Lanyon Place railway station

Last updated

Lanyon Place
Logomark NI Railways.svg
Belfast Lanyon Place.jpg
Station Building.
General information
Other namesBelfast Central
LocationEast Bridge Street, Belfast
Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°35′43″N5°55′02″W / 54.5953°N 5.9172°W / 54.5953; -5.9172
Owned by NI Railways
Operated by NI Railways
Line(s)Dublin-Belfast Mainline
Newry/Portadown (1)
Bangor (1)
Larne (2)
Derry/Londonderry (3)
Platforms4
Tracks4 (at platforms)
5 (total)
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Key dates
1976Opened as Belfast Central
2003Refurbished
2018Renamed "Lanyon Place"
Passengers
2015/162.232 million [1]
Location
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Lanyon Place
Location within Northern Ireland
Lanyon Place railway station

Belfast Lanyon Place (formerly Belfast Central) is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Located on East Bridge Street in the Laganside area of central Belfast, it is one of four stations in the city centre, the others being City Hospital, Botanic, and the under-construction Grand Central. Lanyon Place is the northern terminus of the cross-border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly. It is also served by Northern Ireland Railways, which operates routes to other locations in Northern Ireland, including Derry, Bangor, Portadown and Larne.

Contents

Description

There are two island platforms at Lanyon Place, each serving two tracks, capable of accommodating trains up to nine coaches long on each side. Platform 1 is usually only used at peak hours, as well as for special services run by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. Platform 2 is the Enterprise platform. Platform 3 is the 'southbound platform', normally used for trains to Portadown, Lisburn and Newry, with Platform 4 being the 'northbound platform' for trains along the Derry, Larne and Bangor lines.

Regular services also operated between Lanyon Place and the city's other main station, Great Victoria Street which is located nearer Belfast's city centre until its closure on 10 May 2024.

2.6 million people used the station in 2017. [8]

History

The station was opened as "Belfast Central" on Monday 26 April 1976, [9] despite it being located further from Belfast city centre than Great Victoria Street station. The first station manager was Mr John Johnston.

By the 1990s, it became clear that the station's facilities were in need of upgrading. A major refurbishment programme started in 2000 and was completed in 2003. [10]

In 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 Troubles-era 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. [8]

As part of the redesign, Belfast Central was renamed Lanyon Place on 1 September 2018. This is despite the fact that, strictly speaking, the station is not located there but on East Bridge Street.

The Enterprise will move from Lanyon Place to the new Belfast Grand Central Station integrated transport hub once that project is completed. [11]

Service

Main hall of Belfast Central (prior to refurbishment as Lanyon Place) Belfast Central Station (interior) - geograph.org.uk - 920175.jpg
Main hall of Belfast Central (prior to refurbishment as Lanyon Place)
Train departing from Lanyon Place Train departing from Belfast Central Station - geograph.org.uk - 920185.jpg
Train departing from Lanyon Place
NIR Class 3000 (C3K) train in Lanyon Place Belfast Central2.jpg
NIR Class 3000 (C3K) train in Lanyon Place

Newry–Belfast–Bangor line

From Monday to Saturday, 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.

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

During the construction of Grand Central, the vast majority of Larne Line services terminate here. Certain peak time trains run through to City Hospital, also calling at Botanic. Outbound services run half-hourly on an alternating basis to either Whitehead or through to Larne Harbour, giving an hourly service to stations beyond Whitehead. Extra services at peak times run to Carrickfergus.

On Saturdays, most services will run through to City Hospital. Otherwise the service retains a very similar pattern minus any additional peak-time trains. On Sundays, the service reduces to hourly operation, with the outbound terminus alternating between Whitehead and Larne Harbour as before, giving a two-hourly service to stations beyond Whitehead.

Derry~Londonderry line

All Derry~Londonderry Line trains call at Lanyon Place. During the week, the service runs hourly in each direction between City Hospital and Derry~Londonderry. Certain peak-time or late-night trains will only run as far as Coleraine, or through to Portrush.

On Saturdays, the service is slightly reduced, however operation remains much the same as during the week. On Sundays, the hourly service alternately runs to Derry~Londonderry and Portrush, giving a two-hourly service to stations beyond Coleraine.

Dublin line

There is an Enterprise train service every two hours between Dublin Connolly and Lanyon Place 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.

Preceding station  Logomark NI Railways.svg Northern Ireland Railways  Following station
Botanic   Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Derry
  York Street
Terminus
or
Botanic 		  Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Larne
 
Terminus  Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Bangor
  Titanic Quarter
  Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Newry
  Botanic
  Enterprise (NIR & IE)
Belfast-Dublin
  Portadown
or
Lisburn (Sundays)


Rail and Sea Connections

Port of Belfast

The Port of Belfast has a Stena Line ferry connecting to Cairnryan for the bus link [12] 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 [12] )		  Stena Line
Ferry		  Port of Belfast
(nearest stations York Street & Lanyon Place
Liverpool   Stena Line
Ferry		  Port of Belfast
(nearest stations York Street & Lanyon Place)
Douglas   Isle of Man Steam Packet
Ferry(seasonal)		  Port of Belfast
(nearest stations York Street & Lanyon Place)
Stranraer Harbour
(via bus link from Cairnryan [12] )		  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 [12] 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.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "NIR Footfall 1518.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "NIR Footfall 1819.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "NIR Footfall 1920.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 11 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  4. ↑ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2021.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2122.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2223.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "FOI Footfall 2023 2024 figures PDF.pdf". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Central 1". IRRS. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  9. ↑ "Central 2". Translink. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  10. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "Belfast Transport Hub planning underway". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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