Budget: £4-£6m1
Completion date: April 2024
Official project documentation: https://www.translink.co.uk/yorkstreetstation
The previous Yorkgate railway station was a fairly recent addition to the network. Opening in 1992 as part of the Cross Harbour Rail Link, the station quickly became a vital link for the population of the York and Shore Road areas after York Road Station was closed that same year. The Cross Harbour Rail Link itself was designed to finally bridge the River Lagan and connect the isolated Larne Line to the rest of the NIR network.
Yorkgate kept the surrounding area connected to the railway network, but its design was painfully flawed from day one and these flaws quickly became main reason why the station is in such dire need of replacement.
As easily illustrated by this image, Yorkgate was built trackside on a track that was elevated about 3 floors above ground level.
With no lifts or escalators it meant parents, students, elderly and disabled people had to choose between a steep incline or a huge staircase.
Now the Yorkgate hike is a thing of the past as York Street Station has taken over. The new station is a two level station, with the main station concourse at ground level, with lifts and/or escalators to take you up to the platforms above.
This change alone completely changes the railway accessibilty situation of the York Street area.
The station was originally scheduled to open in Q4 2023, but due to unknown circumstances (likely budgeting constraints brought on by the ballooning of construction costs post-COVID) the open date was pushed back until Spring 2024.
The photographs below are from March 2024:
The photographs below are from late-summer 2023:
(1) Investment Strategy Northern Ireland (search for “Yorkgate Station” at https://fms.sibni.org/fmi/webd/isni_public?homeurl=https://www.isni.gov.uk/)