Three lines, five stations - a potted history of Portadown's railway

Portadown is still a stop on the Belfast to Dublin service, but 100 years ago it was so important they had to keep moving it to cope with demand.

[@jimcrawford5039]

Another great and interesting video! Cheers from Oz.

[@thomasburke2683]

The current station at Woodhouse Street, (since refurbished, and subway replaced by footbridge), was opened to traffic on 5 October 1970, and formally opened a week later by Lord Gray, governor of NI. The cost was £145,000, but that was when most people earned less than £1,000 per annum, before the great inflation of the 1970s. As well as Portadown being Craigavon West and Lurgan - Craigavon East, there was Goodyear in between, a bit closer to Lurgan, serving the Goodyear tyre factory, since closed. Each platform was made of timber and had three platform lights. The platforms were staggered and connected by a subway, paid for by Goodyear. One of the reasons Goodyear chose the location for their factory, was that they could export the products by rail. The company was shocked when NIR told them it was not allowed to carry freight, Northern Ireland Carriers was the state company established to provide freight services when the UTA was divided, and it was exclusively road freight.

[@Squareheed]

Glad to see you back, I sincerely hope that the lines to Armagh & Dungannon make a return. Especially since the DFI are exploring costs for feasibility studies into restoring the line between Portadown & Londonderry. Great video!

[@daniellowry]

Glad to see these videos popping up in my KZbin recommended again. Love watching them! Excited to see more, keep up the good work! Still hoping they'll open some new (old) lines again.

[@trainscranesandtrivialtale7262]

Thanks Daniel, glad you're enjoying them. Not sure where I'll end up next

[@mattpotter8725]

Looks like this would have been a fantastic historic building if it were still standing today, even if it wasn't still being used as a railway station. The destroying of this and the railways (even if I accept the case for some of the closures) was just industrial vandalism on a massive scale. I'm not from Northern Ireland, but my grandpa was born there and I've been doing a lot of research in County Armagh, albeit further south, so these videos are so interesting. Hope you eventually get down towards the Newry area and the line I think there was between there and Armagh City.. Keep them coming if you can!!! New sub here!!! 👏👏👏

[@nigelwhiteside3060]

Thank you ... another great video... always interesting.

[@nornironnomad]

Hopefully they will open the Armagh line soon, then maybe that will be the precedent

[@susancraig3966]

The railway station itself is, from memory, quite modern. Maybe a view from the platforms would be of further interest?

[@beebee404]

Great video as always!

[@onlycompetitions5083]

Another hundred subs in 3 months. 🚂 You must be doing something right!

[@trainscranesandtrivialtale7262]

Cheers mate, just need to double it now to make a fiver a year from KZbin!

[@ThatScottishAtlantic57]

Why do Irish Railway stations keep changing location every like few decades?

[@trainscranesandtrivialtale7262]

Probably the same short sightedness that leads the lines to be closed as well. Can you think of any other examples?

[@ThatScottishAtlantic57]

@@trainscranesandtrivialtale7262 Nope, but i do know that Perth Station in Scotland was meant to be built on the South Inch, (A local park), but was moved slightly further up the road, mainly due to public outcry!

[@thomasburke2683]

Atlantic, It's only in Northern Ireland that such has happened. In the 1960s, the N I government was anti railway, and rather than close altogether, NIR agreed to downsize. Since then, Translink management have recognised the need for better facilities and have been allowed funding by the government.

[@martingrefen7792]

Not just in NI,look what CIE done in the South,look at the Dublin Harcort street line,it was the first to close in 1958,if they had that line today it would be very busy,a second Dublin Dart line...

[@Ohh-Johnny-boy]

Yip I lived on the left at around 5 minutes in Atkinson Avenue back in the mid 90s mad house mad times, the shame that whoever for the bloody north way knocked our majestic railway station down at Watson street needed jailed tbf, but that’s our wee country bloody joke!