Derry ~ Londonderry railway station

Derry ~ Londonderry
Derry ~ Londonderry station frontage in 2023
General information
Other names	North West Transport Hub
Location	Waterside Derry Derry City and Strabane Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54°59′31″N 7°18′50″W / 54.992069°N 7.313788°W / 54.992069; -7.313788
Owner	Translink
Operator	NI Railways
Line	Derry ~ Londonderry Line
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Bus routes	2a, 2b, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4c, 5a, 7n, X3, X4
Bus operators	Ulsterbus, Goldline, Foyle Metro
Connections	Ulsterbus, Goldline and Foyle Metro
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	Yes (100 spaces)
Architect	1874: John Lanyon 2019: Consarc Design
Other information
Status	Open
Station code	LY
Fare zone	North West Zone / iLink Zone 4
Website	www.translink.co.uk/Derry~Londonderry
History
Former names	Londonderry Waterside
Original company	Londonderry and Coleraine Railway
Pre-grouping	Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Northern Counties Committee
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee)
Key dates
1852	Original station opened
1874	Relocated to Waterside station
1980	Relocated to replacement station
21 October 2019	Reopened at restored Waterside station as the North West Transport Hub
Passengers
2015/16	324,089
2016/17	339,900
2017/18	449,661
2018/19	540,781
2019/20	529,606
2020/21	124,548
2021/22	467,001
2022/23	723,776
2023/24	952,126
2024/25	963,312
2025/26	1.040 million
Services
Preceding station NI Railways Following station Terminus Derry ~ Londonderry Line Bellarena towards Belfast Grand Central
Historical railway lines
Preceding station   Londonderry and Coleraine Railway   Following station Culmore Line open, station closed   Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Coleraine–Londonderry   Terminus
NI Railways Translink NI railway stations
Track layout Legend Track and platform layout to Belfast This diagram: view talk edit Show station track layout (Click to expand) Show NI Railways Network map Legend Year closed Great Victoria Street 2024 Belfast Grand Central Belfast-Dublin line to Portadown, Newry & Dublin Connolly City Hospital Windsor 1885 Botanic Ormeau 1885 Lanyon Place Queen's Bridge 1885 Lagan Railway Bridge over River Lagan Belfast-Bangor line to Bangor Dargan Bridge over River Lagan York Street Yorkgate 2024 York Road depot York Road 1992 Fortwilliam Traincare Depot Greencastle 1954 Whitehouse 1954 Whiteabbey Belfast-Larne line to Larne Harbour via Greenisland   1963 Monkstown 1981 Mossley 1982 Mossley West Ballyclare Junction 1961 Ballyclare branch line to Ballyclare 1950 Ballyrobert 1920 Doagh 1970 Templepatrick 1981 Dunadry 1954 Muckamore 1961 Lisburn-Antrim line to Lisburn 2003 Antrim Cookstown Junction 1976 Cookstown branch line 1959 to Magherafelt & Cookstown Kellswater 1971 Andraid 1850 Ballymena & Larne Rly to Larne 1950 Ballymena Ballymena, Cushendall & Redbay Rly 1940 to Parkmore and Retreat   Cullybackey Glarryford 1973 Killagan 1973 Dunloy 1976 Ballymoney Ballycastle Railway to Ballycastle 1950 Derry Central Railway to Magherafelt 1950 Macfin 1954 Coleraine Coleraine Harbour 1963 Coleraine-Portrush line to Portrush River Bann Coleraine Waterside 1861 Barmouth 1856 Castlerock Castlerock Tunnel Downhill Tunnel Downhill 1973 Umbra 1861 Magilligan 1976 Bellarena River Roe Limavady Railway to Limavady and Dungiven 1955 Limavady Junction 1976 Ballykelly 1954 Carrichue 1954 Faughanvale 1859 Eglinton 1973 River Faughan Derry ~ Londonderry This diagram: view talk edit Show Derry~Londonderry line route diagram
Location Derry ~ Londonderry Location within Derry Show map of Derry Derry ~ Londonderry Location within Northern Ireland Show map of Northern Ireland Derry ~ Londonderry Location within island of Ireland Show map of island of Ireland Location in Derry
Notes Passenger statistics are Translink railway station footfall counts rather than accredited passenger-journey statistics.

Derry ~ Londonderry railway station, also known as North West Transport Hub or Waterside railway station (formerly "Londonderry Waterside", and later just "Londonderry" railway station), is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways and its 7th busiest station across the network with 952,126 passengers boarding or alighting at the station in the 2023/24 financial year. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, terminating at Belfast Grand Central. Derry/Londonderry has the longest platforms on the NIR Network, at 258.3 metres in length.

History

The original Londonderry Waterside Station was opened on 29 December 1852 by Steven Alfred John Campbell, a well-known banker of the time. It was rebuilt into the current building by the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway in 1874.

Derry historically had four passenger termini. On the west side of the river, Graving Dock station served the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway and destinations to the west and Foyle Road station (which replaced the short-lived Cow Market station) served the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway to Enniskillen via Strabane and Omagh. On the east side of the river, Victoria Road station served the alternative Donegal Railway Company (later Great Northern Railway) line to Strabane and Waterside station served the line to Belfast via the north coast. Although passenger trains terminated at these respective stations, all four railways were linked by freight lines through the city and the Craigavon Bridge.

Following the closure of the city's other railway termini, Waterside became Derry's only remaining railway station in 1965. The station was subsequently renamed *Londonderry*, dropping the *Waterside* suffix. Services were reduced and the railway infrastructure was rationalised, leaving the Belfast-Derry line predominantly single-track, with passing loops at Bellarena and Coleraine. The station is currently listed by Translink as Derry~Londonderry, while the restored former Waterside station building forms part of the North West Transport Hub.

The station was damaged in two terrorist attacks in the 1970s forcing it to be closed on 24 February 1980. A third station of the same name replaced the larger terminus in 1980.

Prior to Derry becoming the inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013, the railway line was upgraded with re-laid track, a track relay and sections of continuous welded rail

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.

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. 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 is part of the North West Transport Hub and is on the site of the old Waterside Station. It opened for rail traffic on 21 October 2019, with the 1980s station being demolished on 5–6 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 2024, an hourly service operates to Belfast Grand Central, reduced to every two hours on Sundays. Buses also serve the location which is being marketed as the North West Transport Hub.

Gallery

• 
  Northwest Transport hub Entrance as of 2023
• 
  Class 3000 waiting to depart from the 1980 station to Belfast Great Victoria Street 30 March 2008
• 
  Class 4000 arriving at the 1980 station on 28 September 2017
• 
  View of the Platforms
• 
  Inside the North West Transport Hub
• 
  The 1980 station in 2008
• 
  Two 70-class sets at Waterside Station 10 August 1974

See also

• Peace Bridge (Foyle)
• Londonderry Cow Market railway station
• Londonderry Foyle Road railway station
• Londonderry Graving Dock railway station
• Londonderry Victoria Road railway station

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waterside railway station.

• Foyle Metro

• Ulsterbus

• NI Railways