The Belfast Central reopened—50 years on

80 class railcar set 82 at Belfast Central on railtour duties in July 2004.

Photo: Táilte Tours Collection.

2026 marks 50 years since the re-opening of the former Belfast Central Railway route which incorporated the opening of what is now known as Belfast Lanyon Place station (or Belfast Central as it was called at the time). While in recent years it has been very much overshadowed by the newer Belfast Grand Central terminus, at the time its opening marked a then-rare instance of investment in rai transport in Northern Ireland, or, indeed, the island of Ireland in general.

Background

The Belfast Central Railway opened for goods traffic in 1874. Passenger services would follow in 1878. It initially connected the former Ulster Railway mainline to Portadown (and hence Dublin) to a termnus at Queen's Bridge, with a branch connecting it to the Belfast & County Down Railway system at Ballymacarrett Junction. This enabled through trains to operate between the Dublin and County Down lines, as well as of course the interchange of goods traffic, for which a substantial yard was built at Maysfield. The Great Northern Railway took over the line in 1885, and while regular passengers were discontinued shortly therafter, it remained in use for goods and excursion trains well into the 1960s. By this point it was under the control of the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA). The UTA closed the line in 1965. This effectively isolated the Bangor line from the rest of the network.

Reopening the Belfast Central Railway

However, it was not long before the lines reopening was the subect of serious lobbying efforts. While this is not unusual l in of itself, what stands out is that, unlike the many other lines in Northern Ireland at the time, the calls reopen the Belfast Central were ultimately successful. In 1972 Stormont officially annoucned its reopening as part of a package which also included the reopening of the Lisburn to Antrim line. One trade off was that, in exchange for the building of a new terminal at Maysfield, the existing termini at Great Victoria Street and Queen's Quay would close. The contract to rebuild the line was announced in October 1973. Apart from laying a double track line and constructing new stations, a significant engineering component was installing a new bridge over the River Lagan.

A Bangor train arrives at the then-new Belfast Central station in 1976. Photo: C.O. Montrose

And so it was that in April 1976, the railway reopened after over ten years. A new platform terminal opened under the name of 'Belfast Central', projecting an shifting of the city cente in that direction that never quite materialised. It was quite striking and modern for its time, incorporating external framework and a glass front. It became the new terminus for Dublin-Belfast trains, a role it would serve for the following 48 years. Bangor trains were also diverted to the station, now generally running as a through suburban service to Portadown. NIR's headquarters were relocated to the station too, and remain there to this day, as does the Central Signalling Centre. An intermediate station opened at Botanic later than year, with City Hospital following in 1986.

2018-Central no more

Locomotive 233 on an Enterprise at Belfast Lanyon Place in January 2022.

While the station (and line's) opening was generally regarded as a positive development, it never quite lived up to its central name. In 1995 a new station was opened at Great Victoria Street, allowing passengers to travel closer to Belfast city centre. However, Dublin trains continued to use Belfast Central. In 2018, the first shape of things to come occured in September, when the station was officially renamed Belfast Lanyon Place. Plans were mooted for a more substantial terminus in the Great Victoria Street vicinity, which would ultimately come to pass in 2024, when the new Belfast Grand Central Station opened, with trains now terminating here. Of course, the former Belfast Central line, and Lanyon Place station, remain an important part of the Belfast transport network, with all Londonderry/Derry, Bangor and Larne line services calling there.

A Bangor train heads along the Belfast Central route near Lanyon Place, January 2026.

While no longer the terminus it once was, Belfast Lanyon Place has served the city, and Northern Ireland as a whole, well for the past five decades. While the new Grand Central Station is undoubtedly better located and equipped to serve as a major city terminus, Belfast Lanyon Place and the Central line remain historically significant, as an example of a rail revival on the island of Ireland at a time when both jurisdictions were more accustomed to the rail network contracting rather than expanding.