Newry railway station (Irish: Stáisiún Traenach Iúr Cinn Trá)[9] serves Newry and Bessbrook in Northern Ireland. The station is located in the northwest of Newry, County Armagh on the Dublin-Belfast line close to the Craigmore Viaduct. It is the most southerly railway station in Northern Ireland.
Newry Iúr Cinn Trá   | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Newry station in August 2016 | |||||||
| General information | |||||||
| Location | Newry Northern Ireland | ||||||
| Coordinates | 54°11′19″N 6°21′45″W / 54.1885°N 6.3625°W | ||||||
| Owned by | NI Railways | ||||||
| Operated by | NI Railways | ||||||
| Line(s) | DublinPortadown/NewryNorthern Commuter | ||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||
| Train operators | NI Railways, Iarnród Éireann | ||||||
| Bus stands | 1 | ||||||
| Bus operators | Ulsterbus | ||||||
| Construction | |||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||
| Parking | yes | ||||||
| Bicycle facilities | yes | ||||||
| Other information | |||||||
| Station code | Newry | ||||||
| Fare zone | 4[1] | ||||||
| Website | translink | ||||||
| Key dates | |||||||
| 1855 | Opened as Newry Main Line | ||||||
| 1942 | Closed as Bessbrook | ||||||
| 1984 | Re-opened as Newry | ||||||
| 2009 | New station building opened | ||||||
| Passengers | |||||||
| 2015/16 | 242,870 [2] | ||||||
| 2016/17 |  260,033 [2] | ||||||
| 2017/18 | 282,212 [2] | ||||||
| 2018/19 | 307,288 [3] | ||||||
| 2019/20 |  279,213 [4] | ||||||
| 2020/21 | 50,542 [5] | ||||||
| 2021/22 | 179,835 [6] | ||||||
| 2022/23 | 307,551 [7] | ||||||
| 2023/24 | 356,269 [8] | ||||||
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History
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The port of Newry was already a transport hub by 1742 with the opening of the Newry Canal to Lough Neagh.[10] By the start of the twentieth century Newry had become a railway hub, with the Belfast to Dublin line passing to the west of the town, while lines from the ports of Warrenpoint and Greenore either side of Carlingford Lough converged closer to the centre of town where stations were more conveniently situated. All converged at Goraghwood to the north of Newry where a line also diverged off to the north-west towards Armagh.
The current Newry station originally opened in 1855 as Newry Main Line,[11] renamed Bessbrook & Newry Main Line in 1866, renamed again as Bessbrook in 1880 before closing in 1942.[12]
With this closure Newry was served by the Edward Street station, however this was to close with the Warrenpoint branch in 1965,[13] leaving Newry with no railway station.
The station re-opened in 1984[12] as an NIR Intercity station,[citation needed] with basic facilities such as a temporary booking office.[12] These facilities remained in place for over 20 years from the station's opening by which time their condition was deteriorating.[citation needed] In order to improve facilities for passengers a modern new station building was constructed and officially opened on 26 November 2009.[14]
Other stations in Newry
edit- Albert Basin, on the canal branch.
- Armagh Road, temporary station at Mullaghlass on main line.[10]
- Bridge Street, Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway station.[15]
- Dublin Bridge, Newry, Warrenpoint and Rostrevor Railway (NW&RR).[12]
- Edward Street, Opened by the Newry and Armagh Railway (then Newry and Enniskillen) in 1854.[16]
- Kilmorey Street, Original terminus of NW&RR.[12]
Service
editThe station is a calling point on the Enterprise express service, which operates between Belfast Grand Central and Dublin Connolly. These trains call at Newry for both destinations at hourly intervals throughout the day. The station experiences favourable passenger numbers from this service. There are also four trains to and from Belfast Grand Central, operated by Northern Ireland Railways.
On Sundays, there are five Enterprise trains in each direction, and no NIR services.
Additionally, two peak time services are operated each day to and from Newry by Iarnród Éireann, with the first one being the 06:30 service to Dublin Connolly, calling at Commuter stations between Newry and Dublin Connolly except Gormanston, Portmarnock, Clongriffin, and Howth Junction. The first peak service to Newry started in January 2018, with the 17:13 service from Dublin Pearse being extended to Newry from Dundalk Clarke.[citation needed]
Route
edit
Gallery
edit-
Newry station in August 2009 -
Enterprise train arrives at Newry -
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Former platform sign at Newry station. The current sign also has the Irish name. -
The modern day Enterprise departing Newry -
Station entrance -
Station Building (2024) -
Wall Plaques commemorating opening of Station
References
editFootnotes
edit- ^ "iLink Zone information". translink.co.uk. Translink. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Picture of the Newry railway station sign". Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ a b Patterson 2003, p. 73.
- ^ Campbell 1988, p. 78.
- ^ a b c d e Sinclair 2009, p. 43.
- ^ Patterson 2003, p. 226.
- ^ Office of Department for Regional Development 2009.
- ^ Patterson 2003, p. 72.
- ^ Sinclair 2009, p. 42.
Sources
edit- Campbell, John (1988). "The Newry and Armagh Railway and Lissummon Tunnel" (PDF). Lest we Forget... No. 2. Poyntzpass: Poyntzpass and District Local History Society. pp. 67–83. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2020.
- Office of Department for Regional Development (26 November 2009). "Northern Ireland's Transport Minister opens Newry railway station" (Press release). Washington D.C.: HT Digital Streams Limited. Retrieved 31 January 2022 – via ProQuest.
- Patterson, Edward Mervyn (2003). The Great Northern Railway (Ireland). Oakwood. ISBN 0-85361-602-7. OCLC 53393781.
- Sinclair, Ian McLarnon (2009) [2002]. Along Uta Lines — Ulster's Rail Transport in the 1960's (2 ed.). Newtownards: Colourpoint Books. ISBN 9781906578497. OCLC 1280784854. OL 32804763M.
External links
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