Calls for greater investment as Derry railway station breaks record and almost hits 1m journeys milestone
Into The West have called for greater rail investment after Derry’s station catered for nearly a million journeys last year.
The rail lobby said Translink figures for 2024-25 (the 12 months to March 2025) show a record 963,312 journeys taken to and from Derry by train.
This represents an increase of 11,000 passengers compared to the previous yea – itself a record-breaker.
It is the highest number of trips Derry’s station has ever catered for, solidifying its status as the North’s seventh busiest.
Into The West said the increase bucked the trend of declines across the North and in Belfast.
Belfast city’s 11 stations experienced a five per cent year-on-year decline in rail usage in 2024-25 – amounting to 600,000 fewer trips.
The North as a whole saw a four per cent year-on-year decline – though once Belfast was excluded, the rest of the North experienced a drop of only 2.6 per cent (or 400,000 journeys), Into the West said.
Into the West acknowledged the decline in rail passengers in Belfast across 2024-25 can be explained in part by a number of temporary station closures to facilitate creation of the new Grand Central facility.
Derry experienced a 78 per cent increase in its passenger volumes since Covid (2024/5 versus 2018/19) – gaining 422,000 users, the lobby said.
Into The West Chair Steve Bradley said: “Demand for rail continues to set new records every year in Derry, and it’s fantastic to see the city having almost a million passengers a year now.
"Back in 2016 Derry had the 17th busiest station in NI, catering for 324,000 journeys. A decade on and demand has trebled – following the creation of a fit-for-purpose station and the introduction of hourly services 6 days a week - making Derry now NI’s 7th busiest station.
"It‘s been a truly remarkable growth – the largest and most continuous increase in rail demand anywhere on the island of Ireland – and shows the positive impact that even fairly modest improvements in services can have here. Yet despite the proof that money invested in Derry’s rail unleashes huge increases in demand, the city still has one hand tied behind its back when it comes to services.
"Derry and the two other stations West of the Bann receive over 2,400 fewer trains a year than every station East of the Bann gets on the same line.”
A Translink spokesperson said: “We have seen strong passenger growth and high levels of customer satisfaction in the North-West.
“All our routes and services are kept under review. As with any requests for additional services or alterations to existing services, passenger demand, resources and appropriate funding are taken into account.”
A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said: “The Minister is committed to addressing regional imbalance to better connect our communities, including those within the Northwest.
"As part of the budget 2025-26, the Minister has ring-fenced £5.8m for Phase 3 of the Derry to Coleraine railway project, which will deliver better services and faster journeys.
"The Department and Translink are working together to finalise a business case regarding potential enhancements to rail services for Derry.“
The 2024/25 Public Transport Statistics are due on September 10.
DfI said passenger levels in Belfast will have been impacted by closures to complete Grand Central Station.