Yorkgate railway station

Last updated

Yorkgate
Logomark NI Railways.svg
Yorkgate railway station.jpg
Yorkgate station in 2009
General information
Location Belfast
Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°36′38″N5°55′20″W / 54.6105°N 5.9223°W / 54.6105; -5.9223
Owned by NI Railways
Operated byNI Railways
Platforms2
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Other information
StatusClosed
Key dates
1992Opened
29 April 2024 [1] Closed, replaced by York Street railway station
Location
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Yorkgate
Location within Northern Ireland
Yorkgate railway station

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. [2] [1]

Contents

History

Following the demolition of York Road station in 1992, a new station had to be constructed to serve the in-development Cross Harbour Rail Link.

Yorkgate station was therefore constructed to the side of the original site of York Road station and served as a temporary terminus for Larne Line services until the completion of the high-level Dargan Bridge, which joined the Larne Line to the rest of the NIR network at Lanyon Place, allowing services to run from Yorkgate directly through to the city.

The rest of the site of York Road station is now occupied by Northern Ireland Railways' central maintenance depot, while the old works remain, a few yards to the north and backing onto York Road itself. The majority of the depot is visible when passing by train.

Following the opening of York Street railway station, the buildings of Yorkgate station will be demolished in May 2024. [3]

Service at closure

From Monday to Friday, there was a half-hourly Larne Line service, with the outbound terminus alternating between Whitehead and Larne Harbour every half an hour. All inbound Larne Line services terminate at Great Victoria Street, except for some early morning and late night services which only travelled as far as Lanyon Place.

Larne Line services on Saturday retained their half-hourly operation, but there were fewer peak-time trains. On Sundays, the service reduced to hourly operation. [4]

Weekday services on the Derry~Londonderry Line also called at Yorkgate on an hourly basis. All inbound services operated to Great Victoria Street, with some peak time services terminating at Lanyon Place. Outbound trains alternated hourly between services to Derry~Londonderry, and services to Coleraine, most of which continued on to Portrush via the Coleraine-Portrush railway line.

On Saturdays, there was a slightly reduced number of Derry~Londondery Line trains, but remains largely similar. On Sundays, the service reduced to seven trains in each direction operating on a two-hourly basis. All services operated between Great Victoria Street and Derry~Londonderry, except for the final train of the day, which only operated as far as Coleraine. [5]

Preceding station  Logomark NI Railways.svg Northern Ireland Railways  Following station
Lanyon Place   Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Derry
  Whiteabbey
  Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Larne
 

Port of Belfast

Yorkgate was the nearest station to the Port of Belfast. Sailings travelled from here to Cairnryan, where there was a bus link to Stranraer or Ayr. [6] From here, onward connections can be made along the Glasgow South Western Line to Glasgow Central.

Preceding station  Ferry  Following station
Port of Belfast
(via Metro Service 96)
  Stena Line
Ferry
  Stranraer or Ayr
(via bus link from Cairnryan)
Port of Belfast
(via Metro Service 96)
  Stena Line
Ferry
  Port of Liverpool
Port of Belfast
(via Metro Service 96)
  Isle of Man Steam Packet
Ferry(seasonal)
  Douglas

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NI Railways</span> Parastatal rail transport organisation of Northern Ireland (NIR)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Road railway station</span> Former station in Belfast, Northern Ireland

York Road railway station served the north of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly one of the three terminus railway stations in Belfast. The others were Great Victoria Street, and Queen's Quay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanyon Place railway station</span> Station in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast Lanyon Place 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry ~ Londonderry railway station</span> Railway station in Northern Ireland

Derry ~ Londonderry railway station, also known as North West Transport Hub or Waterside railway station, is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways and its 8th biggest station across the network with 723,776 passengers in the 22/23 year. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, terminating at Belfast Great Victoria Street. Derry/Londonderry has the longest platforms on the NIR Network, at 258.3 meters in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleraine railway station</span> Station in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Coleraine railway station serves the town of Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It shares facilities with the town's Ulsterbus bus depot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antrim railway station</span> Station in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast–Larne line</span> Railway line along Antrim coast, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast–Derry line</span> Northern Irish railway line

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleraine–Portrush line</span> Railway line in Northern Ireland

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portrush railway station</span> Station in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Portrush railway station is the terminus of the Coleraine-Portrush railway line and serves the seaside town of Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymoney railway station</span>

Ballymoney railway station serves the town of Ballymoney in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymena railway station</span>

Ballymena railway station serves the town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located just outside Ballymena town centre on the Galgorm Road, and is integrated with the local bus station. It is situated on the Derry line between Antrim and Cullybackey. The station is operated by Northern Ireland Railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mossley West railway station</span> Railway station in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland

Mossley West railway station is located in the townland of Ballyhenry in the north of Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, owned and operated by NI Railways, a subsidiary of Translink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiteabbey railway station</span> Railway station in Northern Ireland

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Hospital railway station</span> Railway station in Belfast

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 Botanic, Lanyon Place, and the under-construction Grand Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botanic railway station</span> Railway station in Belfast

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, Lanyon Place, and the under-construction Grand Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast suburban rail</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station</span> Railway station in Belfast

Great Victoria Street was a railway station that served the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was one of two main stations in the city, along with Lanyon Place, and was nearest to the city centre. The station was situated beside Great Victoria Street and shared a site with the Europa Buscentre, Belfast's main bus station. The railway and bus stations will be replaced by the adjacent Belfast Grand Central station later in 2024. Great Victoria Street railway station closed permanently on 10 May 2024, several months before its replacement was due to open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University railway station (Northern Ireland)</span>

University is a halt serving the University of Ulster at Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballysally in the north of Coleraine.

York Street railway station serves the north of Belfast in Northern Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 "York Street: New train station opens in north Belfast". 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  2. "IN PICTURES: Plan to raze one of Belfast's main train stations to the ground". www.newsletter.co.uk. 16 May 2021.
  3. https://www.irishnews.com/news/business/new-train-station-at-belfasts-york-street-will-now-cost-more-than-10m-translink-boss-confirms-Q6V3YJPDEBGMFIFNWUPCUCSTFA/
  4. "Timetable: Larne Line" (PDF). Northern Ireland Railways. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. "Timetable: Derry~Londonderry Line" (PDF). Northern Ireland Railways. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)