Translink will be working closely with our contractors to carry out major railway infrastructure work in the Lurgan this summer.
The Lurgan Area Track Renewal (LATR) project will see over 1.7km of track relayed during a four-week closure period in July and August, running from the William Street level crossing to a point beyond Bell’s Row level crossing.
The closure will be in place from Saturday 27th July– Friday 23rd August inclusive, with the work ensuring that we maintain overall performance and high safety standards for this important southern rail corridor for both local and cross-border train services.
It will also mean a long-term reduction in the level of maintenance required at Lurgan.
350 metres of platform at Lurgan Train Station will also be replaced during this closure, with around 5500 new sleepers set to be laid, along with nearly 17,000 tonnes of new ballast!
Over 4.5 million passengers use the southern rail corridor every year, with almost one million journeys made to and from Lurgan Train Station annually – it is now one of the busiest stations on the NI Railways network.
As part of this work, Translink remove current speed restrictions, helping to provide more efficient journeys.
Bus substitution services will be in place throughout the work, with Enterprise passengers being bussed between Belfast and Newry during this time.
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 P&R, Lurgan and Portadown.
Timetable information will be available online at www.translink.co.uk/latr or from our contact centre on 028 9066 6630.
The car park facility at Lurgan Train Station will be closed during this work – a temporary car park with approximately 150 spaces will be in place at Loughview Park and Ride at 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 and tickets will be available for purchase here.
A series of road closures associated with the project will also be in place during this period. 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; Wednesday 14th August at 8pm – Thursday 15th August at 6am
Brownlow Terrace – Saturday 10th August, 7:30am-8pm (pedestrian access to be maintained)
Further details on road closures and traffic management, as well as maps showing diversionary routes will be made available online at www.translink.co.uk/latr . Diversions will also be signposted.
Allan Stewart, Translink’s Project Manager for the LATR scheme, said: “This is a major project, intended to improve the line at Lurgan and enhance the quality of service offered to our passengers.
“Translink has made every effort to ensure that public information is widely available, and to that end, we’ve been proud to work with the local community to raise awareness of this major investment, including sports clubs, schools and a range of other community organisations.
“We have also been committed to engaging with the community right across Lurgan in advance of this project, and have been pleased to receive widespread support.
“We’ve already delivered a wide range of community projects and we will continue to work with community to deliver a range of important projects to benefit the area over the summer months, when the programme is in operation.
“During the forthcoming line closure, engineering equipment will be operating along the line. As always, we would ask the local community to stay vigilant, continue to use designated railway crossings safely and not to become complacent.
“It will be important to impress upon young people the potential dangers of using the tracks as shortcuts or trespassing on or near NI Railways property or around engineering sites.
“Translink will work to minimise any inconvenience these works will cause.
“We will be working closely with our contractors and with the local community to complete the works as quickly as possible and ensure that the impact is kept to a minimum.”
Further information on this project, including details on bus substitutions for both NI Railways and Enterprise passengers, can be found online at www.translink.co.uk/latr/
