Irish Railway Record Society

NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS  

TIMETABLE

NIR introduced a new timetable on Monday 10 October to coincide with the re-opening of the Bleach Green Junction - Carrickfergus section of the Larne line. The opportunity was taken  to  extend  regular  interval  timetables to

the Carrickfergus line to compliment those already in place on the Bangor-Portadown line (See JOURNAL 158).

Larne Line   The long series of speed restrictions between Bleach Green and Carrickfergus has been removed and a line limit of 70-mph applies. On Monday-Friday, a pattern of express and stopping services is provided in the peak periods in both directions, with stopping services only in the off-peak. Express trains serve Jordanstown, Whiteabbey, Yorkgate, and take 20-minutes from Carrickfergus to Central while stopping trains take 24-minutes. In the opposite direction the express journey time is 19-minutes and the stopping service takes 22-minutes.

Monday-Friday departures from Carrickfergus are at 06:40 to Great Victoria Street (GVS), express to Central; 06:45 stopping to Central, 07:10 to GVS, express to Central; 07:15 stopping to Central and this half hourly pattern continues until 09:15. The off-peak all stops Carrickfergus-GVS service commences at 09:40 and is followed by trains at 10:15, 10:45, 11:15 and at half-hourly interval to 15:15. The express and stopping pattern commences with the 15:30 stopping service from Carrickfergus to Central followed by the 15:40 to GVS, which is express to Central. This is repeated with the 16:00 stopping to Central; 16:10 to GVS, express to central; 16:30 stopping to Central; 16:40 to GVS, express to Central and this service pattern continues at this frequency until the 19:00 to Central. Thereafter stopping trains run to Central at 19:10, 19:40, 20:40, 21:40 and 22:40.

Monday-Friday Belfast-Carrickfergus trains are at 06:00 from GVS, express from Central; 06:15 stopping from Central, 06:30 from GVS, express from Central; 06:45 stopping from Central and both half-hourly express and stopping trains continue at this pattern until the 08:45 stopping train from Central. Thereafter stopping trains run from GVS at 09:00, 09:30, etc., until the 15:00 from GVS, which is express from Central. It is followed by the 15:30 stopping train from Central, 15:30 from GVS (express), 16:00 from Central (stopping), 16:00 from GVS (express) and continuing with this pattern until the 19:00, 20:00 and 21:02 stopping trains from GVS. Later trains are from Central at 22:10 and 23:10.

On Saturdays, the Carrickfergus service is clockface half-hourly all-stops commencing with the 06:00 Central-Carrickfergus and the 06:30 Carrickfergus-Central. Evening services are from Central at 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00 and 23:00 and from Carrickfergus at 18:30, 19:30, 20:30, 21:30 and 22:30.

Sunday Carrickfergus line all-stops services

are at 09:30, 12:25, 14:20, 16:20, 17:55, 19:10 and 21:05 from Central and at 09:00, 11:00, 13:50, 15:50, 17:45, 18:30 and 20:30 from Carrickfergus.

Bangor-Portadown   The running time between Lisburn and Moira is generally extended by 4 minutes and between Bangor and Central by 1 minute. There are no major changes to the clockface 20-minute interval service. The last Monday-Friday train to Portadown is now the 22:30 from Bangor. On Saturdays, the 19:30 Bangor-Central now runs through to Portadown with trains then hourly to Portadown at 20:30, 21:30 and 22:30 from Bangor.

Londonderry/Portrush   There are no significant changes. The reduced 60-mph speed limit between Broughdone (MP37) and Londonderry has been made permanent, but has not resulted in any significant change to journey times.

Dublin   No major changes

INFRASTRUCTURE

Larne Line   The main contractor AMEC SPIE continued to make good progress on track renewal between Carrickfergus and Whitehead. Work included removing existing track, excavating old ballast, installing a new sub-base, new drainage system, new ballast, new sleepers and rails. Tracked excavators and road-rail excavators were used to remove the old track and road vehicles laid the sub ballast. Excavators then laid the sleepers and rails. When the sleepers and rails were in place, RPSI former Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners 0-6-0ST No. 3 R.H. Smyth and three wagons deposited ballast, including working some nights. The steam locomotive was used on eighty-one days between 4 August and 9 December, when the ballasting contract was completed.

The turnout from the double line to single line at MP12¹/₄ near Kilroot was renewed with a new faster turnout and moved towards Whitehead. The line remains single from there to Whitehead. The opportunity was also used to reinforce sea wall defences.

All track and points at Whitehead station have been excavated and re-laid, including the connection into the RPSI sidings. Both platforms are now signalled for movements in both directions from the Belfast and Larne directions. Tactile copingstones have been installed on the platforms.

In addition to the AMEC contract, NIR re-laid sections of track between Whitehead and Larne Harbour. NIR engaged consultants Ferguson McIlveen and civil contractor McLaughlin & Harvey as well as using their own resources.

The following sections of track were re-laid:      

New 113A flat bottom rails were used throughout, which were welded to form CWR on re-laid sections. Existing sleepers were examined and re-used if suitable. The shortfall was made up with new sleepers or good quality second-hand sleepers selected from previous track laying projects. GM 111 + six ballast hoppers were used to deposit ballast.

Work at each of the sections can be summarised as follows:

In addition, 160m of 600mm diameter drainage pipe is to be installed at Camerons.

Re-laying and signalling work between Carrickfergus and Whitehead was substantially complete by late November, with some ballasting and finishing work carried out between Whitehead and Larne in December. The section between Carrickfergus and Whitehead was handed over to NIR by AMEC on 20 December. Signalling work was completed by 8 January.

Clearance trial trains and driver training runs between Carrickfergus and Larne commenced before Christmas. The line was expected to re-open for passenger trains in late January/early February. The track will take time to settle into the new ballast and a temporary timetable will apply for a period.

DEPOTS

Fortwilliam Depot was officially opened on Tuesday 6 December. It had been in use since Monday 24 October.

SIGNALLING

AWS   NIR has been installing the Automatic Warning System (AWS) progressively over the last few years and the following was the status of the project at the end of 2005:

TPWS  The Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) is also being installed at 55 signals across the NIR network. Design consultants have been appointed and they will be responsible for supervision of the installation and testing. A separate installation and testing contract will be placed, with work scheduled for 2006.

LOCOMOTIVES AND ROLLING STOCK

3000-class (C3K)   A trial run was made from Belfast to Dublin Connolly on Sunday 11 December using sets 3001+3005. Following the test, the class were cleared to operate to Dublin. Sets 3001-06 are fitted with the CAWS system, IÉ train radio and Track Circuit Assister for use on IÉ, and are to be used as the leading unit for scheduled operations. However, any member of the class may substitute at short notice for a failed or delayed trains subject to the same restrictions that apply to vehicles not fitted with CAWS or IÉ train radio.

On Monday 2 January (Public Holiday), 3-car set 3005 worked the 10:30 Belfast-Dublin and 13:20 return, substituting for a failed De Dietrich train. This was the first passenger working of the C3Ks to Dublin.

Locomotives    On 5 December GM111, which was out of action for a year, returned to service after repair at York Road and was used to haul ballast trains for re-laying work between Whitehead and Larne. On Friday 25 November 8113 was hauled to Inchicore by 163 where it had its bogies exchanged for a refurbished set. The locomotive transferred from Inchicore to Connolly on Tuesday 20 December and to Belfast on Wednesday 4 January.

80-class   Fleet position on 20 January was:

In service: 8069, 8082, 8083, 8089, 8090, 8094, 8097, 8098, 8733, 8735, 8742, 8743, 8745, 8749, 8754, 8761, 8766, 8779, 8780.

Stored in Adelaide: 8068, 8085, 8086, 8091, 8092, 8093, 8099, 8736, 8738, 8744, 8747, 8752, 8762, 8763, 8765, 8769, 8771, 8773, 8774, 8776.

Scrapped: 8067, 8081, 8087, 8096, 8732, 8739,  8740,  8755,  8756,  8764,  8767,   8768, 8775, 8777.

In January, NIR sought expressions of interest for the disposal and removal of withdrawn twenty 80-class railcar vehicles. NIR require the vehicles to be removed from site in Belfast no later than 30 April 2006. A number of the vehicles contain asbestos bearing material in the heater ducting, which will have to be removed by specialist contractors. All removal costs will be borne by the successful tenderer, NIR not providing any assistance in the removal of vehicles. The offer noted that there would be a further 3 power cars and 3 driving trailers to be disposed off 'towards the end of 2006'.

450-class Overhauls continue on the class. Set 458 was towed from storage at Adelaide to York Road Works for overhaul on Tuesday 25 October by set 452. Set 457 entered service after overhaul in mid-December. NIR said that the class are not scheduled to be replaced until after 2010.

Mk IIf (Gatwick) Carriages   The set remains in store in Adelaide yard. In December the generator van and a pair of standard class carriages were taken to York Road for overhaul prior to the set being returned to service.

ENTERPRISE

In November, the Chief Executive of Translink Mr Keith Moffat said ‘At present we have 80% of Enterprise trains arriving within 10 minutes of their schedule, which is an improvement but is still not good enough'. He said that in the medium term, Translink has a plan to re-deploy surplus IÉ Mk IIIs to increase frequency from the present eight trains a day to hourly.

OPERATIONS

During various weekdays in November and December the 14:16 Central-Bangor and 15:00 Bangor-Central were cancelled to allow application of Sandite to assist adhesion of evening peak trains.

Ireland played New Zealand in rugby on Saturday 12 November. The 08:35 and 09:05 Belfast-Dublin rugby specials were 8083 + four + 8098 and 8089 + three + 8097. For the Ireland v Australia rugby game on Saturday 19 November the 08:35 and 09:05 Belfast-Dublin and return rugby specials were 8083 + four + 8090 and 8089 + three + 8069.

 The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 159, published February 2006.

Copyright © 2006 by Irish Railway Record Society Limited
Revised: May 22, 2006 .