General information | |
---|---|
Location | Greenisland Northern Ireland |
Coordinates | 54°42′1″N5°52′24″W / 54.70028°N 5.87333°W |
Owned by | NI Railways |
Operated by | NI Railways |
Platforms | 2 |
Tracks | 2 |
Construction | |
Structure type | At-grade |
Key dates | |
1848 | Opened as Carrickfergus Junction |
1893 | Renamed to Greenisland |
2008 | Station refurbished |
Location | |
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. [1]
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.
On weekdays, there is a half-hourly service to Great Victoria Street 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.[ citation needed ]
On Saturdays, the service remains half-hourly, with fewer peak time services.
On Sundays, the service reduces to hourly operation in both directions.
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 eight publicly owned train operators in the United Kingdom, the others being Direct Rail Services, 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.
In railroad structures, and rail terminology, a wye or triangular junction is a triangular joining arrangement of three rail lines with a railroad switch at each corner connecting to the incoming lines. A turning wye is a specific case.
Rail transport in Ireland is provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.
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.
Belfast Lanyon Place is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Located on Bridge Street in the Laganside area of central Belfast, it is one of four stations in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic. Lanyon Place is the northern terminus of the cross-border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly. It is also served by Northern Ireland Railways, which operates routes to other locations in Northern Ireland, including Derry, Bangor, Portadown and Larne.
The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.
Lisburn railway station serves the city of Lisburn 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 runs from Belfast to Derry in Northern Ireland.
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.
Whiteabbey Railway Station serves the village of Whiteabbey in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
Yorkgate railway station serves the north of the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The station opened in 1992, replacing the previous York Road railway station nearby. As at May 2021 there are plans to rebuild Yorkgate.
City Hospital railway station, situated on Donegall Road, serves Belfast City Hospital and the surrounding area of south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, Botanic, and Lanyon Place.
Botanic railway station serves the Botanic area in south Belfast, Northern Ireland and students for Queen's University Belfast; it is also near Shaftesbury Square which is along Botanic Avenue. It is named after the nearby Belfast Botanic Gardens. It is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being City Hospital, Great Victoria Street, and Lanyon Place.
The Belfast suburban rail commuter network serves the metropolitan area of Greater Belfast and some of its commuter towns with three lines. The network is owned by Translink and operated by its subsidiary NI Railways.
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.
Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with Lanyon Place, and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Lanyon Place, Botanic and City Hospital. It is situated near Great Victoria Street, one of Belfast's premier commercial zones, and Sandy Row. It is also in a more central position than Lanyon Place, with the Europa Hotel, Grand Opera House and The Crown Liquor Saloon all nearby.
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.