Sealink
Service Attendant
Another trip from Ireland, from a few years ago. I hope you don't mind me posting these on what is an Amtrak forum.
Uniquely in the UK, Northern Ireland Railways is operated seperately from "National Rail" and has not 'suffered' at the hand of privitisation. In layman's terms, that means that profit for shareholders is not their main priority, and in fact, NIR have seen passenger growth in excess of the rest of the UK, without eye watering fares. But enough of that, here's what they do:
I boarded at Belfast's "Botanic" station. Not the most central station in Belfast (mind you, Belfast Central Station isn't even the most central!) but near the nightlife, Queens university, a fantastic museum and the Botanic gardens.
It's a simple station, with basic facilities. But a ticket office is one of the things there, where I purchased a day return ticket. At today's exchange rate, the fare would be about $16 for a round trip of 140ish miles (longer following the line of the railway).
So with my ticket in hand...
It was down to the platforms.
These diesel trains are now the main workhorse on Northern Ireland's railways.
Up until recently, NIR had some of the oldest trains in the UK. Even the 'newer' models (from 1985) had engines dating from the 60s. But they have recently joined the scrap heap.
To be honest, the new trains are a little soulless, but I couldn't quite believe the transformation in services since I lived there. That's progress, it has to be said.
My train arrived and soon we were travelling across Belfast - another development that occured in the 90s when the cross-river rail bridge was built. Before long, Belfast was in the distance, with the famous Harland & Wolff shipyard dominating the skyline.
This rough pic is taken from "Bleach Green Viaduct" - when it was completed was the largest concrete viaduct in the UK. It still looks impressive, as this pic from Geograph shows
The next 'junction' on the line is about 40 miles away in Coleraine, where Northern Ireland's only true branch line diverges to the seaside town of Portrush.
Coleraine Station
The train hugs the coast, alongside one of the most amazing beaches in Ireland. The line from Coleraine to Derry/Londonderry is listed as one of the most scenic in the world.
And if you were ever in doubt about how green Ireland is...
Uniquely in the UK, Northern Ireland Railways is operated seperately from "National Rail" and has not 'suffered' at the hand of privitisation. In layman's terms, that means that profit for shareholders is not their main priority, and in fact, NIR have seen passenger growth in excess of the rest of the UK, without eye watering fares. But enough of that, here's what they do:
I boarded at Belfast's "Botanic" station. Not the most central station in Belfast (mind you, Belfast Central Station isn't even the most central!) but near the nightlife, Queens university, a fantastic museum and the Botanic gardens.
It's a simple station, with basic facilities. But a ticket office is one of the things there, where I purchased a day return ticket. At today's exchange rate, the fare would be about $16 for a round trip of 140ish miles (longer following the line of the railway).
So with my ticket in hand...
It was down to the platforms.
These diesel trains are now the main workhorse on Northern Ireland's railways.
Up until recently, NIR had some of the oldest trains in the UK. Even the 'newer' models (from 1985) had engines dating from the 60s. But they have recently joined the scrap heap.
To be honest, the new trains are a little soulless, but I couldn't quite believe the transformation in services since I lived there. That's progress, it has to be said.
My train arrived and soon we were travelling across Belfast - another development that occured in the 90s when the cross-river rail bridge was built. Before long, Belfast was in the distance, with the famous Harland & Wolff shipyard dominating the skyline.
This rough pic is taken from "Bleach Green Viaduct" - when it was completed was the largest concrete viaduct in the UK. It still looks impressive, as this pic from Geograph shows
The next 'junction' on the line is about 40 miles away in Coleraine, where Northern Ireland's only true branch line diverges to the seaside town of Portrush.
Coleraine Station
The train hugs the coast, alongside one of the most amazing beaches in Ireland. The line from Coleraine to Derry/Londonderry is listed as one of the most scenic in the world.
And if you were ever in doubt about how green Ireland is...
