NIR News 160

Irish Railway Record Society

NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS

FARES

Faced with a 107% increase in fuel prices (from 16.9p to 35.0p per litre) in two years, NIR fares were increased by about 9% from 27 March. Enterprise fares were increased by an average of 5.7%. Translink’s Marketing Executive, Ciaran Rogan said, ‘We have done what we can to minimise rises in fares to date, but everyone is aware of the rising cost of fuel. Due to forward planning in purchasing fuel in advance in 2004, we were able to avoid large fare surcharges over the past two years, unlike many industries including airlines and other public transport companies. This was acknowledged by the Consumer Council’.

LARNE LINE

Signalling and layout changes associated with the re-building of the line are summarised:

Greenisland The connection to the disused “Back Line” has been removed. The trailing crossover formerly located at the Belfast end of the station is re-sited at the Larne end.

Carrickfergus The facing crossover at the Larne end of the station has been moved further out and is now sited close to the former Barn halt.

The down platform is now bi-directionally signalled and as a consequence a new 3-aspect signal (466) has been provided at the Belfast end of the down platform to control up trains.

Fully signalled bi-directional running has also been introduced between the re-located facing crossover and Downshire halt. Route direction indicators have been added to the 2-aspect down main and loop platform starters towards Larne (463 & 465). A green aspect and position 4 junction indicator on either of these signals reads to a new signal located at the Larne end of the up platform at Downshire (467). This signal is fixed at red and is protected by a single aspect fixed distant signal (467R), located on the right hand side of the up line about 550 metres from the stop signal to which it applies.

The Carrickfergus up home signal (468) is now located at the Belfast end of the up platform at Downshire. This signal now has an additional position 5 junction indicator which reads to the loop platform (464) at Carrickfergus. The position 4 indicator now reads to the down main platform at Carrickfergus (466).

In order to protect trains standing at the up platform at Downshire or running in the “wrong” direction from Carrickfergus to Downshire, a new 3-aspect signal (470) has been provided on the up road near Kilroot. This in turn is protected by a two aspect distant signal located at MP11^.

Signals 469R, 469, 472 & 472R, protecting the crossover leading to the two mile long single line between Kilroot Junction (MP12) and Whitehead have been re-located to reflect the re-location of this crossover nearer Whitehead thus slightly shortening the section of single line between these two points.

Whitehead Both up and down lines at Whitehead are now bi-directionally signalled. Consequently, a new 2-aspect starting signal (474) has been provided at the Belfast end of the down platform reading to signal 472 at Kilroot Junction. The existing single-aspect signal (481) located at the Larne end of the up platform has had a proceed-aspect added and now acts as a starting signal towards Larne. This signal previously facilitated the termination of down trains on the up platform at Whitehead and had a subsidiary disc reading towards the RPSI depot. Both roles remain.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SIGNALLING

Londonderry Line The line from Castlerock to Londonderry was closed on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April for renewal of UB218 at MP87¹/₂ and a culvert at MP88¹/₂.

Portrush Branch The loop in Portrush station loop has been re-laid with second-hand track.

Procurement NIR has placed contracts with ten suppliers for the supply and delivery of ballast. Corus, Thyssen-Krupp and Turkington have been awarded contracts to supply steel and concrete sleepers (See JOURNAL 158).

AWS/TPWS In March, NIR sought tenders for installation, testing and commissioning of TPWS (Train Protection Warning System) to approximately 50 signals throughout the network. AWS (Automatic Warning System) was commissioned in the Coleraine area in March. Lurgan was commissioned in April and Moira was due to be commissioned in May.

LOCOMOTIVES AND ROLLING STOCK

111-Class GM 111 ran light from Belfast to Inchicore Works to receive newly overhauled bogies and traction motors on 19 January, returning to Belfast on 2 February.

3000-class (C3K) In March, a Translink spokeswoman said that despite clocking up more than a million miles last year, there had been just 74 breakdowns with the new C3K trains. She said many of the early teething problems had been resolved, and passengers were now experiencing a marked improvement in the performance of the new trains.

80-class NIR has sold 8092 to the East Lancashire Railway, where it is expected to be broken up for parts to help maintain their class 207-set 1305 (207 202).

Mk IIf (Gatwick) Carriages The set remains in store in Adelaide yard.

AWS/TPWS NIR has awarded Thales Communication Ltd, Crawley, a contract to fit AWS (Automatic Warning System) and TPWS train-borne equipment to 9 x 450-class railcars, 3 x 111-class locomotives, 4 x Enterprise 201-class locomotives and 4 x Enterprise Driving Van Trailers. No 80-class were included.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 160, published June 2006.