NIR News 169

Irish Railway Record Society

JOURNAL 169
TRANSLINK - NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS

NEW TRAINS

A contract valued at £105m for 20 new railcars was signed on 25 March by the Department for Regional Development, Translink and CAF of Spain. They will be known as Class 4000 (C4K) and will replace 13 sets of 450-class and 80-class railcars. Delivery will commence in 2011, with the first sets entering service in 2012 and all in service by the following year.

Each train will have 209 seats and 36 priority seats. They also feature: automatic opening doors at 1/3 and 2/3 intervals, air conditioning, carpeted floors, overhead luggage racks, baby changing facilities, litter bins, an ergonomic cab design and tinted and laminated glass windows. Safety features include: digital CCTV, a fire-detection and control system and the latest in environmental and passenger safety facilities. They will be fitted with external destination displays on the front and sides as well as audible and visual passenger onboard information, signage in Braille and embossed lettering. Accessibility features include wheelchair access and accommodation for 2 wheelchairs and companion seats. There will also be a fully wheelchair accessible toilet and space for 4 bicycles.

To facilitate 6-car sets of C4K trains, a series of platform extensions will also be completed, as will a new train maintenance facility at the former Adelaide Freight Yard. This will operate in conjunction with existing cleaning and maintenance facilities based at York Road and Fortwilliam, which are currently operating at or near full capacity.

LINE RENEWAL

The Ballymena-Coleraine section was closed from Monday 30 March for track upgrading, removing speed restrictions and restoration of the 70-mph speed limit. Work is scheduled to last until 29 June and to take place during the period of longer daylight hours. A revised passenger timetable and bus substitution services were in place during the closure. Translink posted temporary timetables to around 75,000 homes in the Ballymena, Ballymoney and Coleraine area as well as safety information to local residents in areas that could be affected by the engineering work. Full line closures between Antrim and Coleraine were scheduled for the weekends of 13/14 June, 20/21 June and 27/28 June.

Londonderry-Coleraine trains were operated by two 3-car CAF sets, 3007 and 3018. 450-class 8452 and 8453 were also based in Coleraine, primarily for Portrush branch services, but they also worked occasional Londonderry services. A maintenance facility was set up in Coleraine.

McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd of Mallusk, Belfast is the main contractor and in May NIR reported that they were making good progress with work completed on site matching the tight programme. Ballast trains hauled by a GM locomotive operated from Antrim at night to deposit ballast between Ballymoney and Coleraine before line closure. Once the line was closed, old rails and sleepers were removed in Ballymoney and south of the station. Formation repairs were also taking place between Broughdone and Killagan. Killagan loop track was removed and trackbed excavated.

Full track reconstruction is taking place at 5 “dig-out” areas amounting to a length of approximately 6,300m. 70% of the existing 50-kg/m jointed rails are being cropped and flash butted welded on site to form CWR from MP37¹/₂ at Broughdone Level Crossing to MP61¹/₄ at Coleraine Station.

The deck on UB129 is being renewed near Cullybackey. Culverts UB134 and UB146 have been totally replaced with new pre-cast concrete structures.

During 2008, a ‘wet spots’ contract was carried out during night time possessions between Broughdone Level Crossing MP37¹/₂ and Londonderry MP92¹/₄. Over 6,000 wet spots were repaired and some associated broken sleepers were replaced. McLaughlin & Harvey was the main contractor.

For the main contract McLaughlin and Harvey purchased 11 rail trolleys from Geismar in France and hired two Road-Rail Shunter Units from Unilock in Galway. The trolleys were manufactured to Irish Gauge for this contract. The Unilok Shunters were converted from 1435mm to Irish Gauge for this project. Together the equipment has worked as a very efficient CWR Train.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SIGNALLING

Belfast-Dublin Single line working over the up line from Poyntzpass to Dundalk was in place on Sunday 29 March to facilitate station construction work in Newry.

On Thursday 30 April, GM 8113 + 3 Giesmar rail wagons dropped rails at Lurgan and south of Newry. Ballast trains also operated in subsequent weeks.

Lisburn-Antrim The Minister for Regional Development advised the Assembly that ‘the running cost of maintaining the Knockmore railway line in 2008 was £91,610, including gross depreciation of £54,477’. It is believed that three trains used the line in 2008:

1. September: MRSI Charter, 80-Class

2. October: RPSI Crew Train, No. 4 + 4 Mk IIs + Dutch Van

3. December: 112 + ballast wagons.

Belfast-Bangor The Minister for Regional Development told the Assembly that ‘Subject to the agreement of capital plans with Translink...’ it is planned to spend £160,000 on Bangor Line Signalling, £35,000 on Helen’s Bay retaining Wall and £280,000 on Bangor West path in the period 2009/11.

Signalling On 28 March, new up and down distant and stop signals were commissioned to protect the runway at City of Derry Airport at Eglington in the Londonderry-Castlerock section. The panel at Londonderry was extended to control them and there is also a panel and telephone in the airport control tower. Signals are numbered LY377R, LY377, LY378R & LY378.

Belfast Central cabin is divided into 2 work stations, the Belfast Central end and the Larne/Antrim end. The Central signaller controls Hilden-Bangor including GVS and from Lagan Junction to York Rd and Fortwilliam depots. The Larne/Antrim signaller controls from Fortwilliam to Larne harbour, from Bleach green Junction to Kellswater North and the Antrim-Lisburn branch.

Station Upgrades In January, NIR announced that the £17m station and halt passenger facility upgrade programme had been completed on time and on budget. Work included installation of new shelters, lighting, seating, signage, platform resurfacing and new ticket counters, ramps, lifts and accessible toilet facilities in compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. The Inclusive Mobility Transport Advisory Council welcomed ‘the improvements: ‘We believe the changes made will mean that disabled people and older people will find it easier when travelling by train here’.

Antrim NIR has invested £250,000 in restoring the platform canopy. The new canopy is being built using modern materials but will still maintain the character and heritage of the early Victorian railway station, which is a listed building and first opened in 1848. Work includes: refurbishment of cast-iron decorative columns; replacement of old trusses and bays; addition of modern gutters; use of resilient ‘Bangor Blue’ slates and the installation of modern replicas of traditional roof-lights that enable more natural light to filter down onto the platform.

Procurement NIR has sought expressions of interest for a ‘Main Building Contract for Ballymena Signalling and Permanent Way Maintenance and Storage Facility’. The Infrastructure Yard at Ballymena acts as the current main Permanent Way stores and also the local base for the Ballymena Permanent Way (PW) and Signalling & Telecommunications (S&T) squads. The yard has become run down over time and the facilities in place are all of a temporary nature and are no longer fit for purpose. There are 26 Infrastructure personnel (13 PW squad, 1 PW Inspector, 11 S&T staff and 1 store-man) based at Ballymena all relying on temporary accommodation facilities.

The yard at Ballymena also acts as the main Permanent Way storage yard. Stocks consist of heavy materials such as rail, sleepers, turnouts as well as smaller more specialist items. The current yard surface is in a poor un-drained condition and restricts the usable operational area for the large scale materials to be stored.

There is a variety of plant also stored at the yard. This ranges from small tools, equipment and vans used by the PW and S&T squads through to large on-track plant including Tampers, Regulators, Ballast Wagons, etc. All road vehicles, small tools, equipment and on-track plant require suitable secure storage.

Currently the siding facilities are limited and they do not provide sufficient protection from possible vandalism or the ability for loading. As well as the provision of additional, secure stabling for on-track plant it is proposed to provide a covered maintenance area to relieve pressure in York Rd, Belfast. Currently all on-track plant maintenance is either undertaken at York Rd or exposed to the elements at Ballymena. Major repair and overhaul will still be undertaken at York Road.

ROLLING STOCK

De Dietrich In January, standard class carriage 9204 was transferred by road to Scotland for repairs to damage caused by an earlier derailment in York Rd.

OPERATIONS

Sunday 18 January Non-Enterprise locomotive 227 operated the 13:00 Belfast-Dublin.

Saturday 7 February Three special trains of 6-car 3000-class operated Belfast-Dublin for the Ireland V France rugby game in Dublin. They were at 11:25, 11:55 and 13:25, returning at 19:55, 20:05 and 21:05. Similar specials operated on Saturday 28 February for the Ireland V England game.

St Patrick’s Day Tuesday 17 March An 08:10 Belfast-Dublin GAA special operated, returning at 19:10.

Thursday 5 March The 13:30 Dublin-Belfast and 16:10 return was formed by IÉ 4-car set 29114.

Sunday 8 March The 13:00 Dublin-Belfast was worked by IÉ 4-car set 29107.

Monday 27 April The 07:35 Dublin-Belfast and 10:30 return were worked by 29126.

Thursday 30 April The 14:10 Belfast-Dublin was worked by a 3-car 3000-class after earlier locomotive problems affected the 11:00 Dublin-Belfast.