Plan Ahead: Translink announces rail disruption for upcoming essential railway works

Passengers travelling on the Dublin, Bangor, Larne and Derry~Londonderry rail lines are being urged to plan ahead as Translink confirms a series of essential engineering works across two weekends in February.

The planned works will affect services on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February, and again on Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March, with rail replacement bus services operating on impacted routes.

The programme of works, coordinated with Irish Rail, will result in temporary line closures and revised timetables, with Translink advising customers to check journey details in advance.

Dublin Enterprise line: Drogheda to Dublin Connolly closure

Due to engineering works by Irish Rail, the train line between Drogheda and Dublin will be closed on Saturday 21 February and Sunday 22 February.

During this period, Enterprise trains will operate to a revised timetable between Belfast Grand Central Station and Drogheda. Rail replacement bus services will operate between Drogheda and Dublin Connolly.

Bangor, Larne and North West lines affected

Translink teams will also undertake essential works:

• Between Lanyon Place Station and Bangor

• Between Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry (North-West Transport Hub)

• On the Larne Line between Carrickfergus and Larne Harbour

These works will take place across the same two weekends in late February. Rail replacement bus services will operate during the closures in order to minimise disruption.

On the Bangor line, bus substitutions will serve main A2 road bus stops as well as Quarter station (Sydenham Rd). These services will connect with trains at Lanyon Place Station for onward travel to and from Belfast Grand Central Station.

Between Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry, the line closure will also affect the 10.43pm train ex Coleraine on Friday nights (20 and 27 February).

The last Friday service at 10.43pm will operate as a bus substitution from Coleraine to the North-West Transport Hub.

Replacement buses will meet Belfast-bound trains at Coleraine and will include both a direct service and a stopper service for Castlerock and Bellarena passengers.

On the Larne Line, rail replacement buses will serve main road bus stops and call at Whitehead and Larne Town stations. These services will meet Belfast-bound trains at Carrickfergus.

Safety-critical works and infrastructure upgrades

The works will be carried out at multiple locations and include safety-critical platform extension works at Helen’s Bay station, tunnel maintenance at Castlerock and Downhill, culvert repairs between Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry, and essential embankment repairs at Cloghan Point near Whitehead.

Translink said grouping the projects into fewer, carefully planned closure periods will help maintain the safety and reliability of the rail network while limiting overall disruption.

John Glass, Director of Infrastructure and Projects at Translink, said:

“We are committed to maintaining and enhancing our rail infrastructure to deliver a high quality, safe and sustainable public transport network today, and for future generations.

“We’ve planned these works carefully so that several essential upgrades – from tunnel repairs to platform extension work and embankment maintenance, as well as other improvements – can be delivered in one closure period.

“We would like to thank all our passengers and local neighbours for their patience and understanding while these important works are carried out, helping to maintain safe and reliable services for the future.”

He added:

“We apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience, and we advise our customers to check their timetables in advance of travel on the Translink website www.translink.co.uk or Journey Planner as bus substitutions may operate different schedules to regular train timetables.”

Advice for passengers and residents

Commuters, families and weekend travellers are being encouraged to allow extra time for journeys, particularly where bus substitutions are in place.

Replacement services may operate to different schedules and from different stopping points compared with normal rail services.

Further details are available at:

www.translink.co.uk/lineimprovements