Overview
The train from Derry to Coleraine passes directly beneath Mussenden Temple, the 18th-century rotunda on its 120-ft cliff at Downhill – and that’s only the most photographed moment of the 40 minutes. The line follows the shore of Lough Foyle, runs the length of Benone Strand, threads below the cliffs of Binevenagh and crosses the River Bann into Coleraine. Michael Palin featured it in Great Railway Journeys of the World, and Country Living ranked it seventh among UK railway journeys in 2016.
Be clear what you’re buying, though. This is a scheduled NI Railways service on modern CAF units, part of the Belfast–Derry route – no steam, no commentary, an ordinary fare. Four stations remain in use (Derry Waterside, Bellarena, Castlerock and Coleraine) and dozens of the old halts are now private houses. The window does all the work, so sit on the left leaving Derry – that’s the water side.
How it was built
The company was incorporated in 1845 and the line opened in stages: Derry Waterside to Limavady on 29 December 1852, on to Coleraine on 18 July 1853. Getting there meant reclaiming 22,000 acres from Lough Foyle and cutting two tunnels through the rock at Downhill – the longer, at 275 m, was Ireland’s longest railway tunnel when finished. The ‘Great Blast’ of June 1846 set off 3,600 lb of gunpowder before a crowd put at up to 12,000, and the company marked the breakthrough with a banquet for 500 guests inside the tunnel.
The rest of the history is brisker. A horse-drawn branch to Magilligan Point – the first railway to serve a ferry terminal on the north coast – opened in July 1855 and was gone by October. Money trouble brought a lease to the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway in 1861 and full absorption in 1871; a lifting viaduct built over the Bann in November 1860 had already tied the line into the Belfast–Derry route. Derry Waterside’s 1874 station was bombed twice in the 1970s, worst on 4 May 1978; its smaller 1980 replacement was itself demolished after the current station opened in October 2019. Steam went in the 1960s.
Along the line
Derry Waterside is the start – a modern hub with bus links across to the walled city, the Guildhall and the Tower Museum. Bellarena keeps its restored 1853 station building; Queen Elizabeth II opened its new passing loop in 2016. Then comes the lough shore and Benone Strand, seven miles of sand, before the tunnels under Mussenden Temple. The cliffs around Downhill and Binevenagh hold peregrine falcons; early morning gives the best chance of seeing one. Castlerock has a John Lanyon-designed station, a beach, pottery studios and the last mechanical signal box in Northern Ireland, worked until 2016. Coleraine is the joint rail-bus terminal: Mountsandel Fort is a mile and a half’s walk, and Ulsterbus connections run on to the Giant’s Causeway, Portrush and Bushmills. Photographers should note the light on Mussenden Temple is best at sunrise.
Practical information
Trains run hourly each way, with extras at weekday peaks; the full run takes about 40 minutes. Buy tickets on board, through the Translink app or at station ticket offices. The Family & Friends ticket covers up to two adults and four children, valid after 9.30am on weekdays and all day at weekends. Dogs are welcome on board, kept on a lead.
All four stations have level platforms, with lifts where needed; accessible toilets are at Derry Waterside and Coleraine, and assistance can be arranged on 028 9066 6630. Timetables shift, so check the Translink app before you travel – it also carries live service updates on the day.