loops to permit more frequent service.

 

[thenorthern]

I think the speed limit is only 70 MPH on the Belfast to Londonderry line and in many places its even lower. Overall though the railways in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland seem to lag behind all other systems in Europe in terms of capability.

 

[St Rollox]

I think the speed limit is only 70 MPH on the Belfast to Londonderry line and in many places its even lower. Overall though the railways in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland seem to lag behind all other systems in Europe in terms of capability.

Plus that massive North West gap.
Outside of Westminster coughing up a couple of billion things don't look good.
Hard to believe L/Derry had four train stations in years gone by.

 

[thenorthern]

I know NI Railways are improving the Londonderry Line so that it will be hourly soon and after that the number of passengers should increase massively and hopefully bring it up to comparable levels to Great Britain.

The Portrush branch frequency is what I would expect compared to a branch line of similar service levels in Great Britain however the Londonderry line realistically has lower service levels compared to much smaller GB branches such as the Windermere Branch Line or the Derwent Valley Line. Realistically in my opinion Londonderry it should be comparable to Norwich service wise but its a long way off that but with passengers numbers increasing its a step in the right direction.

One thing I have always wondered is had Northern Ireland Railways stayed part of the British Transport Commission and subsequently British Rail would it have worked better than it does now and also if Northern Ireland Railways was made part of National Rail and Network Rail would it work better than it does now?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The one thing that will hold the line back is the fact that come what may with redoubling it is always going to be far quicker to drive to Antrim or Belfast from Londonderry vice taking the train. The same also applies to practically everywhere on the Enterprise route. The huge void of railways in County Fermanagh and particularly County Tyrone also means that for just about anyone in those counties train is never a viable option for a lot of journeys.

 

[thenorthern]

The one thing that will hold the line back is the fact that come what may with redoubling it is always going to be far quicker to drive to Antrim or Belfast from Londonderry vice taking the train. The same also applies to practically everywhere on the Enterprise route. The huge void of railways in County Fermanagh and particularly County Tyrone also means that for just about anyone in those counties train is never a viable option for a lot of journeys.

If the Belfast to Londonderry times were brought down to 90 min then the services could compete with road transport, I don't think this is impossible but its unlikely to happen.

Belfast to Londonderry though is very cheap I think its about £13 for a return which for I think a 90 mile journey is very good.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

If the Belfast to Londonderry times were brought down to 90 min then the services could compete with road transport, I don't think this is impossible but its unlikely to happen.

Belfast to Londonderry though is very cheap I think its about £13 for a return which for I think a 90 mile journey is very good.

Getting it down to 90 mins would be shaving a quarter off the journey time, I've no idea how you'd go about that, I doubt you could on current infrastructure even with huge linespeed increases and cutting all except the most important stations. Indeed it still then isn't as quick as driving (though would probably prove useful in winter when the Glenshane Pass turns into Everest).

Indeed, the fares are incredibly cheap!

 

[thenorthern]

Getting it down to 90 mins would be shaving a quarter off the journey time, I've no idea how you'd go about that, I doubt you could on current infrastructure even with huge linespeed increases and cutting all except the most important stations. Indeed it still then isn't as quick as driving (though would probably prove useful in winter when the Glenshane Pass turns into Everest).

It would need to be double track all the way and a limited stop service calling only at Londonderry, Coleraine, Ballymena and Belfast Central however I think its quite a few years off that but I think it could work if it was implemented with 125 MPH stock.

Slightly off topic story earlier on in the year I went to look at the University of Ulster in Coleraine and someone asked if I knew when the next train to Belfast was from University station and I said "I think there is a train from Portrush soon but I am not sure if you have to change at Coleraine for the train from Derry" I later found out the person was from Ballymena but after I said that sentence I think the word "Londonderry"came up about 10 times in 1 sentence from the other person and I will leave you to work out why.

Another thing I noticed in Northern Ireland is the announcements at Stations use ATOS Anne and it gave me a shock when I heard them the first time.

 

[Elwyn]

The current timetable limitation on the Londonderry line, beyond Coleraine, is down to the fact that it’s single track and doesn’t have a passing place half way along it, to allow an hourly service. However, subject to funding, that’s going to be fixed by building a passing loop (and new station) at Bellarena. The sleepers are already stacked at Bellarena awaiting work to commence. Unfortunately costs appear to have escalated and there have been some problems with procurement, and so it’s all got delayed.

The Londonderry Line is now carrying more passengers that the Belfast to Dublin line. Not bad for a line that was to be axed a year or two back. And from statements the Finance Minister made yesterday, I got the impression the funding for the passing loop will be resolved soon. I hope so anyway as I use the line regularly.

See:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-30190719

My view is that the railways in Northern Ireland have ultimately benefitted from being excluded from the privatization process in GB which seems to have generated layers of bureaucracy and increased costs. It’s a tiny operation compared with GB but it seems to run pretty efficiently and smoothly. And with the buses and trains both being owned by the same body, they complement each other very well.

 

[NornIronMan]

It would need to be double track all the way and a limited stop service calling only at Londonderry, Coleraine, Ballymena and Belfast Central however I think its quite a few years off that but I think it could work if it was implemented with 125 MPH stock.

From what I remember in the last version of the NIR Service 3 timetable (Derry~Londonderry-Belfast) there was a non-stop Coleraine-Belfast express service on a Saturday morning/afternoon and return on a Sunday evening for the UU students, managing the journey in around 55-60 minutes. With the full 3-phase improvements west of Coleraine completed, it may be possible with limited stops (say, Derry, Coleraine, and Ballymena or Antrim) it could be cut to around 90 minutes given that the average speed between Londonderry and Coleraine would go up from 50-60mph to 70. With the last set of improvements between Ballymena and Coleraine in 2008-2009 the journey time was cut by around 15 minutes from 45 to just over the half hour.

 

[thenorthern]

From what I remember in the last version of the NIR Service 3 timetable (Derry~Londonderry-Belfast) there was a non-stop Coleraine-Belfast express service on a Saturday morning/afternoon and return on a Sunday evening for the UU students, managing the journey in around 55-60 minutes. With the full 3-phase improvements west of Coleraine completed, it may be possible with limited stops (say, Derry, Coleraine, and Ballymena or Antrim) it could be cut to around 90 minutes given that the average speed between Londonderry and Coleraine would go up from 50-60mph to 70. With the last set of improvements between Ballymena and Coleraine in 2008-2009 the journey time was cut by around 15 minutes from 45 to just over the half hour.

I can't see it in the timetable at the moment but I think it may have before as it does sound familiar.

Belfast-Coleraine is a good service when I have used it and local services around Belfast are all right its only Belfast to Londonderry that needs improving.

 

[Elwyn]

Yes there were several non stop services for a while. In recent years, I suspect that what may have happened is that as the gaps in the timetable have been filled by extra stopping trains (on a line that is mostly single track with passing loops) the scope for non stop operation has disappeared. There’s probably no point advertising a non stop train if it has to stop several times to allow other trains to pass.

A similar, arguably positive, predicament faces the RPSI who can no longer operate their slower steam locomotives on the Portrush & Londonderry lines due to lack of capacity. RPSI locos such as nos 186 & 461 are restricted to around 40 mph, and NIR have reportedly said that any steam loco on that route must be capable of 60 to 70 mph to fit into what is now a pretty tight timetable, even on a Sunday. (In 1981 there were just 2 trains each way on the line on a Sunday. There are now 13). So that should lead to some fairly smart running for the Portrush Flyer and any other specials on that route. That usually pleases the steam buffs (e.g. me).

 

[DT611]

Would that replace or compliment existing local services on the Derry line? Because they're currently increasing the capacity to be able to handle even a basic stopping service along there, and I don't think your Cork service would want to serve every station.

he could go something like this. belfast, nonstop dublin connolly, reverse and go through park tunnel, heuston, maybe limerick junction, cork. but i can't see many making that journey.

The intention is to make the current Enterprise hourly in the future, but that would mean more rolling stock. Which would have been an obvious use for those lovely mark 3s, but nobody put two and two together there.

because they weren't shiny and new. rather then just buying to replace the life expired mark 2 and cravens stock, IE wanted an all brand new shiny fleet to try hide the real problems from the public, the fact that journey times are slow and uncompetitive, speed improvements have been little to none, apart from much of dublin cork, but even that isn't good enough. now, many lines have problems with short trains, not enough capacity for demand on services without other lines suffering. for the steps forward, we've taken steps back. so its good to hear that NI railways is doing well and the interest in improving and making things better exists. in the south, things will continue to plod along with the "shur tis grand" mentality, because not only do we not have the money, but the current government here don't even have the interest, and IE aren't much better if i'm honest.