To provide a fully accessible Railway Station in Portadown with lift access to the island platform and Obins Street, ensure compliance with DDA, Health and Safety (H&S) and Building Regulations Requirements and provide a refurbished railway station capable of meeting passenger and staff needs.

The aim of this project is to improve the connectivity across the eligible area by improving the rail service on the Belfast to Dublin train route. Portadown Railway Station is located in the north of the town centre and is managed by NI Railways - Translink. Portadown Station operates along the main Belfast – Dublin line and provides 453 services per week. It was built nearly 30 years ago and includes commuter and staff services within a single and part two-storey building on the southern side of the railway line. The building is bordered to the south by the Northway dual carriageway and to the north by terraced housing at Park Road. A ‘Single Up’ platform and an island (‘Down’) platform are connected via a subway underneath the railway line.

As well as the normal passenger facilities, the station also accommodates staff booking on point, training and meeting rooms and a signal cabin. Next to the main building, the park and ride car park offers car parking spaces, for both disabled and non-disabled people and 15 staff spaces. The introduction of new train services has led to an increasing number of passengers travelling using Portadown Station.

Translink has identified that Portadown Railway Station requires refurbishment to provide better customer facilities and to meet the requirements of a range of relevant legislation in relation to Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), Health & Safety (H&S) and Building Regulations.

The specific objectives of the project were:

• To improve access to connectivity for those living in the eligible area.
• To provide a refurbished railway station capable of meeting passenger and staff needs.
• To provide retail opportunities within the existing station.
• To improve access to the enterprise service (Belfast – Dublin) for passengers within the eligible area.
• To provide new staff training facilities.