Antrim railway station explained

Antrim
Symbol:rail
Symbol Location:ni
Address:Antrim, County Antrim
Borough:Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
Country:Northern Ireland
Coordinates:54.7182°N -6.2115°W
Structure:At-grade
Platform:4 (2 disused)
Tracks:4
Bus Stands:4
Bus Operators:Ulsterbus and Goldline services
Parking:Park and Ride
Bicycle:Bicycle parking is available
Accessible:Ramps and lifts
Services:Male, female and disabled toilets (currently closed with reason unknown)
Years:11 April 1848
Events:Station opens
Years1:1871
Events1:Station renamed Antrim Junction
Years2:by July 1922
Events2:Renamed Antrim
Years3:1965
Events3:Goods traffic ceased
Years4:2008
Events4:Refurbished
Rebuilt:1901-02
Architect:Berkeley Deane Wise
Owned:NI Railways
Operator:NI Railways
Map Type:Northern Ireland
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:14
Embedded:

Antrim railway station opened 1848 and serves the town of Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The station currently serves trains on the Belfast to Derry line via Bleach Green and station. Until 2003, Belfast-Derry trains reached here by means of the Lisburn-Antrim railway line, however, this line was mothballed after re-opening of the Bleach Green line. There is still the old platform for the Lisburn-Antrim line but has been cut back to allow room, on the other side of a fence, for the bus stands. The possibility of reopening it as a circular route, with a halt at for Belfast International Airport has been discussed. The station has undergone a major refurbishment to become an integrated bus and rail hub. In total, the station had 4 platforms. One is completely disused, two in use, and one that has been shortened and rarely used.

History

Antrim station was opened by the Belfast and Ballymena Railway on 11 April 1848. It was originally operated by the Midland Railway Northern Counties Committee. They provided sidings on the up side of the station, serving the Showgrounds. These sidings also contained a goods store, stabling block, stationmaster's house, office, and weighbridge.

The station buildings at Antrim were rebuilt in 1901–02 to designs by the architect Berkeley Deane Wise. It was built in a red-brick, mock-Tudor design. The footbridge was built by Walter MacFarlane's Saracen Foundry in Glasgow.[1]

The main station buildings were on the down platform, and the signal box was at the Belfast end of the same platform. There was a bay at the back of the down line platform for branch line trains, and also on this side of the mainline were the locomotive sheds, turntable, goods store, and sidings.

The station was run by the Ulster Transport Authority from 1948 to 1968, then part of Northern Ireland Railways. Since 1996 the station has been part of Translink.

The station itself used to also have a Station Masters House and Goods Yards. The last known Station Master of Antrim Railway Station (Antrim Junction) was a Mr. Cupples. At its peak, Antrim Railway Station was an important station linking many core routes now removed via its station.

The Station Masters House can still be seen (from outside). It has now been transformed into a health centre.

Service

On Mondays to Saturdays, there is an hourly service to in Belfast. In the other direction, there is an hourly service, with the last service terminating at .

On Sundays, services alternate between Derry~Londonderry or Portrush and the last service terminating at . In the other direction, there is an hourly service to Belfast Lanyon Place.

The third platform for the Crumlin line is not signposted and has not been in passenger service since a diversion from the Bleach Green Line in 2014.

See also

Notes and References

  1. The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland. William Alan McCutcheon, Northern Ireland. Department of the Environment. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984