Antrim railway station serves the town of
Antrim in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
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
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
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
Berkeley Deane Wise (2 October 1855, New Ross – 5 May 1909, Portrush) was an Irish civil engineer who made a significant impact on the development of railways and tourism, particularly in Northern Ireland.
Early years
Berkeley Deane Wise w ...
. It was built in a red-brick, mock-Tudor design. The footbridge was built by Walter MacFarlane's Saracen Foundry in Glasgow.
[The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland. William Alan McCutcheon, Northern Ireland. Department of the Environment. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984]
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
The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.
Formation and consolidation
The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board (NIRT ...
from 1948 to 1968, then part of
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose paren ...
. 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 the other direction, there is an hourly service , with the last service terminating at .
On Sundays, services alternate between
Londonderry or
Portrush
Portrush () is a small seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It neighbours the resort of Portstewart. The main part of the old town, including the railway station as well as most hotels, restaurants and bars, ...
and the last service terminating at . In the other direction, there is an hourly service to
Great Victoria street.
The 3rd platform for the
Crumlin line is not signposted and hasn't been in passenger service since a diversion from the Bleach Green Line in 2014.
See also
*
Antrim railway station (Great Northern Railway)
Antrim railway station (Great Northern) served Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was located on the mothballed Lisburn-Antrim railway line. The town is now served by Antrim railway station.
History
Built by the Dublin and Antrim ...
References
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Antrim Railway Station
Railway stations in County Antrim
Antrim, County Antrim
Railway stations opened in 1848
Railway stations served by NI Railways
Grade B2 listed buildings
1848 establishments in Ireland
Rail junctions in Northern Ireland
Railway stations in Northern Ireland opened in 1848