Cultra railway station

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Cultra
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Cultra railway station 1.jpg
Cultra railway station
General information
Location Cultra (Holywood)
Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°39′08″N5°48′18″W / 54.6523°N 5.8050°W / 54.6523; -5.8050
Owned by NI Railways
Operated by NI Railways
Line(s) Bangor
Platforms2
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Key dates
May 1865 [1] Opened
11 November 1957 [2] Closed
1978Re-opened
2008Refurbished
Passengers
2022/2360,665 [3]
Route map
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(Click to expand)
Year
closed
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Great Victoria Street
2024
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Belfast Grand Central NIRsymbol DLD.svg NIRsymbol Dublin.svg NIRsymbol Larne.svg NIRsymbol Newry.svg BSicon BUS.svg
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BSicon INT.svg
City Hospital NIRsymbol DLD.svg NIRsymbol Larne.svg
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Windsor
1885
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Botanic NIRsymbol DLD.svg NIRsymbol Larne.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Ormeau
1885
BSicon INT.svg
Lanyon Place NIRsymbol DLD.svg NIRsymbol Larne.svg
BSicon eABZgl.svg
BSicon exdKBHFeq.svg
Queen's Bridge
1885
BSicon hbKRZWae.svg
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Titanic Quarter
(Bridge End)
BSicon eABZg+l.svg
BSicon exKBHFeq.svg
Queen's Quay
1976
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BSicon eABZgr.svg
1950
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Ballymacarrett
1976
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Victoria Park
1981
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Sydenham BSicon FLUG.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Tillysburn
1945
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Kinnegar
1957
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Holywood
BSicon BHF.svg
Marino
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Cultra
BSicon eHST.svg
Craigavad
1957
BSicon BHF.svg
Seahill
BSicon BHF.svg
Helen's Bay
BSicon eHST.svg
Crawfordsburn
1997
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Carnalea
BSicon BHF.svg
Bangor West
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Bangor BSicon BUS.svg
Location
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
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Cultra
Location within Northern Ireland
Island of Ireland location map.svg
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Cultra
Location on the Island of Ireland
Cultra railway station

Cultra railway station is a railway station in the townland of Ballycultra in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. It serves the Cultra residential area and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

Contents

History

The Belfast, Holywood and Bangor Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 12 June 1861 and opened in May 1865. [1] The BH&BR crossed the land of some wealthy landowners, whose terms included that Cultra station must be "of an ornamental character" and that "at least One Half of the Trains" must call there, or else the company would be penalised £10 per day. [1]

The BH&BR was originally single track and the only passing loop was at Craigavad, [1] so Cultra station would have had only one platform. However, the Belfast and County Down Railway took over the BH&BR in 1884 and doubled the track between 1897 and 1902, [5] from which time Cultra has had two platforms. In deference to Cultra's wealthy residents the footbridge between the platforms had a roof, the only bridge so equipped on the B&CDR network. [1]

Cultra station features in the documentary film A Letter from Ulster (1942); the narrator incorrectly describes the station as Coleraine. [6] [7]

Due to low passenger numbers, the Ulster Transport Authority closed the station on 11 November 1957. [2] However, subsequently the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum was established at Cultra. Northern Ireland Railways reopened the station in 1978,[ citation needed ] primarily to serve the museum.

Service

Mondays to Saturdays there is a half-hourly service westbound to Belfast Grand Central in one direction, and eastbound to Bangor in the other. More frequent trains run at peak times, and the service reduces to hourly in the evenings.

Some peak-hour trains pass through Cultra station without stopping.

On Sundays there is an hourly service in each direction.

Preceding station  NI Railways  Following station
Marino   Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Bangor Line
  Seahill

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Patterson 1982, p. 8.
  2. 1 2 Patterson 1982, p. 41.
  3. "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2223.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. "FOI Footfall 2023 2024 figures PDF.pdf". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  5. Patterson 1982, p. 12.
  6. Catto, Mike (22 September 2011). "A Letter From Ulster". Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  7. "A Letter from Ulster (1942)". www.briandesmondhurst.org. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011.

Sources