Irish Railway Record Society

NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS

FUTURE PLANS

In January, the Belfast Telegraph interviewed Translink Chief Executive Keith Moffatt. It reported that he is keen to modernise the entire network and views the recent government-inspired separation of the railway system into core (the greater Belfast area) and non-core (everything beyond Whitehead and Ballymena) as ‘an artificial division’. It also outlined his future plans, including developing simple and more frequent "clockface" timetables with higher frequencies and a fixed interval service. 'He is already envisaging departures on the hour on the Belfast-Dublin line, although that will need more investment in rolling stock and locomotives’. Mr Moffatt commented on time-keeping problems on the Dublin and Londonderry lines. He blamed the difficulties on the Londonderry line on ‘clapped out trains and track’ but said the situation was improving.

On the Dublin line, consideration is being given to a new driving trailer for the Enterprise to make up a fourth train. Mr Moffat said ‘The Enterprise has a tremendous future if we can get reliability up to scratch’.

 He said ‘Retention of the 80-class trains is not our preferred option. As the new trains arrive the 80-class units will be phased out’. The existing 80-class trains could carry on until 2006, when new safety legislation will outlaw slam door carriages, but the units are becoming increasingly unreliable and shabby.

In January, the Department for Regional Development said that the Minister, John Spellar, felt it was not practical to allow uncertainty about the future of the non-core network to linger on until the results of the ‘current cycle of expenditure’ could be assessed. ‘Consequently, officials in the Department, together with Translink senior management, are in the process of reviewing both the scale and timing of the investment required to enable Translink to continue to operate services on the non-core lines in the longer term and the benefits which such investment would be likely to produce’.

In March, the Belfast Telegraph reported that Translink will undergo internal restructuring that will see separate divisions set up for rail and bus services. Both divisions will report to Translink Chief Executive Keith Moffatt. Translink came into being in December 1996, taking control of constituent companies of NIR, Ulsterbus and Citybus. In 1968 the Ulster Transport Authority, which had control of road and rail operations, was disbanded and control divested to the three companies. Translink confirmed that a reorganisation was taking place with focus on improving service delivery.

FARES

Fares on Northern Ireland Railways were increased by 5% from March 29. Enterprise fares were not increased.

PASSENGER SURVEYS

The General Consumer Council surveyed passengers on public transport in Northern Ireland . The results showed that 56% of passengers said NIR was good value for money. Passengers praised the helpfulness of staff, the comfort of seating and new train and bus stations. Perception and reality on punctuality differed; 52% of passengers said NIR punctuality was good but the actual figures are much higher as shown in the table below:

Autumn 2003 Monitoring Results

NIR Observation Ratings (Trains)    %

NIR Individual Customer Performance Ratings (Trains)     %

INFRASTRUCTURE

Bleach Green Junction-Whitehead   In January, NIR advertised for contractor(s) to re-lay the line between Bleach Green Junction and Whitehead. The project is ‘to excavate, drain, relay and signal approximately 13-kilometres of double track and 3-kilometres of single track to be suitable for 90-mph running. This will consist of the removal of existing line, excavation of the track bed, reinstatement of fresh ballast and relay of new CWR track on concrete sleepers at 1,600 mm gauge, together with complete re-signalling of the new line with colour light multi aspect signalling controlled from Belfast Signalling Control Centre’. The value of the work is estimated at £12.9m but work is not now anticipated to start until April 2005.

Coleraine - Portrush   Due to construction of a subway at Dhu Varren by Department of the Environment Roads Service, trains were substituted by bus on Saturday 17 April and most of Sunday 18 April. The line re-opened with the 16.59 Coleraine-Portrush.

Belfast - Londonderry    All recommendations of the Kerr Report on the derailment at Downhill (See JOURNAL 152) have been implemented within the appointed schedule. A barrier is being installed and a rock-bolting programme is under way.

Belfast-Dublin  To reduce rock-face instability, rock-bolting and removal of loose rock is taking place in the Wellington Cutting south of Newry. A 20-mph speed restriction is in place between MP64³/₄-66 and consequently train punctuality has suffered.

Belfast - Bangor    The Bangor line was closed over Easter from Saturday 10 April to Tuesday 13 April, for work to platforms and track. This work was part of a £2m programme of infrastructure adjustments in preparation for the introduction of the new longer CAF carriages. Work was concentrated in the Bangor West area where the up line was lifted between MP124³/₄-125¹/₄. The track level was lowered through the platform, with steel sleepers replacing concrete sleepers. A 201-class locomotive was used on permanent way trains.

Other   NIR have taken delivery of a new Plasser & Theurer USP5000RT ballast regulator. It is numbered 7010.

Ballast hoppers 521-526, built in France in 1994, are being overhauled in York Road and are being re-numbered 7521-7526.

STATIONS

Carrickfergus   Carrickfergus station won the London Underground Award at the National Heritage Awards. This is the second year in a row that the station has won an award. The award was for the restoration of the subway and installation of lifts. The judges were particularly impressed with how NIR managed to make the station fully compliant with the latest Disability Discrimination Act, while retaining the character of our 19th century station building. Judges praised the sympathetic restoration of the subway tiling, some of which have been replaced with tiles sourced from London Underground. They were also impressed with how the two new lift towers were designed to blend in with the original station, being constructed from recycled County Antrim bricks. Translink said 'This award recognises that we have met the requirements imposed by restoring a listed structure, while at the same time, used this as an opportunity to provide a station for the 21st Century which is accessible to all'.

Platform Extensions   To accommodate the new CAF railcars, which are longer than existing railcars, a programme of platform lengthening is being undertaken. Among platforms being extended were those at Portadown (up), Moira, Lisburn, Lurgan, Balmoral, City Hospital , University and Dhu Varren. Platform extensions at Antrim included the former GNR(I) bay. The programme also includes adjustments to platform canopies. The platform at Scarva has been resurfaced.

DEPOTS

Site clearance work has commenced for the construction of the new railcar maintenance depot at Fortwilliam, north of York Road depot.

SIGNALLING

Part of the signalling system at Lurgan, which was destroyed by terrorists some years ago, was replaced between Saturday 28 February and Sunday 7 March. Absolute block working with a temporary timetable was used to permit trains to continue to operate. The block section was Portadown to Moira in both directions and train drivers received a Temporary Block Working ticket from a hand-signalman when entering the section. A 50-mph speed limit applied. There was also some bus substitution between Lisburn and Portadown.

LOCOMOTIVES AND ROLLING STOCK

Locomotives    GM 112 returned to NIR for a short period in January/February, before heading south again where it was based in the Connolly/Drogheda area initially. It featured on Navan-Dublin Tara Mines trains in February.

De Dietrich   The riding quality of the De Dietrich coaches has been under evaluation by De Dietrich staff. On Friday 6 February, a test train consisting of 9003+9402+9205+9103 + 209 operated between Dublin and Belfast .

80-class  The struggle with ageing equipment is adversely affecting reliability of services as illustrated by recent failures. Power car 8092 suffered major engine damage on 20 February (piston out of block). Others to suffer engine damage were 8081 (March), 8082 (February), 8087 (November) and 8094 (returned to service in late February). Parts have been salvaged from  8084  (December 2002)  and  its  engine is  being  repaired. Power car 8067, damaged in  the Downhill derailment, has been withdrawn.

450-class   8455 returned to service in mid-January having been out of service for over a year. Overhaul of 8453 commenced in January.

3000-class   The 23 new railcars from CAF will be known as the 3000-class, with the sets numbered 3001-3023 and individual vehicles within the sets numbered 3301-23 (driving motor cars - DM1), 3401-23 (motor intermediates - M) and 3501-23 (driving motor cars - DM2). All cars are motorised with a MAN diesel engine driving a Voith hydraulic transmission. Maximum speed is 90-mph. There are painted in a silver and blue livery.

The 3-car diesel multiple units can be altered to operate as 2-car or 4-car sets by the removal or addition of an intermediate carriage. The maximum train size will be 12-cars. Six sets will equipped for operation on IÉ (CAWS and IÉ train radio).

The units comply with British safety legislation including new regulations on interior impacts, and safety and accessibility for the disabled. All carriages have one driven and one non-powered bogie.

The first 3-car set, No. 3001, was delivered to Belfast Docks on Monday 19 April by the MV Linda Buck. Each vehicle was offloaded onto a trailer and brought by road to York Road on Tuesday 20 April where it was placed on rails.

Translink’s General Manager (Rail), Mal McGreevy, said the arrival of the first of the new trains would be a milestone for the NIR. He said: ‘These trains, which we have called the C3K, are the beginning of a very exciting period for NIR. The £80m investment we have been able to make in rolling stock will go a long way towards improving levels of reliability and comfort, as well as the perception of rail as a modern, convenient means of transport. We expect all the trains to be delivered by mid-2005, and for them all to be in service by the end of next year’.

The trains will be subjected to a rigorous testing and commissioning programme of up to 16 weeks before entering service. Each train will have to complete 2,000 miles of fault free trial running before entering revenue service. A further £30m is expected to be spent on parts and maintenance over the first 15 years of the trains' operation.

Storage Movement   On Sunday 28 March, several out-of-service vehicles were moved from York Road to make room for the new CAF railcars. Hunslet locomotive 102 and former Enterprise carriage 923 were moved to RPSI Whitehead by 8459 and 111 ‘top-and-tailing’. Then power-car 8084, trailer 739, former Enterprise generator-van 912 were moved to Adelaide in two movements with 8459 and IÉ 221 providing a brake in the rear.

 The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 154, published June 2004.

Copyright © 2004 by Irish Railway Record Society Limited
Revised: August 04, 2004 .