Misplaced Pages

#313686

73-518: A Driving Brake Standard Open ( DBSO ) is a type of railway carriage in the United Kingdom , converted to operate as a control car ; this is not to be confused with DVTs , such as those in InterCity 225 sets. Fourteen such vehicles, numbered 9701 to 9714, were converted from Mark 2F Brake Standard Open (standard class coaches with brake van ) carriages. Modifications included adding

146-637: A "Strategic Rail Review" in 2004, an independent review of rail services to determine its funding request under the Comprehensive Spending Review . This report determined that so-called "lesser used lines" were an important and economically viable part of the total network, and that investment should be consistent rather than in the "stop-go" manner of previous years. A debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday 14 May 2007 raised several proposals as to how

219-570: A driving cab and TDM equipment to allow a locomotive to be driven remotely. Using a system known as push–pull , the driver in the DBSO can drive the locomotive, even though it is at the opposite end of the train. The vehicles were converted in two batches. Numbers 9701–9710 were converted in 1979 for use on the newly introduced Glasgow – Edinburgh InterCity ScotRail push–pull service with specially modified Class 47/7 locomotives. A further four, 9711–9714, were converted in 1985/86. The fourteenth

292-496: A glass-enclosed upper level extending above the normal roof to provide passengers with a better view. Sleeping cars outfitted with (generally) small bedrooms allow passengers to sleep through their night-time trips, while couchette cars provide more basic sleeping accommodation. Long-distance trains often require baggage cars for the passengers' luggage. In European practice it used to be common for day coaches to be formed of compartments seating 6 or 8 passengers, with access from

365-565: A higher net-to-tare ratio of 4.9 than traditional steel based wagons, which have 3.65. Non-revenue cars are those that do not derive income for the railroad. They include: Military armoured trains use several types of specialized cars: During the Cold War , the Soviet Union fielded a number of trains that served as mobile missile silos . These trains carried the missile and everything necessary to launch, and were kept moving around

438-403: A new ticketing system in 2018 similar to the system utilised by Irish Rail. This includes the introduction of ticket vending machines, allowing customers to purchase tickets via an electronic interface at the station (as opposed to the current system in which customers must pay staff for the ticket, who in turn print the customer's ticket for them), a 'smart card' 'tap on, tap off' system similar to

511-472: A new traincare depot next to Adelaide station on the site of the old freight yard. As a means of improving timings of its services, it would have seen former station Belfast Great Victoria Street undergo a major refurbishment that will see the platforms lengthened and the curves reduced, together with the addition of a new fifth platform, all planned to bring about the transfer of Enterprise services from Belfast Lanyon Place . Further plans are afoot to double

584-604: A service. In 2019, NI Railways carried over 15 million passengers. NIR jointly runs the Enterprise train service between Belfast and Dublin with Iarnród Éireann . There is no link to the rail system in Great Britain ; proposals have been made , but allowances would have to be made for the different rail gauge in use in Britain ( standard gauge ) and Ireland ( Irish gauge ). From the early 20th century until 1948,

657-601: A side corridor. In the UK, Corridor coaches fell into disfavor in the 1960s and 1970s partially because open coaches are considered more secure by women traveling alone. Another distinction is between single- and double deck train cars. An example of a double decker is the Amtrak superliner . A "trainset" (or "set") is a semi-permanently arranged formation of cars, rather than one created "ad hoc" out of whatever cars are available. These are only broken up and reshuffled 'on shed' (in

730-613: A six-car train, which required two before. In 2021, Translink announced it would change all of its iconic logos (used for the previous 25 years in the Translink brand and sub brands such as NI Railways, Ulsterbus & Metro ) to a new design. The design was intended to focus to "modernise and simplify the brand presence". The creation of the logo cost £15,000 and was created by Belfast based company McCadden Design in partnership with Translink . The latest performance figures for NIR according to Translink are 99% of trains arriving at

803-608: A train together in the event of a derailment or other accident. Many multiple unit trains consist of cars which are semi-permanently coupled into sets: these sets may be joined together to form larger trains, but generally passengers can only move around between cars within a set. This "closed" arrangement keeps parties of travellers and their luggage together, and hence allows the separate sets to be easily split to go separate ways. Some multiple-unit trainsets are designed so that corridor connections can be easily opened between coupled sets; this generally requires driving cabs either set to

SECTION 10

#1732786648314

876-442: A wide variety of types, adapted to carry a host of goods. Originally there were very few types of cars; the flat car or wagon, and the boxcar (US/Canada), covered wagon (UIC) or van (UK), were among the first. Freight cars or goods wagons are generally categorized as follows: The first two main-line all aluminum passenger cars were exhibited at the 1933-35 Chicago World's Fair by Pullman Company . Aluminum freight cars have

949-534: A £80   million order. The final unit, 3023, arrived in Belfast Harbour on Monday 18 July 2005. All units had entered service by 24 September 2005. A maintenance contract with CAF for these vehicles was extended in May 2020 for another 15 years. In 2007, NIR announced plans to purchase up to 20 trains under its "New Trains 2010" proposal following the confirmation of its expected budget. This fleet replaced

1022-576: Is a further proposal to add two trains per day, enabling journey times between Belfast and Derry~Londonderry to be reduced by up to 30 minutes. As part of this plan, Translink envisages an hourly service to Derry~Londonderry, half-hourly to Ballymena . There have been proposals to improve the Belfast-Dublin line between Knockmore and Lurgan , enabling journey times to be reduced and frequency increased. This will improve NIR's services and allow an hourly Enterprise service to Dublin. In May 2008,

1095-509: Is expected that it will operate its first charter train in early 2023, as part of a six-coach set, with 47712 Lady Diana Spencer . Full details of the DBSO fleet are given below: [REDACTED] Media related to British Rail Mk2 DBSO coaches at Wikimedia Commons Railway carriage The term " car " is commonly used by itself in American English when a rail context is implicit. Indian English sometimes uses " bogie " in

1168-628: Is not sufficient to justify a station. Although the introduction of the Class 3000 trains was a success, they were a like-for-like replacement for the Class 80 units rather than an expansion of the fleet. Due to the limited number of new units, some of NIR's older rolling stock was retained, notably the entire Class 450 on the Belfast-Larne route. To enable NIR to maintain its levels of service, it upgraded some of its older rolling stock. In 2005,

1241-529: Is registered as 8918 on NIR. The vehicle was delivered to Belfast on 26 June 2009, almost 14 months late on its contracted delivery date. The ex-Gatwick coaches were stopped on 19 June (before it was delivered) and have now been withdrawn. In 2015, three were purchased by Direct Rail Services from British American Railway Services . These were overhauled and in July 2015 entered service on Northern Rail Cumbrian Coast Line services. In September 2017, DBSO 9711

1314-667: The Leap Card and contactless payments. The rail network is focused on Greater Belfast . Both the Bangor and Larne lines have been re-laid in recent years, enabling timetable improvements to be delivered. The only significant "inter-city" routes are the main line between Belfast and Dublin, which covers services to Newry ; and the Belfast-Derry line . This line is single track with crossing loops north of Mossley West and single track only west of Castlerock , which limits

1387-480: The Northern Ireland Assembly put in place an investment programme costing £100   million to bring about major improvements. This saw projects including the purchase of the 3000 Class trains, the complete relaying of the Belfast-Larne line and the construction of a new maintenance depot. Following completion of this, as part of its long-term investment programme for NIR Translink conducted

1460-737: The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA), which took over the BCDR later that year, followed by the NCC in 1949 as a result of the Ireland Act 1949 . In 1958, the GNRI was dissolved and its lines north of the border were also taken over by the UTA. Under the UTA's management, the railway network of Northern Ireland shrank from 900 miles (1,450 km) to 225 miles (362 km). The UTA

1533-578: The continental United States . Northern Ireland Railways NI Railways , also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR; and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways ; UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink , whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), and is one of nine publicly owned train operators in

SECTION 20

#1732786648314

1606-426: The dining car , parlor car , disco car, and in rare cases theater and movie theater car. In some cases another type of car is temporarily converted to one of these for an event. Observation cars were built for the rear of many famous trains to allow the passengers to view the scenery. These proved popular, leading to the development of dome cars multiple units of which could be placed mid-train, and featured

1679-591: The privatisation of British Rail , the London–Norwich route became part of the Anglia Railways franchise. From 1997 onwards, a new livery of turquoise with a white stripe was introduced onto all Anglia stock. However, rake AR01, containing DBSO 9710 retained its old InterCity livery. On the Anglia services they were originally attached to the first class coaches but this was changed and they were attached to

1752-405: The 2012-2017 leaf fall seasons. It was planned that a Class 450 unit was to be used for this role. However, in 2015, Translink awarded a contract to Windhoff Bahn AG to procure a new double ended multi-purpose vehicle to undertake sandite and high-pressure water spraying, as well as weed killing operations. In 2004/2005, NIR received 23 Class 3000 diesel multiple units from CAF of Spain in

1825-545: The Bleach Green route offered faster journeys between Derry , Coleraine, Ballymena , Antrim and Belfast. The Lisburn-Antrim railway line is still maintained, and occasional crew training operations are performed. While it is also available as a diversionary route, Knockmore, Ballinderry, Glenavy, Crumlin stations remain closed to the public. The passing loops at Ballinderry and Crumlin have been removed. The development of railways in Northern Ireland has been linked to

1898-452: The Class 450 fleet was refurbished to a standard close to that of the Class 3000 units, which saw them through to their withdrawal in 2012. Three four-car Class 80 units were refurbished and a number of locomotives and coaches were converted to push-pull operation with the addition of the DBSO obtained from 'one' , to ensure that passenger rolling stock levels were maintained up to the introduction of new rolling stock in 2011 and 2012. One of

1971-682: The DBSO fleet was transferred en-masse, and converted to use the TDM system used by the AC electric locomotives used on the London Liverpool Street to Norwich services on the newly electrified Great Eastern Main Line . The Mark 2E/2F coaching stock used on the route was based at Crown Point TMD and rakes were marshalled into semi-permanent formations (numbered AR01–AR13). Traction was provided by Class 86/2 electric locomotives . As part of

2044-643: The Derry~Londonderry and Larne lines share track as far as Bleach Green . On the other side of the city, the track from Grand Central to Newry is shared between the Dublin and Newry lines. The Portrush Line shares a small amount of track with the Derry~Londonderry Line at Coleraine . Signalling is controlled from Coleraine (Coleraine to Portrush), Portadown (the border to Lisburn), and Belfast Lanyon Place (From Lisburn to Belfast and

2117-844: The InterCity livery underneath. However, many of the new Mark 3 sets being received by Anglia were not originally accompanied by DVTs. For this reason a small number of DBSOs were retained until enough DVTs had been received. The last DBSOs were withdrawn from mainline service in December 2006. DBSO 9713 was preserved for further use on the Mid-Norfolk Railway , although this was later sold to Direct Rail Services and scrapped following component recovery. In February 2007, Network Rail took delivery of five DBSOs, nos. 9701, 9702, 9703, 9708 and 9714. These have been converted to allow test-trains to run in push–pull mode, therefore eliminating

2190-506: The Regional Development Minister announced that his department would commission a study, in conjunction with Donegal County Council, to investigate the effects a resurrection of railway services in the north-west of Ireland with a long-term projection of building a railway line connecting Derry~Londonderry with Sligo through County Donegal . As part of NIR's original plans for its new rolling stock, it has built

2263-634: The Regional Development Minister announced that the investment strategy being considered by the NI Executive included the relaying of the Belfast-Londonderry line north of Coleraine , planned to include new signalling and a new crossing loop, allowing more trains. The total cost was £64   million, and began in 2011, lasting five years. Prior to the major relaying of the Coleraine-Londonderry section, £12   million

Driving Brake Standard Open - Misplaced Pages Continue

2336-410: The Regional Development Minister, stated that approximately £137   million could be allocated from for investment in the railways for the period 2008–2011. In June 2008, Brian Guckian, an independent transport researcher from Dublin , presented a wide-ranging proposal to Translink for a £460   million expansion of the network called Northern Ireland Network Enhancement (NINE). This proposes

2409-661: The Republic of Ireland. Also, NIR is the only commercial non-heritage passenger operator in the United Kingdom to operate a vertical integration model, with responsibility of all aspects of the network including running trains, maintaining rolling stock and infrastructure, and pricing. Since the Single European Railway Directive 2012 , the company has allowed open access operations by other rail operators, although no operator has started such

2482-555: The United Kingdom, the others being Direct Rail Services , Caledonian Sleeper , Northern Trains , Transport for Wales Rail , Southeastern , LNER , ScotRail , and TransPennine Express . It has a common Board of Management with the other two companies in the group, Ulsterbus and Metro (formerly Citybus). The rail network in Northern Ireland is not part of the National Rail network of Great Britain, nor does it use Standard Gauge , instead using Irish Gauge in common with

2555-486: The building of a new station in its list of future plans, while EasyJet , which is the largest operator into Belfast International, have been strong in advocating an airport rail link . The reopening of the Lisburn-Antrim line is seen not simply in terms of provision of a link to the airport – it would also allow for the further economic development of the area, which has seen increases in population as people use

2628-608: The cost of £50   million, via an option in the existing Class 4000 train procurement contract. The first of the new carriages arrived in Belfast in March 2021, they were integrated onto Unit 4017 and tested throughout the summer, until being put into service on 29 September 2021. NIR maintains the following lines: The track from Grand Central to Lanyon Place is shared by the Bangor, Derry~Londonderry and Larne lines. Beyond this,

2701-515: The cross-border Enterprise dedicated trains of modern carriages. Since 2002, NIR has modernised its rolling stock, with a full fleet replacement of new trains built by the Spanish company CAF . 23 Class 3000 diesel multiple units made up the first batch of trains ordered at a cost of £80   million. They offered greater capacity, performance and accessibility than their predecessors when they were delivered in 2004 and 2005. The next order

2774-579: The decision was taken not to proceed with the light rail project, with the DRD choosing to implement a new bus-based network. The pressure group Rail 21 has stated that the Tillysburn proposal is insufficient for what the new station is expected to provide – a link to the airport, transport provision for Holywood Exchange and a park and ride facility. Instead it proposes a dedicated airport station, similar to Glasgow Prestwick Airport , connected directly to

2847-647: The development of the Northern Rail Corridor published at the end of 2009 The Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015 identifies the need to improve transport links to George Best Belfast City Airport from the city centre. The BMAP proposed a light rail line from the city centre that would have interchanged with a new railway station at Tillysburn, serving both the airport and the Holywood Exchange retail development. However, in April 2008

2920-432: The engine recovered from 80 Class power car 88) and had two English Electric 538 traction motors. The sets were three-car diesel-electric multiple units , based on a more modern British design, with air-operated sliding doors. They were withdrawn from service in 2012 and replaced by new 4000 Class diesel multiple units. In 1994, NIR bought two EMD 208 Class locomotives identical to Iarnród Éireann 's 201 Class. These haul

2993-565: The final destination within five minutes and 100% within ten minutes of the scheduled time. Among other accolades, NIR won the UK Rail Business of the Year Award for 2008. NIR carried 13.4   million passengers in 2014–15 (up from 10.4   million in 2010–2011), representing 417   million passenger-km and earning £43.6   million in ticket sales. In 2018–2019, NIR recorded 15.8   million passenger journeys,

Driving Brake Standard Open - Misplaced Pages Continue

3066-416: The future economic growth of the region, and as a way of reducing road congestion. One of the major challenges that NIR has faced is the limited number of trains available for service at peak times. The limited fleet size has led to services being cancelled due to failures or delays. This can lead to widespread disruption across the network and potentially a huge loss in revenue. Upon its establishment in 1998,

3139-529: The investment programme confirmed "New Trains 2010", which procured 20 new trains to both replace the remaining Class 80 and Class 450 units and provide additional capacity. The specification given by the DRD stated that the new trains are to provide both inner and outer suburban commuter services and express services between Belfast and Dublin. The Class 4000 fleet entered service on Thursday 29 September 2011. Twenty three-car units have been specified with an option to purchase an additional 20 vehicles, allowing

3212-754: The largest in the company's 50-year history. NIR also owns half of the 28 De Dietrich stock coaches used by Enterprise , the international service between Belfast and Dublin. These units have their own unique livery, and do not operate under NIR branding or on any other services in Northern Ireland or the Republic. In 2005, NIR investigated obtaining seven Class 222 DEMUs built for British operator Midland Mainline to use for Enterprise, but these entered service with their intended operator. They would have required significant modification to enable NIR to use them, including conversion from standard gauge to Irish gauge . NIR retained one Class 80 unit (three power cars and two driving trailers) as its sandite train during

3285-497: The limited capacity. NIR has three EMD class 111 locomotives, 111–113, for freight and passenger use, built in October 1980 (111–112) and December 1984 (113). During the eighties it was apparent that additional trains would be needed. BREL built nine 450 Class sets on former Mark 1 underframes between 1985 and 1987. The power cars had an English Electric 4SRKT engine recovered from former 70 Class units (except 459, which used

3358-530: The maintenance depot). Trains are then built of one or more of these 'sets' coupled together as needed for the capacity of that train. Often, but not always, passenger cars in a train are linked together with enclosed, flexible gangway connections through which passengers and crewmen can walk. Some designs incorporate semi-permanent connections between cars and may have a full-width connection, effectively making them one long, articulated 'car'. In North America, passenger cars also employ tightlock couplings to keep

3431-477: The major projects instigated by Translink was "New Trains Two" (formerly "New Trains 2010"), which saw the purchase of a new batch of rolling stock. At minimum, this was to be like-for-like replacement of the Class 450 trains, which were withdrawn in 2012. However, it was determined that to deliver improved frequency of service on the network the size of NIR's fleet had to be increased, and with that must come associated infrastructure improvements. The announcement of

3504-399: The need to operate two locomotives (one at each end of the train). Three of these (9701, 9708 and 9714) were subsequently fitted with a 60 kVA diesel generator to provide power for onboard systems while in operation. Ex Anglia MK2 driving trailer 9712 was sold to Northern Ireland Railways for use on the ex Gatwick set to convert it to push–pull operation using 111 class locomotives. It

3577-549: The once-popular Enterprise between Dublin and Belfast with three new NIR Class 101 diesel locomotives built by Hunslet in England and Mark 2B carriages built by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL). Despite frequent interruptions due to bomb scares, the service has remained a more or less constant feature of the NIR network. As older trains became obsolete in the 1970s, the Class 80 slam-door diesel-electric multiple unit

3650-437: The one hand or freight cars (or wagons ) on the other. Passenger cars, or coaches , vary in their internal fittings: In standard-gauge railway cars, seating is usually configured into ranges from three to five seats across the width of the car, with an aisle in between (resulting in arrangements of 2+1, 2+2 or 3+2 seats) or at the side. Tables may be provided between seats facing one another. Alternatively, seats facing in

3723-651: The railway network could be improved: Pressure groups have advocated the protection of former routes, where the track has been lifted but the trackbed remains intact, to enable these to be reinstated for commuter traffic as an alternative to increased road building. In October 2007, following the CSR that provided funding allocation to the Northern Ireland Executive , the Department for Regional Development announced its draft budget. Conor Murphy ,

SECTION 50

#1732786648314

3796-754: The railway network to make them difficult to find and destroy in a first-strike attack . A similar rail-borne system was proposed in the United States of America for the LGM-30 Minuteman in the 1960s, and the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison in the 1980s, but neither were deployed. The Strategic Air Command 's 1st Combat Evaluation RBS "Express" deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base with Radar Bomb Scoring units mounted on military railroad cars with supporting equipment, to score simulated thermonuclear bombing of cities in

3869-480: The railway network. Speculation remains that the Lisburn-Antrim route could re-open, potentially to offer an alternative Antrim – Lisburn – Belfast service. The line is maintained both for crew training and as a diversionary route, and passes close to Belfast International Airport at Aldergrove. For a number of years there have been suggestions for a station to serve the airport. The airport has marked

3942-478: The remaining Class 80 and Class 450 trains by March 2012. Renamed as "New Trains Two", this project went out to tender in late 2007. In March 2009 it was announced that CAF had been selected to build the new fleet, named Class 4000 . The first units were delivered in March 2011, with entry into service in September 2011 In December 2018, NIR, announced that 21 additional carriages would be purchased from CAF at

4015-513: The rest of the network). NIR operates regular passenger trains along the following routes during the weekday inter-peak: Following the re-opening of the 15-mile (24 km) Antrim – Bleach Green line in June 2001, which had been closed since 1978, NIR ceased passenger operations between Lisburn and Antrim on 29 June 2003. Combined with the new Dargan Bridge across the River Lagan in Belfast,

4088-528: The return of the network to several towns that have not had access to rail services for many years; the main part of the proposal would see the Derry~Londonderry-Portadown line re-opened, which would link Omagh , Strabane and Dungannon , with branches to Enniskillen and Armagh . However, none of these enhancements are programmed to go to planning over the course of the next decade as of early 2013. Translink have plans to introduce

4161-697: The same direction may have access to a fold-down ledge on the back of the seat in front. Passenger cars can take the electricity supply for heating and lighting equipment from either of two main sources: directly from a head-end power generator on the locomotive via bus cables, or by an axle-powered generator which continuously charges batteries whenever the train is in motion. Modern cars usually have either air conditioning or windows that can be opened (sometimes, for safety, not so far that one can hang out), or sometimes both. Various types of onboard train toilet facilities may also be provided. Other types of passenger car exist, especially for long journeys, such as

4234-486: The same manner, though the term has other meanings in other variants of English. In American English, "railcar" is a generic term for a railway vehicle; in other countries " railcar " refers specifically to a self-propelled, powered, railway vehicle. Although some cars exist for the railroad's own use – for track maintenance purposes, for example – most carry a revenue-earning load of passengers or freight, and may be classified accordingly as passenger cars or coaches on

4307-562: The service in both frequency and speed; in the current timetable the train takes 2hr4m while the bus takes 1hr50m. The pressure group Into the West , which campaigns for improved rail links to the North West region, has stated that the need for a quality rail service, as part of a larger integrated transport policy, is vital to the economic development not just for the city of Derry but for the wider cross-border region. On 21 November 2007,

4380-721: The side or (as in the Dutch Koploper or the Japanese 285 series ) above the passenger compartment. These cabs or driving trailers are also useful for quickly reversing the train. It has been common in some systems to differentiate between first- and second-class carriages, with a premium being paid for first-class tickets, and fines imposed for non-compliance. Facilities and appurtenances applying to first-class carriages may include More recently, mains power outlets and Wi-fi facilities have been offered. Freight cars (US/Canada), goods wagons (UIC), or trucks (UK) exist in

4453-458: The standard class coaches as the seating in the DBSO was standard class. In April 2004, the Anglia franchise became part of the new One franchise. The thirteen surviving DBSOs were still in service, although they were gradually replaced by Driving Van Trailers (cascaded from Virgin Trains ). One DBSO, no. 9710, had the new one Anglia livery applied by means of adhesive vinyls, whilst retaining

SECTION 60

#1732786648314

4526-462: The terminal, with Tillysburn half a mile away serving Holywood Exchange, instead of Tillysburn providing the link to the airport. There have also been calls, as part of the wider upgrade of the rail route to Derry, for a railway station connecting to City of Derry Airport , which is close to the railway line. However, the Government has determined that the number of passengers using the airport

4599-693: The three main railway companies in Northern Ireland were the Great Northern Railway Ireland (GNRI), which had around one half of its network north of the border; the Northern Counties Committee (NCC), owned by the Midland Railway of England and later the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS); and the small Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR). The Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1948 created

4672-646: The towns in South Antrim as dormitory settlements for Belfast. In May 2009, the Minister for Regional Development stated that a proposal had been received from a private developer, the Kilbride Group, to restore the Knockmore line, indicating that he would be prepared to part fund a study into this if the local authorities provided the rest of the funding. The route was also included in a wider study of

4745-410: The track from Monkstown to Templepatrick , to further increase capacity on the Derry~Londonderry line. In 2013, the then Minister for Regional Development , Danny Kennedy , indicated that a restoration of the route between Portadown and Armagh was under active consideration in the long term, pointing out the commercial opportunities for the city of Armagh and its hinterland to be reconnected to

4818-429: The units to be lengthened to six cars. In 2021, following the procurement of 21 additional vehicles purchased to extend a number of its Class 4000 units to six-cars, Translink published a new strategy indicating its intention to provide a zero emission service by 2040. As part of this, NI Railways will begin a process to purchase new rolling stock from 2026 to 2027. The intention is to procure or part procure two fleets -

4891-699: The whole network. They remained in service until 2012, latterly primarily on the Larne-Belfast line and the Coleraine-Portrush Line. In the early 1980s, NIR purchased one of the prototype LEV Railbuses built to test the railbus concept. This was intended for the Coleraine-Portrush branch , but was withdrawn due to the capacity constraints of a single car. A plan was mooted to use it on the Lisburn-Antrim line to prevent it from being closed. This proposal failed, again because of

4964-531: Was a replacement for no. 9706, which was derailed and damaged beyond repair in the Polmont rail crash after it hit a cow. When first introduced, the DBSO fleet had half-cabs and retained their end gangways. They were later rebuilt to have full-width cabs, with the removal of the end gangways. In the late 1980s, with the introduction of Class 158 diesel multiple units on the Glasgow–Edinburgh corridor,

5037-487: Was acquired by Crewe Diesel Preservation Group for preservation alongside Class 47/7 locomotive 47712 and moved to Crewe Heritage Centre. In 2022, Direct Rail Services offered their five DBSO vehicles for sale. Locomotive Services Limited acquired 9704 and 9707, Eastern Rail Services acquired 9709 and 9710 and 9705 was purchased by Europhoenix Limited. On 18 October 2022, Locomotive Services Group revealed that 9707 had been repainted back into its 1980s ScotRail livery; it

5110-407: Was for 20 Class 4000s , built 2010–2012. These offered similar benefits to the Class 3000s and completed the fleet replacement. Additionally, NIR has purchased 23 new carriages, via an option in the existing Class 4000 train procurement contract, these are to be used to extend Seven trains from three cars to six cars, which will add much more capacity and will also allow only one guard to be needed on

5183-402: Was introduced. BREL built these units between 1974 and 1977 to British Rail 's Mark 2 design with some trailer cars rebuilt from hauled stock. The power cars were powered by an English Electric 4SRKT engine, nicknamed 'Thumpers' due to their characteristic sound, and had two English Electric 538 traction motors. These entered service on the suburban lines around Belfast , becoming a stalwart on

5256-425: Was spent on improving the section between Ballymena and Coleraine. This saw the stretch between Ballymena and Coleraine closed completely for four months, with a replacement bus service. Trains continued to run between Derry~Londonderry, Coleraine and Portrush , with a small fleet stabled at Coleraine – four trains were stabled instead of the three previously reported. Once the project was completed in 2016, there

5329-539: Was split into rail and road operations in 1967, and the rail operations were taken over by the present company Northern Ireland Railways (NIR). Suffering frequent disruption and damage to infrastructure caused by the Troubles and starved of investment by successive political administrations, the NIR network had become badly run down by the 1960s, with old rolling stock and poorly maintained track. NIR's last steam locomotives were withdrawn in 1970. In 1970, NIR re-launched

#313686