Ballymena railway station

Ballymena
File:Railway station, Ballymena - geograph.org.uk - 2428572.jpg
Location	Ballymena Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Coordinates
Owned by	NI Railways
Operated by	NI Railways
Platforms	2
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Key dates
11 April 1848	Original station opened
4 December 1855	Station relocated
1904	Rebuilt
1981	Current station opened
2008	Refurbished
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Ballymena railway station serves the Ballymena area 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.

History

The first station in Ballymena opened on 11 April 1848 by the Belfast and Ballymena Railway. This initial station was rebuilt and relocated on 4 December 1855 when the Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway extended the line northwards.

At one time, there were several other stations in the Ballymena area, however the only other one which survives to this day is Cullybackey.

In addition to mainline services between Belfast York Road and Coleraine, the station provided a terminus for two narrow gauge railways:

• Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway - which opened in 1875 and closed in 1940
• Ballymena and Larne Railway - which opened in 1877 and closed in 1933

The station buildings were rebuilt in 1903-1904 to designs by Berkeley Deane Wise. The rebuilding cost in excess of £15,000 (£ as of 2024). The clock was provided by Sharman D. Neill of Belfast, and iron water storage towers were constructed by Cowan Sheldon and Company of Carlisle. On 19 May 1921 the station suffered an arson attack by the Irish Republican Army.

The original station buildings were removed in 1981-1982 during a modernisation programme by Northern Ireland Railways.

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Station exterior

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Platform 1 during rebuilding works

Ballymena station in 1980 prior to the 1981 modernisation

Current services

Ballymena railway station consists of two platforms, and serves as a passing point on the mainly single-track Belfast-Derry line.

On Mondays to Saturdays, there is an hourly service to Great Victoria Street. In the other direction, trains alternate every hour between a service to Londonderry Waterside, and a service to Coleraine or Portrush.

Only seven trains run each way on Sundays on a two-hourly basis. All services are between Londonderry Waterside and Great Victoria Street, except for the last outbound train of the evening, which terminates at Coleraine.

Future plans involve the reinstatement of the original double-track between Antrim and Ballymena.

Preceding station	Northern Ireland Railways			Following station
Antrim		Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Derry		Cullybackey
	Historical railways
Andraid Line open, station closed		Belfast and Ballymena Railway York Road-Ballymena		Terminus
Terminus		Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway Ballymena-Portrush		Cullybackey Line and station open
Terminus		Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway Ballymena-Retreat		Ballygarvey Line and station closed
Terminus		Ballymena and Larne Railway Ballymena-Larne		Kells Line and station closed