Bleach Green is a railway junction located in Newtownabbey where the Belfast to Larne railway line diverges from the Belfast to Derry route. The Bleach Green Junction is the only burrowing junction in the whole of Ireland.[ citation needed ]
Bleach Green railway station opened in 1925 and closed in 1977. Today no trace remains of the halt, though the Larne-bound platform survived until the Antrim line was re-opened on 10th June 2001. The Junction lies 3/4 of a mile to the North of Whiteabbey Station.
The Viaducts being on the Greenisland Loop line were referred to as the "Greenisland Viaducts" and were used in poster promotion campaign by London Midland and Scottish Railways in 1934.
There is a viaduct located at Bleach Green, which was completed in 1933 to allow trains to run between Belfast York Road Station and Ballymena without having to reverse at Greenisland (then Carrickfergus Junction). It was designed by Freeman Wills Crofts, shortly before he retired from Engineering to become a full time author. The viaduct was repainted and the junction relaid in 2001 for the reopening of the railway line between Belfast and Antrim. [1]
Three smaller concrete arches carry the lines over Glenville Road. The one carrying the Larne-bound line was completed in 1931, the one carrying the lines to and from Derry in 1932, and the one carrying the line from Larne to Belfast in 1933.
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways, is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), and is one of nine publicly owned train operators in the United Kingdom, the others being Direct Rail Services, Caledonian Sleeper, Northern Trains, Transport for Wales Rail, Southeastern, LNER, ScotRail, and TransPennine Express. It has a common Board of Management with the other two companies in the group, Ulsterbus and Metro.
Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), a public corporation providing public transport in Northern Ireland. NI Railways, Ulsterbus, Goldliner, Metro and Glider are all part of Translink. It is led by CEO Chris Conway.
The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. It was built to Irish gauge but later acquired a number of 914 mm narrow gauge lines. It had its origins in the Belfast and Ballymena Railway which opened to traffic on 11 April 1848.
York Road railway station served the north of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly one of the three terminus railway stations in Belfast. The others were Great Victoria Street, and Queen's Quay.
Greenisland is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 7 miles north-east of Belfast and 3 miles south-west of Carrickfergus. The town is on the coast of Belfast Lough and is named after a tiny islet to the west, the Green Island.
Whiteabbey is a townland in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Antrim railway station opened 1848 and serves the town of Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Belfast–Larne line, or Larne line, is a railway line in Northern Ireland, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It runs as double track along the majority of its route north along the scenic east Antrim coastline from Belfast to the coastal seaport town of Larne, serving commuters and ferry passengers.
The Belfast–Derry line is an intercity railway line, running from Belfast to Derry in Northern Ireland.
Whiteabbey Railway Station serves the village of Whiteabbey in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
Greenisland railway station serves Greenisland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The station opened on 11 April 1848 as Carrickfergus Junction. It was renamed on 10 January 1893. The station used to be larger, with a third platform, but this was removed after the closure of the spur to the Derry~Londonderry Line. The station building is staffed from 7am to 3pm. A park and ride facility was built in 2009.
Crumlin railway station served Crumlin in County Antrim, Northern Ireland but is now closed to passengers.
Glenavy railway station served Glenavy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The station is currently closed to passengers.
Knockmore railway station was a station on the Belfast–Newry railway line. The station served the suburb of Knockmore in Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The Great Northern Railway (GNR) opened Knockmore station as a halt in 1932. Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) closed the station on 25 March 2005.
The Lisburn–Antrim line is a 20-mile (32 km) railway line of Northern Ireland Railways. It links Knockmore Junction on the Belfast–Newry line with Antrim on the Belfast–Derry line. It has been closed to passenger services since 2003.
The 450 Class is a type of diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train formerly used by Northern Ireland Railways. They were affectionately nicknamed 'Thumpers' and 'Castles' by rail enthusiasts.
Bleach Green is a former station operated by Northern Ireland Railways in the village of Whiteabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Templepatrick railway station served the village of Templepatrick in County Antrim on the Belfast-Derry railway line.
York Street railway station serves the north of Belfast in Northern Ireland.
The Crumlin Viaduct is a railway bridge in Crumlin, County Antrim. It has the distinction of being the only place in Ireland where a train, plane, car, and boat can theoretically cross paths, due to its unique status of being a railway bridge straddling a road bridge across a river, with Belfast International Airport two kilometres to the north.