Irish Railway Record Society

NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS

FUTURE OF NETWORK

On 19 May, the Minister of Regional Development invited public submissions on future investment in the rail network. He said ’Investment has been focused primarily on the most heavily used parts of the network, the so-called core network. The intention had been that decisions on the investment needs of the lesser used sections [beyond Ballymena and Whitehead] would be made after the impact of these recent investments in the core network could be fully assessed. It then became clear that it would be 2007 at the earliest before such an assessment could begin but some investment decisions in respect of the lesser used parts of the network would need to be taken before then’.

‘On 16 September 2003 , I announced at a conference in Cookstown that it would not be practical to defer decisions for such a period. I therefore asked a working group comprising senior officials of the Department for Regional Development, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company and Translink - the Railways' Review Group - to draw together information which would inform decisions on both the scale and timing of investment required to enable Translink to continue to operate services on the rail network - particularly the lesser used sec-tions - in the longer term. In addition Translink appointed consultants (Booz Allen Hamilton) to undertake an overarching Strategic Rail Review for the whole of the rail network in NI’.

‘The report of the Railway Review Group has now been completed and is being made public today. Its conclusions are in line with those of Booz Allen Hamilton in identifying that substantial sums of money will be required over the next five years to maintain rail services on the network. The core network could require capital investment of £134m and the lesser-used sections some £41m over the next five years. In addition, an annual running cost subsidy of around £20m will be required to maintain the current level of services. And the lesser-used lines would require re-laying within the next 10 years at a cost probably in excess of £1million per mile’.

In the Booz Allen Hamilton report, estimates were given for the cost of maintaining services on the Londonderry and Larne lines up to 2009. The three options were:

The Minister said ‘among the key facts relevant to the debate are the following:

‘In relation to public transport, we need to consider what services we should buy with the funding which might be available. Should we seek to invest further in rail services, or is there a case for directing those resources, which we can obtain towards improving roads and bus services? For example, £1m capital investment in railways - the rough cost of relaying one mile of track - would fund the purchase of 8 buses. Capital expenditure of £40m (the sort of sum which might be required for the maintenance of the lesser used lines over the next five years) could fund the construction of 20 kilometres of dual carriageway’.

In response, Translink chief executive Keith Moffatt said: ‘I believe there is a clear and compelling economic case in favour of retaining the current network in its entirety and investing in it for the long term to expand service levels. I would encourage the public, politicians and the media to engage fully in this consultation; previously when asked about the future of the railways, the public's response has been loud and clear in favour of retaining the entire network and for more investment, not less. At a time when all over Europe, and in particular in the Republic, countries and regions are investing in their railways as catalysts for economic and social development, surely Northern Ireland is not to be left behind’.

He also said ’ Based on my experience in the UK and abroad, I believe the review underestimates the wider benefits of investing in a modern railway system at a time when car usage is forecast to increase by 50% over the next 10 years. This projected level of car use simply cannot be accommodated without significant increases in traffic congestion, so it is therefore essential that we provide an attractive alternative. Only further investment in the railway and an integrated bus system will allow us to do this’.

‘There is also much talk about the future of the lesser-used outlying sections of railway line to Derry and Larne. The simple reality is that all outlying sections of any railway network have lower levels of use than the “core”. Experience in GB and elsewhere has shown the long-term disadvantages of cutting these limbs off from the rest of the rail network. The relatively low use of the railway in Northern Ireland is hardly surprising, considering the low speed and frequency of services, the product of many years of limited investment’.

Comments were required by 23 July. Reaction to the consultation process from local politicians and groups was generally very negative and focused on the widespread belief that the British politicians and Northern Ireland Civil Service had already made up their minds to close these railways. One group said ‘In general terms, we are very unhappy at the way in which the report has been presented. It is very unbalanced and may lead the casual reader to think that there was no demand for retaining these lines. However, many of the figures given in the report, and the accompanying letter from the Minister, are misleading and incomplete. For example, the passenger numbers given are artificially low as they do not include those using intermediate stations, whilst the amount of dual carriageway, which could be built if the money was put into roads rather than the railway, is greatly exaggerated -- 2-3 miles of dual-carriageway at best, once costs associated with closure are considered, not 12 miles (20km) as stated’.

In July, The Belfast Telegraph revived its ‘Save Our Railways’ campaign to counter the threatened closure of Londonderry and Larne lines. The newspaper fought a similar campaign in 2001, highlighting the case for railways to members of the Belfast Assembly, but since then the collapse of elected government has seen the transport agenda driven by un-elected civil servants. Translink Chief Executive Keith Moffatt welcomed the Telegraph's intervention. He said: 'Translink has made a clear and compelling case to maintain and enhance the existing rail network and the support of the Telegraph is invaluable. Substantial investment will enable us to deliver a sustainable railway offering real value for money ... The Telegraph played an effective role in highlighting the issue in 2001 and we hope that this can be repeated on this occasion'. Shortly afterwards, new stickers appeared on the front of cabs of trains bearing the slogan 'Invest in the West --- Save our Railways'.

All political parties publicly opposed any line closures and made submissions to the Department. The Department said more than 1,000 submissions had been received by the closing date.

C3K

This is the branding name for the new train service to be introduced with new 23 CAF 3-car trains. Mr Mal McGreevy, General Manager-Rail Services said ‘the new trains mark a further significant step in the renaissance of rail travel in Northern Ireland and indeed for public transport in general’. In April and May, Translink invited submissions on new timetables to be introduced in conjunction with the new trains. Mr McGreevy said ‘We have established a New Rail Service Implementation Team to examine every aspect of the rail operation, from timetables right through to customer service delivery, and we are now inviting the public to express their preferences on timetabling issues. Everyone in Northern Ireland , has the opportunity to influence key service decisions we will be making in relation to improving the new train service timetable’.

In addition, Translink has appointed specialist transport researchers, AEA Technology and Millward Brown Ulster to undertake a study, which will involve additional public consultation in several formats, to identify public and staff views on a range of new rail service issues.

The report and data to be produced by the two research companies will help Translink in the strategic planning of the new rail service and with demand forecasting. Mr McGreevy said ‘we welcome and look forward to receiving as much input from as many members of the Northern Ireland population as possible’.

TRANSLINK ANNUAL MEETING

Translink held its annual meeting on 16 June. Jim Aiken, director of corporate affairs, reported that traffic on NIR had gone up by 5% year on year, while both Ulsterbus and Citybus had suffered a slight decline. NIR had incurred a pre-tax loss of £3.1m, while Citybus had lost £400,000. Ulsterbus had made a pre-tax profit of £2.7m, while the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company made a pre-tax profit of £2.1m.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Bleach Green Junction-Whitehead   In July, NIR advised residents living adjacent to the Larne line of night-time track maintenance work commencing on 26 July and finishing in the autumn. The work includes re-sleepering and drainage work in advance of the main re-laying work, which will commence in 2005. The notice also stated that work would take place at Trooperslane and Jordanstown level crossings in preparation for their conversion from AHBs to four-barrier CCTV monitored crossings.

Belfast - Londonderry    Due to lowering the track at OB140 and repairs to OB123, the line between Ballymena and Ballymoney was closed on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 June. Substitute buses operated between both stations.

A new Westinghouse level crossing Predictor is on trial at Muckamore crossing XL14 between Bleach Green and Antrim. The Predictor is used to initiate the barrier closing sequence depending on the speed of the approaching train, as opposed to the barrier closing being initiated when the train passes a fixed location. Therefore, it can reduce motorists’ frustration when a slow or stopping train initiates a level crossing well in advance of the arrival of the train. The Predictor transmits audio frequencies along the running rails from a unit at the level crossing. As the train approaches the crossing, the length of running rails between the train and the feed point reduces, which in turn reduces the resistance in the circuit. The Predictor uses this rate of change of resistance to calculate the speed of the approaching train and initiates the barrier closing sequence. The equipment is failsafe and based on US technology. Over 20,000 have been installed worldwide, some over forty-years ago.

From 16 May the speed limit through Ballymoney station MP53-53³/₄ has been reduced from 40-mph to 30-mph.

From 06.00 on Tuesday 3 August, the line under OB163 at MP52¹/₄-52¹/₂ between Ballyboyland and Ballymoney was slewed to improve clearances. A temporary 5-mph speed restriction had applied to trial runs of 3000-class railcars under this bridge from mid-June.

Belfast - Dublin   Between Friday 14 and Sunday 23 May there were alterations to and disruptions of services on the Belfast-Portadown line due to installation of signals associated with the conversion of Moira and Trummery level crossings from Automatic Half Barrier (AHB) to four-barrier CCTV monitored crossings. Absolute block was used between Lisburn and Lurgan. Some local trains were substituted by bus.

 The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 155, published October 2004.

Copyright © 2005 by Irish Railway Record Society Limited
Revised: January 11, 2005 .