NI Railways announce full line closure for engineering works

July 11, 2019

Translink have advised of a full line closure at Lurgan, which will be effective from Saturday 27th July until Friday 23rd August inclusive.  This is part of the Lurgan Area Track Renewal (LATR) project, details of which can be found here: www.translink.co.uk/latr

This will see the relay of around 1.7km track at Lurgan, running from the William Street level crossing to a point beyond the Bell’s Row level crossing, helping to ensure quality and high safety standards on the vital southern rail corridor, as well as reducing the long-term level of maintenance on the line at Lurgan. 

350 metres of platform at Lurgan Train Station will also be replaced during this project, with around 5,500 new sleepers set to be laid and approximately 17,000 tonnes of new ballast. 

Bus substitution services will be in operation throughout this period, with Enterprise passengers being bussed between Belfast and Newry – those travelling between Portadown and Dublin will still be able to board Enterprise services there, however.  NI Railways services will be replaced by bus substitutions between Portadown and Moira during peak times and between Portadown and Lisburn off-peak, with services calling at Moira, Loughview Park and Ride, Lurgan and Portadown.   

Bus substitutions will also be in place for those who would normally travel to and from Scarva and Poyntzpass.  More details can be found on the following documents:

• Enterprise bus substitution
• Enterprise bus substitution timetable
• Moira bus substitution
• Portadown line bus substitution timetable
• Poyntzpass bus substitution
• Scarva bus substitution

The car park facility at Lurgan Train Station will be unavailable during this work – a temporary car park facility with approximately 150 spaces will be available at Loughview Park and Ride, Lough Road Lurgan, BT67 6NQ.  This site will also be a dedicated pick-up point for the bus substitution service for local NI Railways passengers; tickets will also be available for purchase here. 

A series of road closures associated with the project will also be in place within Lurgan during the works period.  Details of these are as follows:

Lake Street – Saturday 27th July at 12:30am – Friday 16th August at 5am.
Antrim Road – Friday 16th August at 5am – Wednesday 21st August at 11:59pm
William Street – Tuesday 13th August at 8pm – Wednesday 14th August at 6am
William Street – Wednesday 14th August at 8pm – Thursday 15th August at 6am
Brownlow Terrace – Saturday 10th August, 7:30am – 8pm (pedestrian access will be maintained)

Diversions will be signposted, but drivers and passengers should be aware that there may be some disruption. 

Translink, along with their contractors, have worked closely with the Lurgan community in order to raise awareness of these major works, and we’ve been pleased to receive support from a wide range of stakeholders from right across the community.  They have already delivered a variety of community projects and will continue to work within the community throughout the works period to deliver a range of important projects.

Although no passenger services will operate along the line during this four week period, engineering equipment will be a regular sight.  As always, Translink would ask the local community to stay vigilant, use all designated railway crossings safely and not to become complacent.  It will be important to impress upon young people especially the potential dangers of using the tracks as a shortcut or trespassing on or near NI Railways property or working sites.

Every effort will be made to minimise the inconvenience of these essential works – Translink will be working with the community and other stakeholders to complete the works as quickly as possible and keep the impact to a minimum.