Ballymena railway station

Railway station in Ballymena, Northern Ireland

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Ballymena

General information
Location| Ballymena
Northern Ireland
Coordinates| 54°51′51″N 6°17′5″W﻿ / ﻿54.86417°N 6.28472°W﻿ / 54.86417; -6.28472
Owned by| NI Railways
Operated by| NI Railways
Line(s)| Derry~Londonderry
Platforms| 2
Tracks| 2
Construction
Structure type| At-grade
Key dates
11 April 1848| Original station opened
4 December 1855| Station relocated
1904| Rebuilt
1981| Current station opened
2008| Refurbished
Passengers
2022/23| 661,364 [1]
2023/24|  849,825 [2]

* NI Railways
* Translink
* NI railway stations

Route map

(Click to expand) Show NI Railways Network map

Legend

|  |  |

|  |  |

| Year

closed

|  |

|  | Great Victoria Street |

2024

|  |

|  | Belfast Grand Central
|  |

|  |  |

|  |

|  |

Belfast-Dublin line

|  |

|  |

| to Portadown, Newry

& Dublin Connolly

|  |

|  | City Hospital
|  |

|  | Windsor |

1885

|  |

|  | Botanic
|  |

|  | Ormeau |

1885

|  |

|  | Lanyon Place
|  |

|  | Queen's Bridge |

1885

|  |

|  |

| Lagan Railway Bridge

over River Lagan

|  |

|  |

| Belfast-Bangor line

to Bangor

|  |

|  |

| Dargan Bridge

over River Lagan

|  |

|  | York Street
|  |

|  | Yorkgate |

2024

|  |

|  |

York Road depot

|  |

|  | York Road |

1992

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Fortwilliam Traincare Depot

|  |

|  | Greencastle |

1954

|  |

|  | Whitehouse |

1954

|  |

|  | Whiteabbey
|  |

|  |

| Belfast-Larne line

to Larne Harbour

|  |

|  |

| via Greenisland

1963

|  |

|  | Monkstown |

1981

|  |

|  | Mossley |

1982

|  |

|  | Mossley West
|  |

|  | Ballyclare Junction |

1961

|  |

|  |

| Ballyclare branch line

to Ballyclare

1950

|  |

|  | Ballyrobert |

1920

|  |

|  | Doagh |

1970

|  |

|  | Templepatrick |

1981

|  |

|  | Dunadry |

1954

|  |

|  | Muckamore |

1961

|  |

|  |

| Lisburn-Antrim line

to Lisburn

2003

|  |

|  | Antrim
|  |

|  | Cookstown Junction |

1976

|  |

|  |

Cookstown branch line

1959

|  |

|  |

| to Magherafelt

& Cookstown

|  |

|  | Kellswater |

1971

|  |

|  | Andraid |

1850

|  |

|  |

| Ballymena & Larne Rly

to Larne

1950

|  |

|  | Ballymena
|  |

|  |

| Ballymena, Cushendall

& Red Bay Rly

1940

|  |

|  |

| to Parkmore and Retreat

|  |

|  | Cullybackey
|  |

|  | Glarryford |

1973

|  |

|  | Killagan |

1973

|  |

|  | Dunloy |

1976

|  |

|  | Ballymoney
|  |

|  |

| Ballycastle Railway

to Ballycastle

1950

|  |

|  |

| Derry Central Railway

to Magherafelt

1950

|  |

|  | Macfin |

1954

|  |

|  | Coleraine
|  |

|  | Coleraine Harbour  |

1963

|  |

|  |

| Coleraine-Portrush line

to Portrush

|  |

|  |

River Bann

|  |

|  | Coleraine Waterside |

1861

|  |

|  | Barmouth |

1856

|  |

|  | Castlerock
|  |

|  |

Castlerock Tunnel

|  |

|  |

Downhill Tunnel

|  |

|  | Downhill |

1973

|  |

|  | Umbra |

1861

|  |

|  | Magilligan |

1976

|  |

|  | Bellarena
|  |

|  |

River Roe

|  |

|  |

| Limavady Railway

to Limavady and Dungiven

1955

|  |

|  | Limavady Junction |

1976

|  |

|  | Ballykelly |

1954

|  |

|  | Carrichue |

1954

|  |

|  | Faughanvale |

1859

|  |

|  | Eglinton |

1973

|  |

|  |

River Faughan

|  |

|  | Derry ~ Londonderry
|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

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Location

Ballymena

Location in Northern Ireland

Show map of Northern Ireland

Ballymena

Location on the Island of Ireland

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Ballymena railway station serves the town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located just outside Ballymena town centre on the Galgorm Road, and is integrated with the local bus station. It is situated on the Derry line between Antrim and Cullybackey. The station is operated by Northern Ireland Railways.

## History

[edit]

The first station in Ballymena opened on 11 April 1848 by the Belfast and Ballymena Railway.[3] This initial station was rebuilt and relocated on 4 December 1855[citation needed] when the Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway extended the line northwards.

At one time, there were several other stations in the Ballymena area, however the only other one which survives to this day is Cullybackey.

In addition to mainline services between Belfast York Road and Coleraine, the station provided a terminus for two narrow gauge railways:

* Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway \- which opened in 1875 and closed in 1940
* Ballymena and Larne Railway \- which opened in 1877 and closed in 1933

The station buildings were rebuilt in 1903-1904[4] to designs by Berkeley Deane Wise. The rebuilding cost in excess of £15,000 (equivalent to £2,041,387 in 2023).[5] The clock was provided by Sharman D. Neill of Belfast, and iron water storage towers were constructed by Cowan Sheldon and Company of Carlisle. On 19 May 1921 the station suffered an arson attack by the Irish Republican Army.

The original station buildings were removed in 1981-1982 during a modernisation programme by Northern Ireland Railways.

Station exterior

Platform 1 during rebuilding works

Ballymena station in 1980 prior to the 1981 modernisation

## Current services

[edit]

Ballymena railway station consists of two platforms and serves as a passing point on the mainly single-track Belfast–Derry line.

On Mondays to Saturdays, there is an hourly service to Belfast Grand Central. In the other direction, there is an hourly service to Derry~Londonderry, with the last service terminating at Coleraine.

On Sundays services alternate between going to Derry~Londonderry or Portrush and the last service terminating at Coleraine. In the other direction there is an hourly service to Belfast Grand Central.

Future plans involve the reinstatement of the original double-track between Antrim and Ballymena.

Preceding station  |  |  Northern Ireland Railways |  | Following station

|
|
|
|

Antrim |  | Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Derry

|  | Cullybackey
| Historical railways |
Andraid
Line open, station closed |  | Belfast and Ballymena Railway
York Road-Ballymena |  | Terminus
Terminus  |  | Ballymena, Ballymoney,
Coleraine and
Portrush Junction Railway
Ballymena-Portrush |  | Cullybackey
Line and station open
Terminus  |  | Ballymena, Cushendall
and Red Bay Railway
Ballymena-Retreat  |  | Ballygarvey
Line and station closed
Terminus  |  | Ballymena and Larne Railway
Ballymena-Larne |  | Kells
Line and station closed

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2223.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
2. ^ "FOI Footfall 2023 2024 figures PDF.pdf". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
3. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 25\. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
4. ^ The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland. William Alan McCutcheon, Northern Ireland. Department of the Environment. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984
5. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ballymena railway station.

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Railway stations served by NI Railways

Bangor Line|

* Bangor
* Bangor West
* Belfast Grand Central
* Botanic
* Carnalea
* City Hospital
* Cultra
* Helen's Bay
* Holywood
* Lanyon Place
* Marino
* Seahill
* Sydenham
* Titanic Quarter

Derry~Londonderry Line|

* Antrim
* Ballymena
* Ballymoney
* Belfast Grand Central
* Bellarena
* Botanic
* Castlerock
* City Hospital
* Coleraine
* Cullybackey
* Derry~Londonderry
* Lanyon Place
* Mossley West
* Whiteabbey
* York Street

Larne Line|

* Ballycarry
* Belfast Grand Central
* Botanic
* Carrickfergus
* City Hospital
* Clipperstown
* Downshire
* Glynn
* Greenisland
* Jordanstown
* Lanyon Place
* Larne Harbour
* Larne Town
* Magheramorne
* Trooperslane
* Whiteabbey
* Whitehead
* York Street

Newry/Portadown Line|

* Adelaide
* Balmoral
* Belfast Grand Central
* Derriaghy
* Dunmurry
* Finaghy
* Hilden
* Lambeg
* Lisburn
* Lurgan
* Moira
* Newry
* Portadown
* Poyntzpass
* Scarva

Portrush Line|

* Coleraine
* Dhu Varren
* Portrush
* University

Dublin Line1|

* Belfast Grand Central
* Drogheda MacBride
* Dublin Connolly
* Dundalk Clarke
* Lisburn
* Lurgan
* Newry
* Portadown

1 Cross-border services jointly operated with Iarnród Éireann under the Enterprise brand
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