Newry railway station

Newry railway station (Irish: Stáisiún Traenach Iúr Cinn Trá)^[9] serves the city of Newry and the village of Bessbrook in Northern Ireland. The station is located in the northwest of Newry, County Armagh on the Dublin-Belfast line close to the Craigmore Viaduct. It is the most southerly railway station in Northern Ireland.

Newry Iúr Cinn Trá
Newry station in August 2016
General information
Location	Newry Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54.1885°N 6.3625°W / 54.1885; -6.3625
Owned by	NI Railways
Operated by	NI Railways
Line(s)	DublinPortadown/Newry
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Train operators	NI Railways, Iarnród Éireann
Bus routes	341
Bus stands	1
Bus operators	Ulsterbus
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	Large park & ride facility
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Other information
Station code	NYA
Fare zone	4[1]
Website	translink.co.uk/Newry
Key dates
1855	Opened as Newry Main Line
1942	Closed as Bessbrook
1984	Re-opened as Newry
2009	New station building opened
2024	Dublin commuter services cease
Passengers
2015/16	242,870 [2]
2016/17	260,033 [2]
2017/18	282,212 [2]
2018/19	307,288 [3]
2019/20	279,213 [4]
2020/21	50,542 [5]
2021/22	179,835 [6]
2022/23	307,551 [7]
2023/24	356,269 [8]
NI Railways Translink NI railway stations
Route map (Click to expand) Show NI Railways Network map Legend Year closed Great Victoria Street 2024 Belfast Grand Central Westlink / Central Junction to Lanyon Place Adelaide Depot Adelaide Balmoral Finaghy M1 Dunmurry Derriaghy Lambeg Hilden Lisburn Knockmore 2005 Lisburn-Antrim line 2003 Banbridge, Lisburn & Belfast Jn Rly to Banbridge 1956 Maze 1974 Broomhedge Halt 1973 Damhead 1973 Moira M1 Pritchard's Bridge 1844 Lurgan Goodyear Halt 1983 Seagoe 1842 River Bann Portadown to Dungannon, Omagh and Londonderry 1965 to Armagh, Clones and Cavan 1957 Tanderagee 1965 Banbridge Jn Rly to Banbridge 1955 Scarva Acton Crossing 1954 Poyntzpass Augheranter Crossing 1954 Knockarney Crossing 1965 Newry and Armagh Railway to Armagh 1955 Goraghwood 1965 to Warrenpoint 1965 Mullaghglass 1901 Bessbrook and Newry Tramway Craigmore Viaduct Newry MacNeill's Egyptian Arch Wellington Inn 1852 Adavoyle 1933 Northern Ireland Ireland border Mt. Pleasant 1965 M1 Castletown River Dundalk Clarke Dundalk Junct. station 1894 ← to Clones and Enniskillen│to Greenore → 1957/1952 Dundalk Railway Works 1958 Castlebellingham 1976 to Ardee 1975 Dromin Junction 1975 Dunleer 1984 Newfoundwell Boyne Viaduct Drogheda MacBride Oldcastle branch line (freight only) Bettystown 1847 Laytown Laytown Viaduct Mosney 2000 Gormanston Balbriggan Ardgillan 1867 Skerries Skerries Golf Club Halt 1960 Baldongan 1847 Rush and Lusk Rogerstown Viaduct Donabate Broadmeadow viaduct Malahide Portmarnock Clongriffin Baldoyle 1852 to Howth Howth Junction & Donaghmede Kilbarrack Raheny Harmonstown Killester Clontarf 1956 Clontarf Road Fairview DART depot River Tolka North Wall Yard to Alexandra Road Western Commuter & Sligo Line Docklands The Royal Canal Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Tallaght and Saggart Loopline Bridge Trans-Dublin Line & Rosslare Line = Northern Commuter = Newry/Portadown Line This diagram: view talk edit Show Dublin line route diagram Legend Year closed Great Victoria Street 2024 Belfast Grand Central Westlink / Central Junction to Lanyon Place Adelaide Adelaide Depot Balmoral Finaghy Dunmurry Derriaghy Lambeg Hilden Lisburn Knockmore 2005 Lisburn-Antrim railway line to Antrim (disused) Maze 1974 Moira Lurgan River Bann Portadown Tanderagee 1965 Scarva Poyntzpass Goraghwood 1965 Newry Belfast-Dublin railway line to Dublin Connolly = Northern Commuter This diagram: view talk edit Show Portadown/Newry line route diagram Legend Belfast–Dublin line United Kingdom Ireland border Dundalk Clarke to Navan (freight only) Drogheda MacBride Laytown Mosney 2000 Gormanston Balbriggan Skerries Rush and Lusk Donabate Malahide Portmarnock Clongriffin DART Howth Branch Howth Junction & Donaghmede Kilbarrack Raheny Harmonstown Killester Clontarf Road The Royal Canal Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Tallaght or Saggart Loopline Bridge Tara Street Dublin Pearse Dublin-Rosslare line to Bray and Rosslare Europort This diagram: view talk edit Show Northern Commuter line route diagram
Location Newry Location within Northern Ireland Show map of Northern Ireland Newry Newry (island of Ireland) Show map of island of Ireland
Notes Passenger figures do not include Iarnród Éireann Northern Commuter services

The current station building (constructed in 2009) features 2 platforms that are accessible by a footbridge with lifts and inside the station concourse there is a ticket office and ticket machines, as well as toilets, vending machines and seats. The entrance to the platforms from the station concourse is closed off by a gate which is only opened by staff members around 10 minutes before scheduled departures.

Translink Ulsterbus operates a free of charge bus service from outside the station to Newry city centre for rail ticket holders.

History

Newry rail lines c. 1910

The port of Newry was already a transport hub by 1742 with the opening of the Newry Canal to Lough Neagh.^[10] By the start of the twentieth century Newry had become a railway hub, with the Belfast to Dublin line passing to the west of the town, while lines from the ports of Warrenpoint and Greenore either side of Carlingford Lough converged closer to the centre of town where stations were more conveniently situated. All converged at Goraghwood to the north of Newry where a line also diverged off to the north-west towards Armagh.

The current Newry station originally opened in 1855 as Newry Main Line,^[11] renamed Bessbrook & Newry Main Line in 1866, renamed again as Bessbrook in 1880 before closing in 1942.^[12]

With this closure Newry was served by the Edward Street station, however this was to close with the Warrenpoint branch in 1965,^[13] leaving Newry with no railway station.

The station re-opened in 1984^[12] as an NIR Intercity station,^{[citation needed]} with basic facilities such as a temporary booking office.^[12] These facilities remained in place for over 20 years from the station's opening by which time their condition was deteriorating.^{[citation needed]} In order to improve facilities for passengers a modern new station building was constructed and officially opened on 26 November 2009.^[14]

Other stations in Newry

• Albert Basin, on the canal branch.
• Armagh Road, temporary station at Mullaghlass on main line.^[10]
• Bridge Street, Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway station.^[15]
• Dublin Bridge, Newry, Warrenpoint and Rostrevor Railway (NW&RR).^[12]
• Edward Street, Opened by the Newry and Armagh Railway (then Newry and Enniskillen) in 1854.^[16]
• Kilmorey Street, Original terminus of NW&RR.^[12]

Service

The station is a calling point on the Enterprise express service, which operates between Belfast Grand Central and Dublin Connolly. These trains call at Newry for both destinations at hourly intervals throughout the day. The station experiences favourable passenger numbers from this service. There are also four trains to and from Belfast Grand Central, operated by NI Railways.

On Sundays, there are five Enterprise trains in each direction, and no NIR services.

Additionally, until September 2024, two peak-time services were operated each day to and from Newry by Iarnród Éireann. The first was the 06:30 service to Dublin Connolly, stopping at Commuter stations between Newry and Dublin Connolly, except Gormanston, Portmarnock, Clongriffin, and Howth Junction & Donaghmede. The first peak service to Newry began in January 2018, when the 17:13 service from Dublin Pearse was extended to Newry from Dundalk Clarke. These services were discontinued following the timetable change in September 2024.^[17]

Route

Preceding station		Northern Ireland Railways		Following station
Portadown		Enterprise Belfast-Dublin		Dundalk Clarke
Poyntzpass		Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Newry		Terminus
	Historical railways
Preceding station		Iarnród Éireann		Following station
Terminus		Commuter Northern Commuter (1tpd in each direction)		Dundalk Clarke

Gallery

• 
  Newry station in August 2009
• 
  Enterprise train arrives at Newry on a Dublin bound service in 2006
• 
  Craigmore Viaduct with the Mournes in the distance, seen from Bessbrook near Newry station
• 
  Former platform sign at Newry station
• 
  The modern day Enterprise departing Newry station
• 
  Station entrance
• 
  Station building (2024)
• 
  Wall plaques commemorating the opening of the new station building in 2009