Belfast Lanyon Place (formerly Belfast Central) is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Located on East Bridge Street in the Laganside area of central Belfast, it is one of four stations in the city centre, the others being City Hospital, Botanic, and Belfast Grand Central.
Lanyon Place  | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Station Building. | |||||||
| General information | |||||||
| Other names | Belfast Central | ||||||
| Location | East Bridge Street, Belfast Northern Ireland | ||||||
| Coordinates | 54°35′43″N 5°55′02″W / 54.5953°N 5.9172°W | ||||||
| Owned by | NI Railways | ||||||
| Operated by | NI Railways | ||||||
| Line(s) | Bangor Derry~Londonderry Larne | ||||||
| Platforms | 4 | ||||||
| Tracks | 4 (at platforms) 5 (total) | ||||||
| Construction | |||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||
| Key dates | |||||||
| 1976 | Opened as Belfast Central | ||||||
| 2003 | Refurbished | ||||||
| 2018 | Renamed "Lanyon Place" | ||||||
| Passengers | |||||||
| 2015/16 | 2.232 million [1] | ||||||
| 2016/17 |  2.282 million [1] | ||||||
| 2017/18 |  2.424 million [1] | ||||||
| 2018/19 | 2.615 million [2] | ||||||
| 2019/20 | 2.569 million [3] | ||||||
| 2020/21 | 359,100 [4] | ||||||
| 2021/22 | 980,707 [5] | ||||||
| 2022/23 | 1.833 million [6] | ||||||
| 2023/24 | 2.417 million [7] | ||||||
| |||||||
The station serves Northern Ireland Railways routes to Derry, Bangor and Larne. Until 2024, Lanyon Place was also the northern terminus of the cross-border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly, jointly run with Iarnród Éireann.
Description
editThere are two island platforms at Lanyon Place, each serving two tracks, capable of accommodating trains up to nine coaches long on each side. Platform 1 is usually only used at peak hours, as well as for special services run by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. Platform 2 was the Enterprise platform. Platform 3 is the 'southbound platform', normally used for trains to Botanic, City Hospital and Belfast Grand Central with Platform 4 being the 'northbound platform' for trains along the Derry, Larne and Bangor lines.
2.6 million people used the station in 2017.[8]
History
editThe station was opened as "Belfast Central" on Monday 26 April 1976,[9] despite it being located further from Belfast city centre than Great Victoria Street station. The first station manager was Mr John Johnston.
By the 1990s, it became clear that the station's facilities were in need of upgrading. A major refurbishment programme started in 2000 and was completed in 2003.[10]
In February 2018, Translink announced that Belfast Central would undergo a face-lift. This would see the entrance hall and East Bridge Street façade completely redesigned, with the removal of the Troubles-era blast wall. Inside, the ticket hall would be rebuilt and new retail and dining facilities provided. A Belfast Bikes dock will also be included in the redesigned station.[8]
As part of the redesign, Belfast Central was renamed Lanyon Place on 1 September 2018. This is despite the fact that, strictly speaking, the station is not located there but on East Bridge Street.
The Enterprise train served Lanyon Place for the final time on 2 July 2024. Bus substitution services continued from Lanyon Place until 12 October 2024. On 13 October 2024, the service was transferred to the new Belfast Grand Central Station integrated transport hub.[11][12]
Current Service
edit
Bangor line
editFrom Monday to Saturday, there is a half hourly service from Lanyon Place to Bangor in one direction, and to Grand Central in the other. During peak times there are up to 6 trains per hour operating to Bangor with 3 being express services and the other half being slow services stopping at all stations between here and Bangor. The service is reduced to hourly operation in the evenings.
On Sundays, the service reduces to hourly operation between Bangor and Grand Central.
Larne line
editOutbound services run half-hourly on an alternating basis to either Whitehead or through to Larne Harbour, giving an hourly service to stations beyond Whitehead. Extra services at peak times run to Carrickfergus and Larne Town. Almost all inbound services operate to Grand Central, with some peak time trains terminating here.
Saturdays retain a very similar pattern to the weekday service, minus any additional peak-time trains. On Sundays, the service reduces to hourly operation, with the outbound terminus alternating between Whitehead and Larne Harbour as before, giving a two-hourly service to stations beyond Whitehead. All inbound services operate to Grand Central.
Derry~Londonderry line
editAll Derry~Londonderry Line trains call at Lanyon Place. During the week, the service runs hourly in each direction between Grand Central and Derry~Londonderry. Certain peak-time or late-night trains will only run as far as Coleraine, or through to Portrush along the Coleraine-Portrush railway line.
On Saturdays, the service is slightly reduced, however operation remains much the same as during the week. On Sundays, the hourly service alternately runs to Derry~Londonderry and Portrush, giving a two-hourly service to stations beyond Coleraine.
Former Services
editDublin line
editUntil 2024, the Enterprise service operated from Lanyon Place to Dublin Connolly every two hours. This reduced to five services per day on Sundays. The Enterprise served Lanyon Place for the final time on 2 July 2024, with the line south of Lanyon Place closing for track maintenance the following day. The Enterprise began to operate from Grand Central station on 13 October 2024.
Rail and Sea Connections
editPort of Belfast
editThe Port of Belfast has a Stena Line ferry connecting to Cairnryan for the bus link[13] to Stranraer and onward trains along the Glasgow South Western Line to Glasgow Central.
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stranraer Harbour (via bus link from Cairnryan[13]) |
Stena Line Ferry |
Port of Belfast (nearest stations York Street & Lanyon Place | ||
| Liverpool | Stena Line Ferry |
Port of Belfast (nearest stations York Street & Lanyon Place) | ||
| Douglas | Isle of Man Steam Packet Ferry(seasonal) |
Port of Belfast (nearest stations York Street & Lanyon Place) | ||
| Stranraer Harbour (via bus link from Cairnryan[13]) |
P&O Ferries Ferry |
Larne Harbour |
Port of Larne
editThe Larne line connects with Larne Harbour with P&O Ferries sailing to Cairnryan for the bus link[13] to Stranraer and onward trains along the Glasgow South Western Line to Glasgow Central, as well as alternative sailings by P&O Ferries to Troon also on the Glasgow South Western Line to Glasgow Central.
References
edit
- ^ a b c "NIR Footfall 1518.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "NIR Footfall 1819.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "NIR Footfall 1920.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 11 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2021.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2122.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2223.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "FOI Footfall 2023 2024 figures PDF.pdf". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ a b Translink. "Central Station to get a New Name and Makeover". www.translink.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Central 1". IRRS. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ "Central 2". Translink. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ "Translink on X:From Sunday October 13, Enterprise services will depart for Dublin from Belfast Grand Central Station Be sure to visit http://translink.co.uk to plan your journey". x.com. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Belfast Lanyon Place Station Bids Farewell To Enterprise Service - Rail Express". Everand. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)