Dublin-Belfast railway line
Encyclopedia
The Dublin-Belfast main line is a major railway route in Ireland
that connects Dublin Connolly
station in the Republic of Ireland
and Belfast Central
station in Northern Ireland
.
began building a railway line between Belfast
and Lisburn
, which was extended in stages to Portadown
in 1842 and as far as Clones
by 1863. The Dublin and Drogheda Railway
(D&D) built the line between Dublin and Drogheda
. The Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
(D&B Jct) linked the Dublin and Drogheda with the Ulster Railway at Portadown
. The D&D and the D&B Jct merged in 1875 to form the Northern Railway of Ireland
. In 1876 this new company merged with the Ulster Railway and the Irish North Western Railway
, forming the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
(GNRI).
The partition of Ireland
in 1922 meant that the Irish Border passed between Newry
and Dundalk
, which caused lengthy delays as trains were required to stop at stations on either side of the border for customs
examinations. This disruption was eased in 1947 with the opening of facilities for customs checks at Amiens Street station
and Great Victoria Street station
.
At the same time, the GNRI made its Belfast-Dublin services non-stop with the launch of the Enterprise Express. The GNRI was nationalised by the governments of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in 1953 as the Great Northern Railway Board, but in 1958 this was split between the Ulster Transport Authority
and Córas Iompair Éireann
. This led to a running down of rail services in Northern Ireland, with the main line to Belfast closed in 1965. The newly formed Northern Ireland Railways
reopened it in 1969 and bought new locomotives and rolling stock to restore the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise service as well as new diesel multiple units for local services.
has developed a National Development Plan
, which has seen major investment in infrastructure. Almost the entire railway network, including the Belfast-Dublin line as far as the border, has been upgraded to Continuous Welded Rail, while signalling is controlled using the Centralised Traffic Control
system located at Dublin Connolly station. In addition, in 1997, a set of new De Dietrich Stock coaches were purchased jointly by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann
to operate a revamped Enterprise service along with the new Class 201
locomotives.
and Newry
, while IE operates its Commuter services between Dublin and Dundalk as part of the Dublin Suburban Rail
network. In addition, the line between Dublin Connolly and Malahide
is electrified and forms part of the Trans-Dublin
DART
network.
by Making Tracks. It was released in two sections, part one covering Belfast Central to Dundalk, with part two covering the section from Dundalk to Dublin. It is set during the 2000s.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
that connects Dublin Connolly
Dublin Connolly railway station
Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre...
station in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and Belfast Central
Belfast Central railway station
Belfast Central is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in Belfast City Centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic....
station in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
History
The railway line was built by three separate companies. In 1837 the Ulster RailwayUlster Railway
The Ulster Railway was a railway company operating in Ulster, Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway .-History:...
began building a railway line between Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, which was extended in stages to Portadown
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
in 1842 and as far as Clones
Clones
Clones is a small town in western County Monaghan, in the 'border area' of the Republic of Ireland. The area is part of the Border Region, earmarked for economic development by the Irish Government due to its currently below-average economic situation...
by 1863. The Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Dublin and Drogheda Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The D&D constructed the railway line between Dublin and Drogheda. The company presented the scheme to parliament in 1836 and received royal assent on 13 August 1836. John MacNeill was appointed as the line's engineer in...
(D&D) built the line between Dublin and Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
. The Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1845 and opened its line in stages between 1849 and 1853....
(D&B Jct) linked the Dublin and Drogheda with the Ulster Railway at Portadown
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
. The D&D and the D&B Jct merged in 1875 to form the Northern Railway of Ireland
Northern Railway of Ireland
Northern Railway of Ireland was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.It was formed by a merger of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway with the Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway in 1875. In 1876 it merged with the Irish North Western Railway and Ulster Railway to form the Great Northern...
. In 1876 this new company merged with the Ulster Railway and the Irish North Western Railway
Irish North Western Railway
Irish North Western Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.-Development:The company was founded as the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway and opened the first section of its line, from to , in 1849...
, forming the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
(GNRI).
The partition of Ireland
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
in 1922 meant that the Irish Border passed between Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
and Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, which caused lengthy delays as trains were required to stop at stations on either side of the border for customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
examinations. This disruption was eased in 1947 with the opening of facilities for customs checks at Amiens Street station
Dublin Connolly railway station
Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre...
and Great Victoria Street station
Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station
Belfast Great Victoria Street is a major railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with , and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Belfast Central, and . It is near Great Victoria...
.
At the same time, the GNRI made its Belfast-Dublin services non-stop with the launch of the Enterprise Express. The GNRI was nationalised by the governments of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in 1953 as the Great Northern Railway Board, but in 1958 this was split between the Ulster Transport Authority
Ulster Transport Authority
The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.-Formation and consolidation:The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
and Córas Iompair Éireann
CIE
-Organizations:* Cambridge International Examinations, an international examination board* Cleveland Institute of Electronics, a private technical and engineering educational institution — the International Commission on Illumination...
. This led to a running down of rail services in Northern Ireland, with the main line to Belfast closed in 1965. The newly formed Northern Ireland Railways
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...
reopened it in 1969 and bought new locomotives and rolling stock to restore the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise service as well as new diesel multiple units for local services.
Upgrades
In recent years, the government of the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
has developed a National Development Plan
National Development Plan
National Development Plan is the title given by the Irish Government to a scheme of organised large-scale expenditure on national infrastructure. The period covered by the seven year plan runs from 2000 to 2006. A second National Development Plan is currently in progress and is due to run until...
, which has seen major investment in infrastructure. Almost the entire railway network, including the Belfast-Dublin line as far as the border, has been upgraded to Continuous Welded Rail, while signalling is controlled using the Centralised Traffic Control
Centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
system located at Dublin Connolly station. In addition, in 1997, a set of new De Dietrich Stock coaches were purchased jointly by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
to operate a revamped Enterprise service along with the new Class 201
IE 201 Class
The Iarnród Éireann 201 Class locomotives are the newest and most powerful diesel locomotives operating in Ireland, and were built between 1994 and 1995 by General Motors. They are model type JT42HCW, fitted with an EMD 12-710G3B engine of 3200 hp, weigh 112 tonnes and have a maximum speed of...
locomotives.
Services
In addition to the inter-city service between Belfast and Dublin, both NIR and IE operate local services along the route. NIR operates local services along the northern half of the line (the Belfast-Newry Line) between Belfast and Lisburn, PortadownPortadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
and Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, while IE operates its Commuter services between Dublin and Dundalk as part of the Dublin Suburban Rail
Dublin Suburban Rail
The Dublin Suburban Rail network, , is a railway network that serves the city of Dublin, Ireland, most of the Greater Dublin Area and outlying towns...
network. In addition, the line between Dublin Connolly and Malahide
Malahide railway station
Malahide railway station serves Malahide in Fingal . It was built by George Papworth for the Dublin and Drogheda Railway and opened on 25 May 1844....
is electrified and forms part of the Trans-Dublin
Trans-Dublin
The Trans-Dublin is a railway route serving the city of Dublin and its surrounding areas. The route is used primarily by the DART service, and runs north-south along the east coast of Ireland. The route is divided into two parts over two different railway lines:*Belfast to Dublin main line - This...
DART
Dublin Area Rapid Transit
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on the Trans-Dublin route, from Greystones in County Wicklow, through Dublin to Howth and Malahide in County Dublin.Trains are powered via a 1500V DC overhead catenary...
network.
Simulation
The route has been released as a commercial add on for Microsoft Train SimulatorMicrosoft Train Simulator
Microsoft Train Simulator is a train simulator for Microsoft Windows, released in July 2001 and developed by UK based Kuju Entertainment, and is available for purchase through Amazon.com.-Gameplay:...
by Making Tracks. It was released in two sections, part one covering Belfast Central to Dundalk, with part two covering the section from Dundalk to Dublin. It is set during the 2000s.
See also
- Dublin to Cork Main Line
- Enterprise (train)
- Boyne ViaductBoyne ViaductThe Boyne Viaduct , a 30m high railway bridge, or viaduct, that crosses the River Boyne in Drogheda, carrying the main Dublin–Belfast railway line. It was the seventh bridge of its kind in the world when built and considered one of the wonders of the age...