2025 marks a significant anniversary in the history of Northern Ireland’s transport system, for it marks 60 years the closure of major parts of the then railway network. These closures came about following the publication of the Benson Report in July 1963. This was a report conducted by Henry Benson, to make recommendations to the Stormont government for the future of railways in Northern Ireland. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of its key findings, and the impact they ultimately had on the rail network.
The Context of Northern Ireland’s Railway System in the Early 1960s
In 1963 the railways of Northern Ireland were operated by the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA), which also operated provincial and city bus services. It essentially consisted of the former NCC mainline from Belfast to Derry via Coleraine, with a branch line to Portrush, and a secondary line to Larne, the former GNR lines from Belfast to the border, from Portadown to Derry (including a short branch from Dungannon to Coalisland) and from Goraghwood to Warrenpoint via Newry. There was also the line from Belfast Queens Quay to Bangor, the only remanent of the form BCDR system, which had been largely decimated in the early 1950s. In addition, the Belfast Central line linked the Bangor route with the rest of the system.
What Did the Benson Report Recommend?
The Benson Report called for a vast pruning of the Northern Ireland railway network. In principle, it was recommended that all railway lines except those from Belfast to Dublin and those to Coleraine, Larne, and Bangor be closed, the latter three being viewed as commuter lines. As such, the lines from Coleraine to Portrush and Derry, from Goraghwood to Newry and Warrenpoint, and from Portadown to Derry, were all suggested for closure. Freight was to be completely abolished, surplus land sold on, the terminal stations in Belfast reduced in size, and steam locomotives to be banished from the system as soon as was practical. While the report recognised the importance of the route, it went so far as to suggest reducing the line from Belfast to the border from double track to single. A number of stations along this route were to be closed too Benson claimed that were all of the report’s recommendations carried out it would reduce annual losses to £166,000 per year.
What Railway Closures Were Actually Implemented?
While the Benson Report had called for the Northern Ireland railway system to be essentially trimmed to the Belfast-Dublin line and a small commuter network focused around Belfast, its recommendations were not carried out entirely. The mainline from Coleraine to Derry, and the associated branch line from Coleraine to Portrush, ultimately escaped the sweeping brush of closure. The suggestion that the line from Belfast to the border being singled was not carried out, however 1965 did see the closure of many of the intermediate stations along this route, such as Poyntzpass, Scarva, and Tandragee, though some of these would be reopened in 1984.
The Warrenpoint Branch Closes
However, the recommendations of the report for the closure of much of the former GNR system were followed through. In January 1965, the branch line from Goraghwood on the Belfast-Dublin route to Newry and Warrenpoint was closed. The last passenger train between Warrenpoint and Newry operated on January 2nd, consisting of three carriages hauled by ex-GNR 0-6-0 No.40. The last passenger train from Newry to the junction at Goraghwood operated on 4th January, worked by an AEC diesel railcar set.
Closure of the ‘Derry Road’
February 1965 saw the cessation of services on the line from Portadown to Derry via Dungannon and Omagh, known to railway staff and enthusiasts as the ‘Derry Road’. The last trains operated on Valentine’s Day, Sunday 14th February, with the last service being the 20:05 Belfast Great Victoria Street to Derry, although unofficially some passengers traveled on the empty return working in the early hours of 15th February. While Derry of course retained its rail connection to Belfast via the shorter and more direct ex-NCC route via Coleraine, the closure did mean that swatches of towns across Fermanagh and Tyrone lost their rail service. As such, the associated spur from Dungannon to Coalisland, by then a goods-only line, was also severed from the network.
The Belfast Central Railway Closes
Though not directly recommended for closure in the Benson Report (in fact, the report had gone so far as to suggest a new station), the UTA ceased services on the former Belfast Central Railway, which linked the Bangor line to the Dublin line, in July 1965 (the connection to Donegall Quay having been already closed. By this stage, its main passenger traffic consisted of excursion trains to Bangor. Fortunately, this closure was undone in the 1970s, and the Bangor line reconnected to the rest of the island’s rail network.
Conclusion
As can be seen, 1965 saw vast swathes of railway infrastructure removed from the Northern Ireland network, leaving some counties entirely without rail services. It is important to note however, that the closures, drastic though they were, were not to the full extent originally envisioned—it is difficult to imagine the idea of Derry being completely cut off from the rail network or the Belfast to Dublin line being reduced to single track and it is fortunate neither proposal came to pass, with both routes now being busy than ever before and operating at virtually full capacity Monday-Saturday. We now live in an age where reports are commissioned to study the potential of reopening railway lines rather than closing them, and the Strategic Rail Review has suggested reviving a rail connection from Portadown to Derry as a long-term goal. Nobody can tell the future, but the future of Northern Ireland’s railways is looking a lot brighter than ever before.
Did members of the government here have vested interests in road traffic?