Antrim railway station


Antrim railway station serves 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. 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.

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 1901-1902 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.
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 main line 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 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. It has now been transformed into a health centre.

Service

On Mondays to Saturdays, there is an hourly service to. In the other direction their is an hourly service,with the last service terminating at
On Sundays services alternate between Londonderry or Portrush and the last service terminating at in the other direction their is an hourly service to Great Victoria street
The 3rd platform for the Crumlin line is not signposted and hasn't be in passenger service since a diversion from the Bleach Green Line a few years ago.