New £20million train station for Lurgan announced

Lurgan's new train station is expected to open in June 2026, Your Lurgan understands.

According to the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland, the redevelopment work is due to begin in September 2024.

Earlier statements suggested that the station would be open to passengers in 2024.

The long-awaited new station, which is set to cost £20m, is set to be formally announced shortly by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon.

Ms Mallon met with political representatives in Lurgan earlier to discuss the plans.

Her SDLP party colleague, Cllr Ciaran Toman, said the plans for the new state-of-the-art railway station, which would have inclusion and sustainability at its heart, were "exciting".

"Lurgan is a key station for commuters with up to one million passengers every year pre-COVID and it is the eighth busiest station in the North, the fourth outside of the Belfast network.

"The purchase of the cash and carry site has allowed Translink to progress their plans for this development, to build a new train station with the addition of 120+ extra park and ride spaces.

"This is a very exciting project that will transform the local area but it will also be a major economic boost for the town centre."

He added that "there will be no disruption to train services throughout the build".

Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart, welcomed the news.

“It was great to host Nichola Mallon in Lurgan today, and to be given the fantastic news that a £20m investment has been agreed to deliver a new train station for the town,” she said.

“This is something that I have been working on for many years, so I want to place on record my thanks to the Minister for recognising the need for investment, for upgrading of facilities, and the key role the station plays in the local community. 

“Works are scheduled to be completed by 2024, with a new station and additional park and ride places for the community to benefit from. This will no doubt add new users to our railways, taking vehicles off the road and helping reduce congestion and protect our environment.

“This is very much a good news day for Lurgan and I look forward to works commencing and moving forward full steam ahead to deliver this exciting new facility.”

Sinn Fein's Cllr Liam Mackle has also welcomed the news.

"I am delighted that the Minister has announced plans for a new train station in Lurgan with provision of 300 additional car parking spaces," he said.

"This is a massive vote of confidence in the town and can be the catalyst for further investment and development. As we move out of the Pandemic and try to rebuild our local economy investment like this in our vital infrastructure is very important.

"I look forward to the Autumn of 2024 when we will see the whole area around the current station transformed. 

"I and my colleagues, Cllr Keith Haughian, Cllr Sorchá McGeown and MLA John O'Dowd have been lobbying for years for such investment and it’s fantastic that it is now happening."

Your Lurgan has contacted the Department of Infrastructure for further clarification on the details.

From left, Carla Lockhart MP, Diane Dodds MLA, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon, John O'Dowd MLA and Dolores Kelly MLA.