LURGAN TO PORTADOWN CABLE RENEWAL

Watch our webinar on the Lurgan to Portadown Project in December 2022.

Watch on youtube

This essential engineering project will see the upgrading of existing cable infrastructure between Portadown and Lurgan Train Stations.

It represents a major capital investment by the Department for Infrastructure and will improve the performance of the rail network in the area. This project is also essential for maintaining the high safety standards and reduce the level of maintenance needed in the long term.

This investment will protect our network, enabling people to stay connected to work, retail, education, and leisure opportunities, and will be good for visitors. It will help to care for our environment, addressing climate change and removing harmful air pollution from the air we breathe by attracting more people to travel by train, reducing reliance on the private car.

The railway between Lurgan and Portadown is a key strategic corridor for local and cross-border travel. It is vital we take these steps to invest and build back better to deliver fit for purpose infrastructure for well into the future.

Over recent years there has been substantial investment in the public rail network in the greater Craigavon area, notably with the Lurgan Area Track Renewal project in 2019. Planning is also underway for a new train station in Lurgan, as well as a wider signalling improvement project across the network. Later this year, longer walkthrough 6 car trains will be introduced with the roll-out of our new train carriages, offering more seats and more space.

We have also recently invested in new cleaner, low emission buses for the Craigavon area as we work towards achieving our target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and a fully Net Zero bus and rail fleet by 2040

• Early 2022:
  • Main construction works ongoing for approximately 8 months
• Mid to late 2022:
  • Terminating, testing, and commissioning of cabling
• Early 2023
  • Project substantially complete 

The main engineering works are currently underway, with the works being completed during the night and passenger trains continuing to operate as normal. The engineering works will move along the railway between Portadown and Lurgan, meaning construction will not be in one area for a sustained period.

During the works we will be putting in place mitigation measures to reduce noise and disruption where possible.

If you have any questions, you can contact the project team: email lu2pd@gravisplanning.com or contact our answerphone service on 028 9692 7258 and select option 3 (Lurgan to Portadown Cable Renewal).

We have been engaging with the local community and elected representatives to explain how the works will be carried out and what to expect. This will continue throughout the duration of the project. We will ensure all our communications are delivered using a range of digital platforms alongside letter drops and presentations as appropriate.

As part of Translink’s commitment to deliver community benefit alongside engineering works, to date we have partnered with a range of different community organisations and schools. These include, 

• Lead sponsor of the Lurgan Show.
• Delivering an ecological and biodiversity package to Seagoe Primary School.
• Donating 200 sunflowers for St Francis Primary School Nurture week.
• Sponsoring Moyraverty Arts and Drama Society for one of their productions.

• £10 million Investment.
• 9km of new cabling.
• New cabling will reduce the need for potential future repair 
• Upgrading equipment will ensure train service reliability and performance 
• Project will maintain and enhance safety standards

This work is part of a series of planned or completed improvements to the railways network in the greater Craigavon area, subject to approvals.

These include:

• Signal redesign works for level crossings, which will reduce waiting times at level crossings for road users in Lurgan.
• Proposed Lurgan Station redevelopment.