Newry railway station (Irish: Stáisiún Traenach Iúr Cinn Trá)[9] serves Newry and Bessbrook in Northern Ireland. The station is located in the northwest of Newry, County Armagh on the Dublin-Belfast line close to the Craigmore Viaduct. It is the most southerly railway station in Northern Ireland.
History
Newry rail lines c. 1910
The port of Newry was already a transport hub by 1742 with the opening of the Newry Canal to Lough Neagh.[10] By the start of the twentieth century Newry had become a railway hub, with the Belfast to Dublin line passing to the west of the town, while lines from the ports of Warrenpoint and Greenore either side of Carlingford Lough converged closer to the centre of town where stations were more conveniently situated. All converged at Goraghwood to the north of Newry where a line also diverged off to the north-west towards Armagh.
The current Newry station originally opened in 1855 as Newry Main Line,[11] renamed Bessbrook & Newry Main Line in 1866, renamed again as Bessbrook in 1880 before closing in 1942.[12]
With this closure Newry was served by the Edward Street station, however this was to close with the Warrenpoint branch in 1965,[13] leaving Newry with no railway station.
The station re-opened in 1984[12] as an NIR Intercity station,[citation needed] with basic facilities such as a temporary booking office.[12] These facilities remained in place for over 20 years from the station's opening by which time their condition was deteriorating.[citation needed] In order to improve facilities for passengers a modern new station building was constructed and officially opened on 26 November 2009.[14]
Other stations in Newry
Albert Basin, on the canal branch.
Armagh Road, temporary station at Mullaghlass on main line.[10]
The station is a calling point on the Enterprise express service, which operates between Belfast Grand Central and Dublin Connolly. These trains call at Newry for both destinations at hourly intervals throughout the day. The station experiences favourable passenger numbers from this service. There are also four trains to and from Belfast Grand Central, operated by NI Railways.
On Sundays, there are five Enterprise trains in each direction, and no NIR services.
Additionally, until September 2024, two peak-time services were operated each day to and from Newry by Iarnród Éireann. The first was the 06:30 service to Dublin Connolly, stopping at Commuter stations between Newry and Dublin Connolly, except Gormanston, Portmarnock, Clongriffin, and Howth Junction & Donaghmede. The first peak service to Newry began in January 2018, when the 17:13 service from Dublin Pearse was extended to Newry from Dundalk Clarke. These services were discontinued following the timetable change in September 2024.[17]
Sinclair, Ian McLarnon (2009) [2002]. Along Uta Lines — Ulster's Rail Transport in the 1960's (2 ed.). Newtownards: Colourpoint Books. ISBN9781906578497. OCLC1280784854. OL32804763M.
* In addition to the Enterprise inter-city service. Newry also has a limited week-day commuter service all stations to Dublin, provided by Iarnród Éireann.
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