Editing Ulster Transport Authority

{{short description|Parastatal railway and bus operator in Northern Ireland}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Ulster Transport Authority
| logo = UTA_Roundel.png
| logo_size = 150px
| predecessor = {{ubl|[[Northern Ireland Road Transport Board]]|[[Belfast and County Down Railway]]|[[Northern Counties Committee]] ([[London, Midland and Scottish Railway|LMS]]; 1949)|[[Great Northern Railway (Ireland)|Great Northern Railway]] (1958)}}
| successor = {{ubl|[[Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company]]|[[Northern Ireland Railways]]|[[Ulsterbus]]}}
| fate = Demerged
| foundation = 1948
| defunct = 1967
| location_city = [[Belfast]]
| location_country = [[Northern Ireland]]
| area_served = [[Northern Ireland]]
| industry = Bus and Railway operator
}}

The '''Ulster Transport Authority''' ('''UTA''') ran rail and bus transport in [[Northern Ireland]] that operated from 1948 until 1967.

==Formation and consolidation==
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1948
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Northern Ireland
| long_title            = 
| year                  = 1948
| citation              = [[List of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland#1948|1948]] c. 16 (N.I.)
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 10 August 1948
| commencement          = 1 October 1948
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
[[File:Ulster Transport Authority Bus stop in Millisle.jpg|thumb|238px|Disused concrete bus stop in County Down]]

The UTA was formed by the '''{{visible anchor|Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1948}}''', which merged the [[Northern Ireland Road Transport Board]] (NIRTB) and the [[Belfast and County Down Railway]] (BCDR). Added to this by the [[Ireland Act 1949]] ([[12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6]]. c. 41) was the [[Northern Counties Committee]] (NCC), owned by the [[British Transport Commission]]'s [[Railway Executive]] since its previous owner, the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]] (LMS), had been nationalised in 1948 by the [[Transport Act 1947]] ([[10 & 11 Geo. 6]]. c. 49).

==Branch railway closures==
In January 1950 the UTA closed almost the entire BCDR network except the [[Belfast–Bangor line|Bangor]] branch line.{{sfn|Baker|1972|page=207}}{{sfn|Hajducki|1974|page=39}} In the same year it closed the {{rws|Macfin}} – {{rws|Kilrea}} section of the former NCC's [[Derry Central Railway]] and the freight-only branches to [[Draperstown Railway|Draperstown]] and from [[Limavady Railway|Limavady to Dungiven]].{{sfn|Hajducki|1974|page=39}} It also withdrew passenger services from the former NCC branch lines to [[Cookstown railway station (NCC)|Cookstown]], Limavady and the {{rws|Magherafelt}} – Kilrea section of the Derry Central.{{sfn|Baker|1972|page=207}} That summer it also closed Northern Ireland's last {{RailGauge|3ft|lk=on}} narrow gauge lines: the [[Ballycastle Railway]] and the [[Ballymena and Larne Railway]].{{sfn|Baker|1972|page=207}}

In 1954 seven [[UTA MED|6-coach diesel units]] were put on the Belfast-Bangor line, making it the first completely dieselised passenger service in Ireland.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=The Railway Magazine |date=June 1954 |page=409 |editor-first=B.W.C. |editor-last=Cooke |publisher=Tothill Press |location=Westminster |number=638 |volume=100 |title=Diesel Progress in Ireland }}</ref>

In 1955 the UTA closed the (by then freight-only) branches to Cookstown and Limavady, and the line between [[Castlewellan]] and [[Newcastle, County Down]] (which was still worked by the GNR).{{sfn|Baker|1972|page=207}}

In 1957 the Northern Ireland Government made the [[Great Northern Railway (Ireland)|Great Northern Railway Board]] close much of its network in the province.{{sfn|Baker|1972|page=207}} This left no railways in many rural areas, including the whole of [[County Fermanagh]].{{sfn|Hajducki|1974|page=39}} By 1958 the GNR main line was the only remaining railway across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In that year what was left of the GNRB was dissolved and split between [[CIÉ|Córas Iompair Éireann]] (the [[Republic of Ireland]]'s nationalised transport company) and the UTA.

In 1959 the UTA closed the (by then freight only) remaining Magherafelt – Kilrea section of the Derry Central and the former GNR (by then freight only) branch from {{rws|Dungannon}} to Cookstown north of {{rws|Coalisland}}.{{sfn|Hajducki|1974|page=39}} The UTA also took over the [[Londonderry Port|Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners]]' [[dual gauge]] railway that linked [[Derry]]'s four railway termini, and in 1962 the UTA closed this railway as well.{{sfn|Baker|1972|page=209}}

==The Benson Report==
In 1962, on the recommendation of Dr [[Richard Beeching]], the Government of [[Northern Ireland]] commissioned a senior [[PricewaterhouseCoopers#Coopers & Lybrand|Coopers & Lybrand]] accountant, [[Henry Benson, Baron Benson|Sir Henry Benson]], to report on the future of the UTA's railways. In 1963 Benson submitted his report, which recommended closing all UTA railways except the Belfast commuter lines to Bangor and [[Belfast–Larne line|Larne]] and the main line between [[Belfast–Dublin railway line|Belfast and Dublin]], and the reduction of the main line between {{rws|Portadown}} and {{rws|Dundalk}} to single track.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irrs.ie/Common%20Files/UTA.htm |title=Ulster Transport Authority |date=7 January 2004 |work=Irish Railways: 1946 – 1996 |publisher=Irish Railway Record Society |access-date=14 September 2010 |archive-date=21 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821081013/http://www.irrs.ie/Common%20Files/UTA.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Benson recommended the only reason for retaining the main line between Portadown and Dundalk was not for transport or economics but solely political. The [[Republic of Ireland]]'s government objected to Benson's proposal to single the track between Portadown and Dundalk so the Northern Ireland Government withdrew it.

Derry had two rail links with Belfast: the [[Belfast–Derry railway line|former NCC main line]] ''via'' {{rws|Coleraine}} and the former GNR one ''via'' Portadown. Benson's recommendation to close both lines provoked strong protest from Northern Ireland's second city and towns along both routes. The Northern Ireland Government responded by retaining the former NCC main line, which was slightly the shorter of the two but also served strongly [[Ulster Unionism|Unionist]] parts of [[County Antrim]], plus the [[Coleraine–Portrush line|short branch]] between Coleraine and the seaside resort of {{rws|Portrush}}.

In 1965 the Northern Ireland government implemented Benson's recommendation to close the former GNR route between Portadown and Derry, informally known as the "[[Derry Road railway line|Derry Road]]", at the cost of 400 jobs. This ended all railway services to stations including {{rws|Dungannon}}, {{rws|Omagh}}, {{rws|Strabane|GNI}}, {{sfn|Hajducki|1974|page=39}} and left the entire southwest of the province, including the whole of [[County Tyrone]], with no rail services.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.derryjournal.com/news/your-community/nostalgia/closure-of-derry-road-a-great-loss-to-ireland-1-3540020|title = Closure of the 'Derry Road' a great loss to Ireland – Derry Journal|access-date = 20 August 2013|archive-date = 12 December 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131212190328/http://www.derryjournal.com/news/your-community/nostalgia/closure-of-derry-road-a-great-loss-to-ireland-1-3540020|url-status = dead}}</ref> The government also closed the [[Belfast Central Railway]], (that Benson had recommended retaining).<ref name=IRRS>{{cite web |url=http://www.irrs.ie/Common%20Files/UTA.htm |title=Ulster Transport Authority |date=7 January 2004 |work=Irish Railways: 1946 – 1996 |publisher=[[Irish Railway Record Society]] |access-date=25 November 2010 |archive-date=21 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821081013/http://www.irrs.ie/Common%20Files/UTA.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The branch between {{rws|Goraghwood}} and {{rws|Newry Edward Street}} was also closed, leaving [[Newry]] with no stations for 19 years until the reopening of the inconveniently sited [[Newry railway station|Bessbrook]] station on the main line in 1984, which was some distance up a hill outside the town.{{sfn|Hajducki|1974|page=39}}

These closures left only the [[York Road railway station|Belfast York Road]] – [[Londonderry railway station|Londonderry Waterside]], {{rws|Bleach Green}} – {{rws|Larne Harbour}} and Coleraine – Portrush lines in service.

==Split into rail and road companies==
Transport Acts in 1967 split the UTA into road and rail operations, the bus operations being taken over by a new company called [[Ulsterbus]] in the same year. The rail operations temporarily became [[Ulster Transport Railways]] (UTR) before being taken over by [[Northern Ireland Railways]] (NIR) in 1968.

[[File:The Northway, Portadown (1) - geograph.org.uk - 1597583.jpg|thumb|[[Portadown railway station|Portadown]] with former GNR (potential) line to [[Armagh railway station|Armagh]].]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Sources and further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Michael H.C. |year=1972 |title=Irish Railways since 1916 |location=London |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]] |isbn=0-7110-0282-7 }}
*{{cite book |last=FitzGerald |first=J.D. |year=1995 |title=The Derry Road |series=Colourpoint Transport |location=Gortrush |publisher=[[Colourpoint Books|Colourpoint Press]] |isbn=1-898392-09-9 }}
*{{cite book |last=Flanagan |first=Colm |year=2003 |title=Diesel Dawn |location=Newtownards |publisher=[[Colourpoint Books]] |isbn=1-904242-08-1 }}
*{{cite book |last=Hajducki |first=S. Maxwell |title=A Railway Atlas of Ireland |year=1974 |publisher=[[David & Charles]] |location=Newton Abbot |isbn=0-7153-5167-2 }}
*{{cite book |last=Simpson |first=Sam |year=2008 |title=Great Northern Railway of Ireland Road Motor Service 1925-1958 |publisher=Venture Publications |location=Glossop |isbn=978-190530-4097}}

==External links==
* [http://www.irrs.ie/Common%20Files/UTA.htm Irish Railway Record Society: Ulster Transport Authority]
* [http://www.irishrailwayana.com/pa004.htm Irish Railwayana: UTA]
{{History of bus transport in the United Kingdom}}

{{commons category|Ulster Transport Authority steam locomotives}}

[[Category:Bus transport in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transport in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Former nationalised industries of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:1966 disestablishments in Northern Ireland]]