Fantastic success on Ulster's railway and my NIR build

[rjhowie]

I on my occasional visits over from Glasgow have always felt sorry that N. Ireland's rail network was savaged decades ago by bus oirenated control people at the now long defunct (thankfully UTA). N. Ireland Rlys is the only State railway still operating and has not has as much pumped into what is left of a system redcued by nearly 80% years ago. It also receives a far, far smaller subsidy than mainland private passneger railways. Nor has it had the financial input and re-openings south fo the Border via the EEC. However some good news.

Since 2004/5 passnger numbers have rocketed by 60% and have reached government targets some 4 years early! Modernising stations and over 30 brand new state of the art trains has helped. This has resulted in increasing services and renewing track that were literally falling apart through previous lack of investment. Campaigns to save what is left especially the Londonderry Line have been well supported. NIR have done a great job. Only one line is not in passenger service - Lisburn Junction to Antrim Junction. Mothballed it is used however for driver training. Suggestions have been made of re-opening it in the future and airlines pressing for a short branch into the International Airport which the line skirts. So at long last this small company has shown what can be done.

I hope to be over shortly with a Freedom of NI Pass which allows unlimited travel on N.I. Rlys, Ulsterbus and the Belfast City buses.

 

[rjhowie]

Forgot to add my info about my project!!

I am presently building the whole N.I.R. railway in Trainz. Have Belfast oto the Border line as far as Newry - done the whole of Belfast-Bangor. Belfast to Antrim on the Londonderry line and just laid the mothballed line from Lisburn-Antrim. Eventually I will get to Belfast-Larne, complete LDerry beyond Antrim and the Portrush Branch. Will take me a time yet as little scenery is down mainly tracks, stations, etc. Have a kind of convoluted impression of Belfast Central although scratching my head on Gt Victoria St Station but will get there. Not living there doesn't help but when I do get to the final part my longer term thinking is maybe to continue the Border Line right down to Dublin though that might be a real challenge. Another alternative thought in a second version and just for fun of it would be to bring back a couple of the closed lines instead There are plenty for me to choose from!

Just thought apart from Harcourt's great steam train representation north of Belfast there is nothing from over the Irish Sea. Excuse the ramble but the tv is boring!