Lanyon Place railway station

Lanyon Place
Lanyon Place
	Station Building.
General information
Other names	Belfast Central
Location	East Bridge Street, Belfast ; Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54°35′43″N5°55′02″W / 54.5953°N 5.9172°W
Owned by	NI Railways
Operated by	NI Railways
Platforms	4
Tracks	4 (at platforms) ; 5 (total)
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Key dates
1976	Opened as Belfast Central
2003	Refurbished
2018	Renamed "Lanyon Place"
	NI Railways ; Translink ; NI railway stations ;
Location
	Lanyon Place Location within Northern Ireland

Last updated April 30, 2024

Belfast Lanyon Place (formerly Belfast Central) is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Located on Bridge Street in the Laganside area of central Belfast, it is one of four stations in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic. 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.

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 Great Victoria Street, Portadown, Lisburn and Newry, with Platform 4 being the 'northbound platform' for trains along the Derry, Larne and Bangor lines.

Regular services also operate between Lanyon Place and the city's other main station, Great Victoria Street which is located nearer Belfast's city centre.

2.6 million people used the station in 2017.^[1]

History

The station was opened as "Belfast Central" on Monday 26 April 1976,^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[1]

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.^[4]

Service

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. 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 Saturdays 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 Lanyon Place. During the week, the service runs hourly in each direction between Great Victoria Street and Derry~Londonderry or Coleraine on an alternating basis.

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.

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	Northern Ireland Railways	Following station
Terminus	Enterprise Belfast-Dublin	Portadown or Lisburn (Sundays only)
Botanic	Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Derry	York Street
Botanic	Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Larne	York Street
Botanic	Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Newry	Terminus
Botanic	Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Bangor	Titanic Quarter

Rail and Sea Connections

Port of Belfast

The Port of Belfast has a Stena Line ferry connecting to Cairnryan for the bus link^[5] 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^[5])	Stena Line Ferry	Port of Belfast (nearest stations York Street, Lanyon Place and Great Victoria Street)
Liverpool	Stena Line Ferry	Port of Belfast (nearest stations York Street, Lanyon Place and Great Victoria Street)
Douglas	Isle of Man Steam Packet Ferry(seasonal)	Port of Belfast (nearest stations York Street, Lanyon Place and Great Victoria Street)
Stranraer Harbour (via bus link from Cairnryan^[5])	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^[5] 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.

Related Research Articles

NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways, is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), and is one of eight publicly owned train operators in the United Kingdom, the others being Direct Rail Services, Northern Trains, Transport for Wales Rail, Southeastern, LNER, ScotRail, and TransPennine Express. It has a common Board of Management with the other two companies in the group, Ulsterbus and Metro.

The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.

Lisburn railway station serves the city of Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Belfast–Newry line operates from Lanyon Place station in County Antrim to Newry in County Down, Northern Ireland. The manager for this line is based at Portadown railway station, although the line extends to the border to include the Scarva and Poyntzpass halts and Newry. Newry is on the fringe of the network, being the last stop before the border with the Republic of Ireland. The line follows the route of the northern half of the main Dublin–Belfast line, with the exception of calling at Belfast Great Victoria Street.

Antrim railway station opened 1848 and serves the town of Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Belfast–Larne line, or Larne line, is a railway line in Northern Ireland, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It runs as double track along the majority of its route north along the scenic east Antrim coastline from Belfast to the coastal seaport town of Larne, serving commuters and ferry passengers.

The Belfast–Derry line runs from Belfast to Derry in Northern Ireland.

The Belfast–Dublin Main Line is a main and busiest railway route on the island of Ireland that connects Dublin Connolly station in the Republic of Ireland and Belfast Lanyon Place station in Northern Ireland. It is the only railway line that crosses the Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border.

Portadown Railway Station serves the town of Portadown in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

Whiteabbey Railway Station serves the village of Whiteabbey in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.

Yorkgate railway station served the north of the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The station opened in 1992, replacing the previous York Road railway station nearby. The station was in turn replaced by the nearby York Street station in 2024, with the new station re-using the existing platforms of Yorkgate.

Moira railway station serves Moira in County Down, Northern Ireland. Despite the station serving the County Down town, the station itself is located in County Antrim, the neighbouring Lagan Canal being the boundary. Moira station is the oldest building on the NI Railways network today having been opened on 18 November 1841. The old, now redundant, signal box stands over the station on the Southbound side.

Lurgan railway station serves Lurgan in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Located on William Street. The station is managed by NI Railways. With just over 670,000 passengers in the year 22/23. Lurgan railway station is Northern Ireland's 9th most used station.

Derriaghy railway station is located in the townland of Derriaghy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies between the centres of Belfast and Lisburn.

Dunmurry railway station is located in the townland of Dunmurry in west Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Balmoral railway station is located in the townland of Ballygammon in south Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The station opened on 1 November 1858. The platform was extended by 45 metres in 1870 and the station has been unstaffed since October 1966.

City Hospital railway station, situated on Donegall Road, serves Belfast City Hospital and the surrounding area of south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, Botanic, and Lanyon Place.

Botanic railway station serves the Botanic area in south Belfast, Northern Ireland and students for Queen's University Belfast; it is also near Shaftesbury Square which is along Botanic Avenue. It is named after the nearby Belfast Botanic Gardens. It is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being City Hospital, Great Victoria Street, and Lanyon Place.

The Belfast suburban rail commuter network serves the metropolitan area of Greater Belfast and some of its commuter towns with three lines. The network is owned by Translink and operated by its subsidiary NI Railways.

Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two main stations in the city, along with Lanyon Place, and is nearest the city centre. The station is off Great Victoria Street and shares a site with the Europa Buscentre, Belfast's main bus station. Both will be replaced by Belfast Grand Central station, which is being built beside them. Great Victoria Street railway station will close permanently on 10 May 2024, several months before the new station opens in late 2024.

References

1 2 Translink. "Central Station to get a New Name and Makeover". www.translink.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
↑ "Central 1". IRRS. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
↑ "Central 2". Translink. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
↑ UK, DVV Media. "Belfast Transport Hub planning underway". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
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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[Translink-1] 1 2 Translink. "Central Station to get a New Name and Makeover". www.translink.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.

[BC1-2] "Central 1". IRRS. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.

[BC2-3] "Central 2". Translink. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2008.

[4] UK, DVV Media. "Belfast Transport Hub planning underway". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 13 February 2018.

[dumgal.gov.uk-5] 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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v t e International railway stations in the United Kingdom
Great Britain (Eurostar)	St Pancras International Ebbsfleet International Ashford International
Northern Ireland (Enterprise)	Belfast Lanyon Place Lisburn Lurgan Portadown Newry*
Train/ferry interchange	Fishguard Harbour Harwich International Holyhead Newhaven Town Pembroke Dock
Others	Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal (car shuttle train)
* 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.