NI Railways
NI Railways is Translink's rail brand in Northern Ireland, running trains to Bangor and Derry~Londonderry and the Enterprise to Dublin.
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- United Kingdom
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NI Railways is the passenger rail brand of Translink, the public transport operator for Northern Ireland. It runs domestic services across the network, including trains to Bangor and to Derry~Londonderry, and it supplies some of the trains on the Enterprise service to Dublin.
The network
Translink operates and maintains around 300 miles of railway track in Northern Ireland, including the bridges, level crossings and signals that go with it. Bangor and Derry~Londonderry are both staffed NI Railways stations, each with a ticket desk, a ticket vending machine and step free access. NI Railways is a separate operator from Iarnrod Eireann, which runs trains in the Republic of Ireland; the two only meet on the shared Enterprise route.
The Enterprise to Dublin
The Belfast to Dublin corridor is covered by the Enterprise service, run with a mixed fleet of Enterprise, Irish Rail Intercity and NI Railways branded trains, calling at Portadown and Newry between Belfast Grand Central Station and Dublin Connolly. Trains run every hour, 15 times a day Monday to Saturday from 6am and 8 times on a Sunday. Enterprise and Irish Rail Intercity workings carry seat reservations and a First Plus option with an onboard host; the NI Railways branded workings on this route run standard coaches with trolley service only and no reservation. Online single fares from Belfast Grand Central start at around £14.99 for the Low fare and rise to £16.99 for a fully flexible single.
Buying and validating tickets
Book Enterprise tickets online up to 80 minutes before departure for better value than buying at the station, then collect them from a ticket vending machine before boarding. Across the wider NI Railways network, Platform Validators are installed at every station: tap or present NI Railways paper barcode tickets, mobile mLink barcode tickets, or an iLink or aLink smartcard at the validator before boarding, at both staffed and unstaffed stations. A conductor still checks all tickets on board. Some concession SmartPasses, including the Senior, 60+, Blind, War Pensioner and Half Fare passes, cannot be validated at the platform machines; those passengers need a printed barcode ticket from a vending machine or conductor instead. This validator rollout is a step toward accepting contactless bank cards directly on rail in future, so contactless tap in is not yet available for an NI Railways journey.
Where to book
Train tickets
- Buy direct from NI Railways
NI Railways
Frequently asked questions
What does NI Railways operate?
NI Railways is Translink's passenger rail brand in Northern Ireland, running domestic trains such as Belfast to Bangor and Belfast to Derry~Londonderry, and supplying some of the trains on the cross-border Enterprise route to Dublin.
Is NI Railways the same as Irish Rail?
No. NI Railways operates in Northern Ireland and Iarnrod Eireann operates in the Republic of Ireland. The two meet only on the shared Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin, run with a mixed fleet of Enterprise, Irish Rail Intercity and NI Railways trains.
How often does the Enterprise run between Belfast and Dublin?
The Enterprise runs every hour from Belfast Grand Central Station to Dublin Connolly, 15 times a day Monday to Saturday from 6am and 8 times on a Sunday, stopping at Portadown and Newry.
How do I validate an NI Railways ticket?
Tap or present your paper barcode ticket, mLink mobile ticket, or iLink or aLink smartcard at the Platform Validator before boarding, at both staffed and unstaffed stations. A conductor also checks tickets on board the train.
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Official website
