Greenisland railway station

Last updated

Greenisland
Logomark NI Railways.svg
Greenisland Station (2005) - geograph.org.uk - 368425.jpg
General information
Location Greenisland
Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°42′1″N5°52′24″W / 54.70028°N 5.87333°W / 54.70028; -5.87333
Owned by NI Railways
Operated by NI Railways
Line(s) Larne
Platforms2
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Key dates
1848Opened as Carrickfergus Junction
1893Renamed to Greenisland
2008Station refurbished
Passengers
2022/23227,825 [1]
Route map
NI Railways network.svg
(Click to expand)
Year
closed
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Great Victoria Street
2024
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Belfast Grand Central NIRsymbol Bangor.svg NIRsymbol DLD.svg NIRsymbol Dublin.svg NIRsymbol Newry.svg
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City Hospital NIRsymbol Bangor.svg NIRsymbol DLD.svg
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Windsor
1885
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Botanic NIRsymbol Bangor.svg NIRsymbol DLD.svg
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Ormeau
1885
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Lanyon Place NIRsymbol Bangor.svg NIRsymbol DLD.svg
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Queen's Bridge
1885
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BSicon INT.svg
York Street NIRsymbol DLD.svg
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Yorkgate
2024
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York Road depot
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1992
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Greencastle
1954
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Whitehouse
1954
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Whiteabbey NIRsymbol DLD.svg
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Bleach Green
1977
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Jordanstown
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1963
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Greenisland
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Trooperslane
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Mount
1977
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Harbour branch line
to Carrickfergus Harbour
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Clipperstown
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Carrickfergus
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Barn
1977
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Downshire
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Eden
1977
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Kilroot
1977
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Whitehead
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Whitehead Excursion
RPSI depot
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Ballycarry
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Magheramorne
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Glynn
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Larne Town
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Larne Harbour Ferry symbol.svg
Location
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
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Greenisland
Location within Northern Ireland
Island of Ireland location map.svg
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Greenisland
Location on the island of Ireland
Greenisland railway station

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. [3]

Contents

History

Originally, services to stations on the Derry~Londonderry Line would travel from York Road to Greenisland, then reverse and travel to the Derry~Londonderry Line by a spur to Monkstown. It had long recognized that the need for Main Line trains to reverse like this at Greenisland was undesirable. Various plans for a direct line bypassing Greenisland had been proposed over the years, but the engineering problems faced by having to cross Valentine's Glen near Whiteabbey and surmount Mossley Col had precluded these. Construction on such a scheme (the Greenisland Loop Line, from Bleach Green to Monkstown) eventually started on 1 January 1931.

This involved creating a new junction at Bleach Green where the Larne and Loop Lines diverged. The former mainline from Greenisland Junction was singled and joined the new Main Line at a new connection, Mossley Junction, to the east of Mossley station. The old mainline became known as the "Back Line". The ruling gradient on the Loop Line was 1 in 75 which could only be achieved by excavating and lowering a section of the existing Main Line near Mossley station. The new lines were carried over Valentine's Glen on imposing ferroconcrete viaducts. The smaller of these curved to the east from Bleach Green Junction as a burrowing junction passing under a skew span of the larger Main Line viaduct which curved westwards. The old masonry Main Line viaduct was retained to carry what had become the up Larne Line.

A strike by Irish locomotive men in 1933 delayed completion and it was not until 22 January 1934 that the new lines opened for regular service.

Part of the program included resignalling the lines between Belfast, Greenisland, and Mossley Junction with automatic color light signals. A new signal cabin was built at Greenisland to control train movements over the triangle formed by the Loop Line, Larne Line, and the Back Line.

Although the distance covered by the Loop Line was only two miles less than by the old route, eliminating the reversal at Greenisland saved as much as fifteen minutes allowing services to be accelerated. Some Main Line trains were divided at Ballyclare Junction, with coaches for Larne Harbour being detached and worked over the Back Line to Greenisland while the main part of the train continued to Belfast.

Service

On weekdays, there is a half-hourly service to Belfast Grand Central with extra trains at peak times. In the other direction, there is a half-hourly service with the terminus alternating between Whitehead and Larne Harbour every half an hour, with extra services to Carrickfergus and Larne Town at peak times.

On Saturdays, the service remains half-hourly, with fewer peak time services.

On Sundays, the service reduces to hourly operation in both directions. [4]

Preceding station  NI Railways  Following station
Jordanstown   Northern Ireland Railways
Belfast-Larne Line
  Trooperslane
Disused railways
Trooperslane   Ulster Transport Authority
Belfast-Derry via Greenisland
  Monkstown
  Historical railways  
Jordanstown
Line and station open
  Northern Counties Committee
Belfast-Larne
  Trooperslane
Line and station open

References

  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. "Greenisland station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
  4. "Larne Line NIRailways / Larne Line". translink.co.uk. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.