Translink urged to add extra carriages on Derry-Belfast train line

A rail lobby group is calling for Translink to speed up the introduction of new train carriages on the Belfast-Londonderry line to ease overcrowding.

Into the West said 21 carriages acquired by Translink should be put into service as quickly as possible.

Translink said three of the carriages were in service with the rest due to be introduced by the end of summer 2022.

It also said longer trains had been reintroduced on the line's early morning services.

Passengers numbers were also being monitored across the rail network, the bus and train operator added.

Steve Bradley, from Into the West, said: "We need to see Derry no longer being treated as second-class in terms of rail services".

He added that demand levels at the train station in Derry "are almost back to where they were before Covid".

"There is real overcrowding at the moment, there has been recently, which has been partly linked to Balmoral Show, partly Belsonic [concerts] and students going back to university."

He said there was "a very big disparity in rail provision basically east and west of the Bann on the same line".

On Sundays, trains run more frequently from stations to the east of Coleraine than from Derry, he said, and there were also issues for early morning commuters.

"If you want to get from Derry to Belfast for work at 09:00 there is only one train will allow you to do that, in Coleraine there are four options and in Portrush you have two."

Mr Bradley said Into the West had been lobbying Translink and Stormont's transport minister about increasing services in the north west.

"We have been engaging with the minister and Translink, we are hearing some positive noises but we need to see delivery," he said.

Mr Bradley said with "more seats and extra capacity and more services out of Derry we are confident more passengers will step forward and want to use the train".

In a statement, Translink said it had responded to increased demand for rail travel in the north west.

A spokesperson said: "We are starting to see passenger numbers steadily grow across the network including the Derry-Londonderry rail line and have reintroduced longer six-carriage trains on early services from the North West Transport Hub to cater for this recent increase."

They added that Translink have already taken delivery of two sets of three carriages.

"One set has entered service, the second is undergoing testing and commissioning and the third set is due to arrive on Thursday," the spokesperson said.

"All 21 of the new carriages are expected to enter passenger service by end of summer 2022, bringing an additional 1,600 commuter seats across our rail network every day."