Whitehead railway station
54°45′10″N 5°42′34″W / 54.75278°N 5.70944°W / 54.75278; -5.70944
![Increase](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Increase2.svg/11px-Increase2.svg.png)
- NI Railways
- Translink
- NI railway stations
Location | |
---|---|
![]() ![]() Whitehead Location within Northern Ireland | |
![]() |
Whitehead railway station serves Whitehead in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/NIR_8068_at_Whitehead.jpg/220px-NIR_8068_at_Whitehead.jpg)
The station has two platforms with a waiting room on each and the station is signalled in both directions and remains staffed during commuter hours by a Senior Porter, a fully trained signalman, capable of fixing points and signalling issues when they arise.
Previously the line was double towards Belfast and Whitehead was where the track narrowed to the single track section to Larne. However, in the 1990s the up line was removed from here to Kilroot due to safety reasons, leaving the line at Whitehead Station as a passing loop.
Whitehead actually comprises two stations, due to its history as a railway excursion town. The through station is still part of the Northern Ireland Railways network, whilst the terminus Whitehead Excursion Station is the headquarters of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland.
Whitehead station was originally opened on 1 May 1863 and the Whitehead Excursion Platform was opened on 10 July 1907. The present station was opened in 1877 and is the third station to serve the town. It has been modernised, but unlike many stations on the NIR network still retains much of its Victorian character.[3]
Service
On Mondays to Fridays, there is a half-hourly service from Belfast Lanyon Place. These trains alternate every half an hour between terminating here at Whitehead, and continuing on to Larne Harbour. In the other direction, there is a half-hourly service to Belfast Lanyon Place, with the trains alternating between being through services from Larne, or starting at Whitehead.
On Saturdays, the service still runs half-hourly in the same alternating manner, but with less peak trains.
On Sundays, the service reduces to hourly operation in each direction. Services alternate each hour between terminating here, and continuing on to Larne Harbour.
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Downshire | Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Larne Line | Terminus or Ballycarry | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Kilroot Line open, station closed | Northern Counties Committee Belfast-Larne | Ballycarry Line and station open |
Incidents
On 26 September 2008, part of the platform collapsed, blocking the Larne bound line. It is not clear whether this was a result of the recent construction work which had been carried out at this station,.[4] according to NI Railways nobody was hurt in the incident.
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ "FOI1317 NIR Footfall 2223.xlsx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "FOI Footfall 2023 2024 figures PDF.pdf". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Whitehead (Antrim)" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ "Platform collapse delaying trains". BBC News. 26 September 2008.
- v
- t
- e
![NI Railways](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Logomark_NI_Railways.svg/15px-Logomark_NI_Railways.svg.png)
- Bangor
- Bangor West
- Botanic
- Carnalea
- City Hospital
- Cultra
- Grand Central2
- Helen's Bay
- Holywood
- Lanyon Place
- Marino
- Seahill
- Sydenham
- Titanic Quarter
- Coleraine
- Dhu Varren
- Portrush
- University
2 Opening in autumn 2024.
Rail transport in Ireland