Lanyon Place railway station
Belfast Central  | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Station on East Bridge Street. The station was opened on 26 April 1976 and underwent a major overhaul in 2003. The station was again put through major refurbishments in 2018 in part to make Belfast new and improved to tourists and visitors. The station will be renamed ‘Lanyon Place’ after the work is finished. | |
| General information | |
| Other names | Belfast Central |
| Location | East Bridge Street, Belfast Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54°35′43″N 5°55′02″W / 54.5953°N 5.9172°W |
| Owned by | NI Railways |
| Operated by | NI Railways |
| Platforms | 4 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | At-grade |
| Key dates | |
| 1976 | Opened |
| 2003 | Refurbished |
| 2018 | 2nd Refurbishment |
Belfast Central is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in Belfast City Centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic.
Located on East Bridge Street in the city, Central is the northern terminus of the cross border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly, which runs every two hours. As well as this service, Central is also served by Northern Ireland Railways, which operates routes to other locations in Northern Ireland, including Derry, Bangor, Portadown and Larne.
Description
Regular services also operate between Central and the city's other main station: Great Victoria Street.
Despite the name of the station, it is significantly further from Belfast city centre than Great Victoria Street station. The station was opened on 26 April 1976.[1] The first Station Manager was Mr John Johnston.
By the 1990s, it became clear that the facilities at Central were in need of upgrading. A major refurbishment programme started in 2000 and was completed in 2003.[2]
There are two Island Platforms at Belfast Central, capable of accommodating trains up to 9 coaches long.
Platform 1 is usually only used at peak hours, as well as for Railway Preservation Society of Ireland specials. Platform 2 is the Enterprise platform. Platform 3 is the 'southbound platform', normally used for trains to Great Victoria Street, Portadown and Newry, with Platform 4 being the 'northbound platform' for trains along the Derry, Larne and Bangor lines.
2.6 million people used the station in 2017.[3]
Future & Name Change
On Thursday 8 February 2018, Translink announced that Belfast Central would undergo a face-lift. This would see the entrance hall and East Bridge Street façade completely redesigned, with the removal of the blast wall. Inside, the ticket hall would be rebuilt and new retail and dining facilities provided. A Belfast Bikes dock will also be included in the redesigned station.[4]
As part of the redesign, Belfast Central will be renamed Lanyon Place in September 2018.[5] This will put an end to the confusion over Central's name and push people towards using the new transport hub on Grosvenor Road when it opens in 2023.
It is expected that the Enterprise will move from Central to the new transport hub once it opens.
Service
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Newry–Belfast–Bangor line
From Monday to Thursday, there is a half hourly service from Bangor to Portadown, with some trains continuing on to Newry. During peak times there are up to 6 trains per hour operating to Bangor with 3 being express services and the other half being slow services stopping at all stations between here and Bangor. The service is reduced to hourly operation in the evenings. Some early morning trains in either direction will terminate at or start from Great Victoria Street rather than continuing on through Belfast to the respective outlying terminus.
On Sundays, the service is hourly operating between Bangor and Portadown. There are no local services calling at stations between Portadown and Newry on Sundays.
Larne line
Inbound Larne Line services run half-hourly to Great Victoria Street. Outbound services run half-hourly on an alternating basis to either Whitehead or on to Larne Harbour. Extra services at peak times run to Carrickfergus, and some early morning and late night inbound trains terminate here.
At weekends, the service still runs half-hourly on Thursdays on the same alternating pattern to Whitehead or Larne Harbour. On Sundays, the service reduces to hourly operation, with the outbound terminus alternating every hour as before.
Derry~Londonderry line
All Derry~Londonderry Line trains call at Belfast Central. During the week, the service runs hourly in each direction between Great Victoria Street and Londonderry Waterside or Coleraine on an alternating basis.
On Fridays, the service is slightly reduced, however operation remains much the same as during the week. On Sundays, the service reduces to two-hourly operation, with only seven trains operating each way.
Dublin line
There is an Enterprise train service every two hours between Dublin Connolly and Belfast Central, with the service being reduced to five trains each way on Sundays. This line can be popular with rugby fans connecting at Dublin Connolly for the DART to Lansdowne Road. The line is also used by rail passengers changing at Dublin Connolly onto the DART to Dún Laoghaire for example or travelling to Dublin Port for the Irish Ferries or Stena Line to Holyhead, and then by train along the North Wales Coast Line to London Euston and other destinations in England and Wales.
Rail and Sea Connections
Port of Belfast
The Port of Belfast has a Stena Line ferry connecting to Cairnryan for the bus link[6] to Stranraer and onward trains along the Glasgow South Western Line to Glasgow Central.
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stranraer Harbour (via bus link from Cairnryan[6]) |
Stena Line Ferry |
Port of Belfast (nearest stations Yorkgate, Belfast Central and Belfast Great Victoria Street) | ||
| Liverpool | Stena Line Ferry |
Port of Belfast (nearest stations Yorkgate, Belfast Central and Belfast Great Victoria Street) | ||
| Douglas | Isle of Man Steam Packet Ferry(seasonal) |
Port of Belfast (nearest stations Yorkgate, Belfast Central and Belfast Great Victoria Street) | ||
| Stranraer Harbour (via bus link from Cairnryan[6]) |
P&O Ferries Ferry |
Larne Harbour |
Port of Larne
The Larne line connects with Larne Harbour with P&O Ferries sailing to Cairnryan for the bus link[6] to Stranraer and onward trains along the Glasgow South Western Line to Glasgow Central, as well as alternative sailings by P&O Ferries to Troon also on the Glasgow South Western Line to Glasgow Central.
References
- ^ "Central 1". IRRS. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Central 2". Translink. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Translink. "Central Station to get a New Name and Makeover - Translink". www.translink.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Translink. "Central Station to get a New Name and Makeover - Translink". www.translink.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Translink. "Central Station to get a New Name and Makeover - Translink". www.translink.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
International railway stations in the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
 Great Britain (Eurostar) |  | |
 Northern Ireland (Enterprise) | ||
.svg){kind=small} Train/ferry interchange | ||
| Others |
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* In addition to the Enterprise inter-city service. Newry also has a limited week-day commuter service all stations to Dublin, provided by Iarnród Éireann. | ||