The railway line from Belfast to Derry/Londonderry is known for its scenic qualities. Famously, former Monty Python member Michael Palin once described it as “one of the most beautiful rail journeys in the world”. This is thanks to its alignment between Coleraine and Derry on the island’s northern coast affording great views of the sea, Downhill Beach, and the 385 metre-high Binevenagh further inland.

One of the coastal sights accessible by trains on this line is the Mussenden Temple at Castlerock, which is perched high up on a cliff above the railway tracks and frequently featured on the region’s tourism brochures. During my recent summer visit to Derry, I made the detour to the Temple via Castlerock and ticked it off my list for the north of Ireland.

Buying my tickets

NI Railways sells a variety of tickets for its services. Generally speaking, you can buy a Single ticket or a Day Return ticket for travel between your origin and destination stations. There are also discounted tickets available, such as a discounted off-peak Day Return ticket for travel after 9:30am. You can buy these tickets at the station with cash or card, or on Translink’s mLink app (if you can get it to work for you).

Another way to travel on Translink services is to use a zone-based iLink travel card. Depending on your choice, these can be good for a day, a week, or a month, and covers all bus and rail services within a particular zone, a combo of zones, or all of Northern Ireland. For this trip, I used my 1 Week Zone 4 iLink travel card, which meant I did not have to buy tickets every time I hopped on all Translink buses and trains.

For more information on the iLink travel cards, head on over to Translink’s info page here.

Departure from Belfast Lanyon Place

At the time of this trip, Lanyon Place was serving as Belfast’s main rail station due to the closure of Great Victoria Street. Lanyon Place is far from being a photogenic piece of infrastructure, but is nevertheless a decent and efficient enough facility. Since this trip, the Grand Central Station has opened as Belfast’s new bus and train hub, ushering in a new era for travel in the region.

Derry is the second largest city in the north of Ireland and an important terminus on the railway network. At the time of writing, there are 15 direct services in each direction running between Derry and Belfast daily. End-to-end travel time on the line is around 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Onboard the NI Railways Class 4000 DMU

Both services were operated by a Class 4000 Diesel Multiple Units. The 20-strong CAF-built Class 4000 fleet was first commissioned into service in 2010, supplementing the existing fleet of 23 Class 3000 DMUs from year 2004-2005.

All Class 3000 and Class 4000 DMUs share identical interiors. The seats are laid out in a standard 2-2 airline style configuration. The seats in each carriage consist of 2 groups facing towards the middle of the carriage, meaning half of the seats are facing backwards.

NI Railways’ seats are generally quite comfortable and are perfect for a nap after a day out in the countryside. There are also small seat-back tables, USB chargers, accessible toilets, and a dedicated space for wheelchair users. Do note that seats are on a first come first serve basis as NI Railways do not provide seat reservations.

Quick stop at Castlerock for Mussenden Temple

Castlerock station is a small, 1853-built station serving the villages of Castlerock and Articlave. Originally built with 2 platforms to serve trains in both directions, the passing loop and tracks on the northbound platforms were removed in 2016, meaning only one platform remains in service at the station.

The walk from the station to the Mussenden Temple takes close to an hour, which I’ll cover in a separate post.

Castlerock to Derry

The train ride from Castlerock to Derry takes only around 30 minutes. The highlight of the train ride to Derry comes shortly after leaving Castlerock, when the train passes through and emerges from the Downhill tunnel right next to Downhill beach.

The next highlight then comes as the train follows Lough Foyle on approach to the city of Derry. I’ve done this trip many times, but I never get tired of the view of the city approaching as the train speeds along the River Foyle.

Arrival at Derry

I stepped out onto the platforms at “Derry-Londonderry” after a total train travel time of around 2 hours. Officially named the “North West Transport Hub”, this adaptation of an old 1874 built station is Derry’s new railway station, replacing the uninspiring 1970s built structure that served the city from a spot further up ahead.

This was my first visit to Derry’s new station after countless times passing through the old station, and to say I was impressed was an understatement. You can read more about my thoughts on Derry’s new railway station here.

Final Thoughts

I’ve always enjoyed my train rides and visits to Derry, and this was no exception. Once again, NI Railways proved to be a useful way to explore this part of Ireland.