Londonderry railway station
Londonderry Railway Station, known commonly as Waterside Railway Station,[1][2][3] is a railway terminus in the city of Derry in Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle. The station is also used by residents of the west of County Londonderry, much of west Tyrone and County Donegal. It is operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It serves the line to Belfast, whose other terminus is Great Victoria Street.
Londonderry Railway Station Waterside Railway Station  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Londonderry Station frontage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Derry Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 54.992069°N 7.313788°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | NI Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | NI Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Londonderry Waterside | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original company | Londonderry & Coleraine Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pre-grouping | Belfast & Northern Counties Railway, Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Post-grouping | London Midland & Scottish (Northern Counties Committee) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pre-nationalisation | Ulster Transport Authority, Northern Ireland Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key dates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1852 1874 1980 2019 | Original station opened current building built current station closed; new station opened Newer station closed, current station redeveloped and re-opened | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
The original Londonderry Waterside Station was opened on 29 December 1852 by Steven Alfred John Campbell, a well-known banker of the time.[4] It was rebuilt into the current building by the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway in 1874. The station was damaged in two terrorist attacks in the 1970s forcing it to be closed on 24 February 1980. A new station of the same name replaced the larger terminus in 1980, after services were reduced and track layout was severely rationalised. Following these rationalisations, the line now consists of a single track with passing loops at Bellarena and Coleraine stations.
Prior to Derry becoming the inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013, the railway line was upgraded with relaid track, a track relay and sections of continuous welded rail [5]
The station signs now read Londonderry, as the suffix Waterside became redundant upon closure of the city's two other railway termini. Despite the nameboard inscriptions, the destination signs on Northern Ireland Railways trains read Derry/Londonderry.[6]
In 2010, the Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, mooted the possibility of building a new railway station that would connect the railway with a planned foot and cycle bridge across the Foyle, bringing it closer to the centre of the city.[7]
On 6 October 2016, Translink confirmed that the railway would be returning to the former BNCR Waterside station which will be used as a new transport hub for the city.[8] As part of this work, platform 2 was taken out of use in September 2018 and the block section to Bellarena converted to One Train Working operation. The 1980 station closed on 8 October 2019 to allow the completion of work on the new station on the former site just to the north.
The new station on the site of the old Waterside Station opened for rail traffic 21 October 2019. The 1980s station was demolished on 5 and 6 December 2019.
Design
The station uses the former train shed as a waiting room, café, and ticket hall for NIR services to and from Coleraine and Belfast. Two platforms are provided one on the river side of the former train shed, the other approximately on the site of the old arrival platform, with a siding adjacent to it for stabling empty stock.
The site of the former departure platform, next to the riverside greenway is unoccupied.
Services
From Mondays to Saturdays as of 2017, an hourly service operates to Belfast Great Victoria Street, reduced to every two hours on Sundays. Buses also serve the location which is being marketed as the North West Transport Hub.
| Preceding station | |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellarena | Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Derry |
Terminus | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Culmore Line open, station closed |
Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Coleraine–Londonderry |
Terminus | ||
References
- http://www.geograph.ie/photo/344922
- http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/New-Waterside-rail-station-at.6103812.jp
- http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/Waterside-is-least-monitored-railway.6353831.jp
- "Londonderry Waterside station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
- "Londonderry Line" Andy Milne, RailStaff, May 2012
- "All aboard". Jill Murray - Flickr. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- New Waterside rail station at Peace Bridge mooted - Londonderry Sentinel, 25/02/10
- Translink. "McGuinness and Hazzard confirm Old Waterside Station as site for Derry transport hub - Translink". www.translink.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2016.