# Antrim railway station

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 York Street 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 Aldergrove 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.
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 Belfast Grand Central. In the other direction, there is an hourly service Derry~Londonderry, with the last service terminating at Coleraine.
On Sundays, services alternate between Derry~Londonderry or Portrush and the last service terminating at Coleraine. In the other direction, there is an hourly service to Belfast Grand Central.
The third platform for the Lisburn–Antrim line is not signposted and has not been in passenger service since a diversion from the Bleach Green Line in 2003.
| Preceding station | | Northern Ireland Railways | | Following station |
| Mossley West | | Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Derry | | Ballymena |
| | Disused railways | Disused railways | Disused railways | |
| Crumlin | | Northern Ireland Railways Lisburn–Antrim | | Terminus |
| | Proposed | Proposed | Proposed | |
| Templepatrick | | Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Derry | | Ballymena |
| | Historical railways | Historical railways | Historical railways | |
| Muckamore Line open, station closed | | Belfast and Ballymena Railway York Road-Ballymena | | Cookstown Junction Line open, station closed |