Templepatrick railway station explained

54.7018°N -6.0918°W

Templepatrick
Status:Disused
Borough:Templepatrick, County Antrim
Country:Northern Ireland
Platforms:1
Original:Belfast and Ballymena Railway
Pregroup:Belfast and Northern Counties Railway
Postgroup:Northern Ireland Railways
Years:11 April 1848
Events:Station opens as flag halt
Years1:9 September 1961
Events1:Station closes
Years2:17 June 1980
Events2:Station reopens
Years3:21 February 1981
Events3:Station closes
Map Type:Northern Ireland
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:14

Templepatrick railway station served the village of Templepatrick in County Antrim on the Belfast-Derry railway line.

History

The station was opened in 1848 as part of the Belfast & Ballymena Railway, which would ultimately become part of the Northern Counties Committee group of lines owned by the LMS. Following the nationalisation of the railways, traffic on the line was reduced until eventually the route between Belfast and Derry~Londonderry was diverted via the Lisburn-Antrim railway line, with the stations on the old route, including Templepatrick, closed. Templepatrick was closed in 1981.[1]

Proposals

In 1994, Northern Ireland Railways gained funding approval for the restoration of the Bleach Green section of the Derry line, which would allow more direct services into the centre of Belfast. As part of this project, NIR planned to recommission two new stations, and Templepatrick.[2] Mossley West opened in 2001, but there was no movement for a station at Templepatrick. However, Translink, the public company responsible for public transport in Northern Ireland, proposed to build a major transport interchange, featuring both a bus and railway station beside the M2 at Templepatrick. As of 2006 it was reported that this could potentially serve as a park and ride for towns and villages in the area of South Antrim.[3]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.railbrit.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf Templepatrick station
  2. http://www.translink.co.uk/resources/pdfs/ABG8.pdf Antrim - Bleach Green: Rebirth of a Railway Line; Engineering
  3. Web site: Ford welcomes rail progress at Templepatrick. https://web.archive.org/web/20100504123945/http://www.allianceparty.org/news/002033/ford_welcomes_rail_progress_at_templepatrick.html . 4 May 2010 . Alliance Party . 14 April 2006 . Translink expects to submit a planning application for the proposed Templepatrick park and ride scheme before the end of this year [2006] .