Misplaced Pages

Coleraine–Portrush line

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Coleraine-Portrush line) Railway line in Northern Ireland
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Coleraine–Portrush line" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Portrush line
Dhu Varren station
Overview
StatusOperational
LocaleNorthern Ireland
Termini
Stations4
Service
TypeRegional rail
Heavy rail
SystemNI Railways
Route numberNIR Service 3
Operator(s)NI Railways
Rolling stockClass 3000 "C3K"
Class 4000 "C4K"
History
Opened1855
Technical
Number of tracksSingle track
CharacterBranch line
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge
Operating speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Route map

(Click to expand) Show map
Legend
Portrush
Dhu Varren
Cromore
University
Belfast–Derry line
to Derry ~ Londonderry
Coleraine Belfast-Derry railway line
Belfast–Derry line
to Lanyon Place
This diagram:
Show route diagram

The Coleraine–Portrush line is a short railway branch 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 NI Railways, has two intermediate halts and connects to the main Belfast–Derry line at Coleraine.

Current services

Monday to Friday, first 2 trains from Portrush are through trains to Belfast Grand Central then the rest of the day an hourly service operates to Coleraine and Portrush.

On Saturdays the first train from Portrush is a through train to Belfast Grand Central; then the rest of the day an hourly service operates to Coleraine and Portrush.

On Sunday, there is an hourly service to Portrush and Coleraine, and with the service extending to Belfast Grand Central every two hours.

Monday to Sunday all passengers for Castlerock, Belarena and Derry~Londonderry Waterside must change at Coleraine.

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.

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. This station then reopened in 1968 but closed again in 1988.

References

  1. Currie, J.R.L. (1973). The Northern Counties Railway. Vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5934-7.
  2. Rowledge, J.W.P. (1995). A regional history of railways. Vol. 16–Ireland. Penryn: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 0-906899-63-X.
Railway lines in Northern Ireland
InterCity lines
Main lines
Belfast commuter lines
Other lines
Heritage lines
Railway museums
Categories: