NIR News

Irish Railway Record Society

NEWS - NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS - TRANSLINK

LISBURN - ANTRIM

On 20 February, the Minister for Regional Development said: ‘Against the backdrop of other competing transportation priorities, I have concluded that the continuance of rail services on the Antrim-Knockmore line, given the limited financial resources available to my Department, is not such a priority as to enable me to fund it within the current budgetary allocation’. The Minister said it was important to stress that discontinuing the service did not mean the abandonment of the line. It was suggested that the line will be mothballed in the hope and expectation that it could be reinstated as part of a Belfast-Antrim-Lisburn-Belfast circle line in years to come. He also said that a review of the line's future potential will be undertaken every five years and a full bus substitution programme will be provided to cover the services previously provided by the rail service. He said: ‘I am fully committed to advancing public transport in Northern Ireland and where feasible rail travel in particular. However, the continuance of rail services on the Antrim-Knockmore line could only be achieved at huge opportunity costs to wider transportation needs. Getting the balance right between competing transportation priorities is a challenge for all of us, especially since funding is finite and our current transportation assets are in poor condition following years of under-investment. Clearly there are difficult choices to be made’. However, the Minister stressed that while he was prepared to propose a discontinuance of services, under the statutory procedure any decision to discontinue rail services on the Antrim-Knockmore line would require the approval of the Assembly.

LOCOMOTIVES

Hunslet loco 102 now bears the number 8102 on the cab sides. Work on returning the loco to service took place as resources permitted during the spring. By mid-April, the engine was running and it was used to shunt in York Road Works. It re-entered service on 24 April shunting Adelaide yard. Subsequent reliability was poor and it was often substituted.

ROLLING STOCK

New Railcars
Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles (CAF) were the successful bidders for the 23 new three-car railcars. The contract is the largest ever placed by NIR and is priced at Stg£80 million. The first of the new trains will be delivered in December 2003 and will undergo a four-month commissioning process before entering service by April 2004. The remainder are expected to be in service by December 2004.

The new trains will have a top speed of 90-mph and will be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 99 seconds, compared to four minutes for the existing 80-class railcars. They will seat 200 passengers with additional space for bicycles and wheelchairs. The internal layout of the carriages is still being finalised, but it will be two-by-two seating, with a mix of bays and aircraft style seats.

They will be air-conditioned and the floors will be carpeted. The trains will be No-Smoking and all standard class. Automatic doors will be provided one third and two-thirds of the way along each carriage.

The announcement of the order described the new trains as ‘a diesel version of the Heathrow Express trains’. It also stated that two of the new trains are earmarked for the Belfast-Ballymena line, the aim being to improve commuter services on the new Bleach Green link. Since the line was re-opened last June and a new station opened at Mossley West, passenger traffic has increased by 29%. The remainder of the new trains will be deployed throughout the system, augmenting the existing 450 Castle class trains which are themselves due to be retired in 2010.

Under the terms of the agreement with CAF, the Spanish company will provide a warranty for the new trains that will extend over 15 years. The contract for the new trains stipulates that they will be able to operate for at least 40,000 miles without suffering mechanical breakdown. At present, despite the best efforts of NIR maintenance staff, the existing aged railcar fleet is suffering a failure on average every 3,000 miles. A driver training-simulator is also being supplied as part of the order. IÉ has also ordered CAF railcars for outer suburban working and expects to take the first delivery in Summer 2002.

It was also announced that one of the new trains is to be named The Belfast Telegraph in recognition of the role the newspaper played in NIRs ‘Save Our Railways’ campaign. The nameplate was unveiled in a ceremony at Belfast Central Station in February. Ted Hesketh, Managing Director of Translink, said the company was grateful to the newspaper for running its Save Our Railways campaign. He said: ‘By highlighting the issue of the lack of investment in public transport, the Belfast Telegraph played a valuable role. The paper initiated a debate, which raised the profile of public transport and attracted the attention of the public and the politicians’. A focal point of the campaign was a petition, which was signed by 12,000 readers, calling for additional investment in the rail network.

De Dietrich
The first De Dietrich (9208) vehicle was being overhauled in York Road in January. The vehicle was completely stripped down internally in February. The bogies were also being overhauled, including the fitting of a second set of brake disks on each axle.

Mk IIf (ex-Gatwick Express)
Brake testing and clearance trials commenced on Sunday 13 January, with 111 hauling 8943 + 8944 from York Road to Carrickfergus, thence to Newry and return. The first generator van 8911 had its engine tested on 12 February. The second, 8912, was in York Road Works and is to be commissioned following repairs to bodywork.

On Sunday 17 February, a clearance train operated from Dundalk to Dublin Connolly and return. The train consisted of IÉ loco 150 hauling 8947 + 8946 + 8943 + 8944 + 8911. The loco had been on loan to NIR to free up 111-class locos to work permanent way trains for the Belfast-Bangor re-laying project and had acted as pilot in Adelaide on weekdays. The remaining four passenger carriages were under test in late February. Test running between York Road and Carrickfergus was scheduled for evenings in February and March. IÉ loco 150 was used on 18 February, with 8113 taking up the duty a few days later.

Testing continued on a daily basis with a full 9-carriage train running to Ballymena. On 24 Feb 8113 + 8911 + 8941 + 8942 + 8945 + 8948 arrived at Londonderry at 11.00 and departed for Portrush at 12.25. It arrived at Coleraine at 13.15 and departed for Portrush at 13.35, returning immediately. It was then seen passing through Crumlin at 16.00. Trials were suspended from Friday 15 March until Monday 22 April, when 112 + 8911 + four standards ran to Newry and return.

Railcars
The 450-class power cars are getting a heavy overhaul, with 8459 in York Road Works in May.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Bangor Line
Trains commenced operating over the completely re-laid up line between Craigavad and Bangor on Monday 14 January. This allowed work to commence on the down line between these points, but with additional possession time. With effect from Monday 21 January, no evening services operated after 20.30 and a substitute bus service was provided. From 2 February, there was a complete line closure at weekends.

Re-laying of the down line between Bangor and the crossovers at Craigavad proceeded at a rapid pace in January and February using the Harsco re-laying train. The train continued to be supplied with concrete sleepers from the temporary depot at Crawfordsburn. The entire section had effectively been re-laid by mid-February. Generally, ballast was deposited using NIR loco 111 plus 6 ballast-wagons. In addition, the down line rail between the facing and trailing crossovers at Craigavad, previously removed as a trap-point for the down line, had been replaced. At one stage, IÉ loco 150 was employed on the concrete sleeper delivery train.

A drainpipe was installed between the running lines at Bangor West. In Bangor station, old track was removed from the down line, old ballast dug out and removed between the crossovers and the platforms, and a drainpipe was installed.

At weekends commencing in February, sections of the up line were temporarily lifted between Holywood and Belfast to allow failed ballast be removed, a ‘geo-textile membrane’ be installed and new ballast be deposited. An Atlas machine was used to lift and replace the sleepers, approximately six at a time. Existing concrete sleepers were re-used but with new welded rail.

A nine day closure was arranged over the Easter period from Saturday 30 March to Monday 8 April to allow work proceed in the Craigavad-Belfast section. During this period, all turnouts and the track on the approaches to the Bangor station were renewed. The facing crossover was renewed and moved approximately 70 metres towards Belfast.

During the closure, work started on the up line first and later moved to the down line. The up line from the crossovers at Craigavad to Cultra was completely renewed using the Harsco machine. The down line was renewed between Marino and Cultra. The down line through Sydenham was also re-railed during this possession. The line re-opened on schedule on Monday 8 April with single line working over the up line and with a 20-mph speed restriction on the new track.

Over the weekend of 13/14 April the down line between Holywood and Seapark was renewed, but re-using the existing sleepers in a similar manner to that on the up line. IÉ loco 184 was seen on 20 April hauling a spoil train past Holywood. Over subsequent weekends, the down line was excavated and re-laid between Cultra and Craigavad. The line has effectively been totally reconstructed from MP119 to Bangor.

The crossovers at Craigavad will be left in place when the re-laying project is finished and will be controlled from the panel at Belfast Central. Bi-directional signalling, without intermediate signals for ‘wrong-direction’ movements, will be available for movements during permanent way work or in emergencies. The crossovers will be protected by colour light home and distant signals. Installation of AWS magnets started in May.

SIGNALLING

Automatic electric point heaters have been installed in the Belfast Great Victoria Street - Westlink Junction area. Point heaters were first provided on NIR at the four sets of points on the Dargan Bridge (1 at Yorkgate, 2 at Donegall Quay, and 1 at Queens Quay Junction) in 1994, as the exposed locations were deemed impractical for staff to remain in attendance during snowfall or freezing conditions.

LEVEL CROSSINGS

NIR sponsored a quiz competition for students of the University of Ulster at Jordanstown aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of trespass and to encourage proper use of the level crossing at Jordanstown Halt on the Larne line. Since the introduction of CCTV monitoring of the crossing, there has been a significant reduction in trespass incidents but a rise in motoring offences. NIR plan to upgrade the existing AHB to a full barrier crossing (See JOURNAL 147).

TIMETABLE

From 2 February, NIR introduced a timetable valid to 1 June. It features minor changes; the most significant being the 06.30 Londonderry-Belfast Great Victoria Street advanced to 06.15 in order to provide better connections at Belfast. It arrives in Belfast Central at 08.20 and Great Victoria Street at 08.28. The corresponding down 07.05 Belfast Central-Londonderry is advanced to 07.01 and now crosses the up train at Ballymena instead of Magherabeg. The 16.14 Belfast Central-Londonderry is advanced to 16.07 in order to cross the 14.35 Londonderry-Belfast Central on the double track at Monkstown. The timetable also takes into account the closure of the Bangor line at weekends to allow re-construction.

OPERATIONS

On Friday 18 January, public sector workers throughout Northern Ireland staged a ‘day of action’ following the murder of a postman earlier in the week. Railway staff, with full support of Translink Managing Director Ted Hesketh, took part in rallies and train services were cancelled between 12.00 and 14.00, with services disrupted for about an hour before and after the events. The 11.00 Dublin-Belfast operated to Dundalk only and formed the 13.40 Dundalk-Dublin in the path of the cancelled 12.30 Belfast-Dublin.

The Ireland v Wales Rugby game in Lansdowne Road, Dublin, on Sunday 3 February produced Dublin Connolly-Belfast Central specials at 16.55, 17.28, 18.05 and 19.10 in addition to regular departures. The 17.28 special was formed by 9-car 80-class railcar, 8091 + four + 8083 + two + 67. The 18.00 Dublin-Belfast regular was 234 + 8 De Dietrich (DT 9003). The 18.05 special was 8093 + four + 8084. It was followed by the 18.30 Dublin-Belfast regular, 206 + 7 De Dietrich (DT 9001). The 18.35 Dublin Connolly-Dundalk special was a 4-car 2600-class railcar and the 19.05 Dublin-Belfast special was 8090 + four + 8097.

The Ireland v Scotland Rugby game in Lansdowne Road on Saturday 2 March produced four specials from Belfast Central to Dublin Connolly, plus a relief from Dundalk. The 08.35 Belfast-Dublin was formed by 6-car railcar 8090 + four + 8068 and arrived five minutes early at 11. 00. The 09.30 special was 8091 + four + 67 and arrived one minute late at 12.06. The 10.00 special was 8093 + four + 8096 and arrived twelve minutes late at 12.44.

It was followed two minutes later by the 11.50 relief from Dundalk to Connolly, four-car 2600-class railcar, which served Drogheda only. It ran ahead of rather than behind the 10.30 Belfast-Dublin Enterprise as per schedule. The result was very satisfactory, as the relief was well filled (approximately 200 passengers) and the Enterprise was not overloaded. The Enterprise, 9004 + seven De Dietrich + 221, arrived at 13.01. The final special was the lightly filled nine-car 10.45 Belfast-Dublin, 8099 + four + 8081 + 8089 + two, which arrived on time at 13.10. The fullest train of the morning was again the 10.34 Dundalk-Pearse (see JOURNAL 147). This was formed by 072 + 4 Cravens + GSV and served all stations Dundalk-Howth Junction except Gormanston. It arrived in Connolly two minutes early at 11.48 with approximately 500 passengers.

Two reliefs operated to augment the 10.00 Belfast-Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day Sunday 17 March. The first was formed by 8099 + four + 8081 and arrived in Connolly at 11.25. The second was 8087 + four + 67 + two + 8068, which arrived at 12.20. The 10.00 regular, 9004 + seven De Dietrich + 229, arrived at 12.30.

The Ireland v Italy Rugby game in Lansdowne Road on Saturday 23 March saw returning specials that evening departing Dublin Connolly for Belfast Central at 18.20, 19.05, 19.39 and 20.52. The 18.20 special was formed by 8081 + four + 8090+ two + 8084, the 19.05 special was 8087 + four + 8089, the 19.39 special was two + 8083 and the 20.52 special was 8093 + three + 8092.