Knockmore railway station
Encyclopedia
Knockmore railway station was a station on the Belfast–Newry railway line. The station served the suburb of Knockmore in Lisburn
, County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. The Great Northern Railway
(GNR) opened Knockmore station as a halt in 1932. Northern Ireland Railways
(NIR) closed the station on March 25th 2005.
Knockmore station had two platforms. One platform was served by "down" trains only on the service from via to , while the other platform was served by trains in both directions on the Belfast – Lisburn – – service. "Up" trains travelling from Portadown to Belfast could not serve Knockmore as it was the middle line with no platform.
. The junction gained another branch in 1871 when the Dublin and Antrim Junction Railway (D&A, now the Lisburn–Antrim railway line) was opened. The Ulster Railway, BLB and D&A all became part of the GNR by the end of the 1870s. The GNR was nationalised in 1953 as the GNR Board, which closed Banbridge branch on 29 April 1956.
In 2003 NIR reopened the more direct Belfast – Antrim route via and withdrew passenger services from the Lisburn – Antrim line. This left Knockmore station with a train service in only one direction: "down" trains from Belfast to Portadown. Unsurprisingly this arrangement was not well-used so on 25 March 2005 NIR closed Knockmore station. Both platforms still remain. Plans for a new Knockmore station further down the line are in consideration by NIR. The station would serve both trains from Bangor-Newry via Belfast Central, Lisburn and Portadown and trains from Newry-Bangor via Portadown, Lisburn and Belfast Central.
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
(GNR) opened Knockmore station as a halt in 1932. Northern Ireland Railways
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...
(NIR) closed the station on March 25th 2005.
Knockmore station had two platforms. One platform was served by "down" trains only on the service from via to , while the other platform was served by trains in both directions on the Belfast – Lisburn – – service. "Up" trains travelling from Portadown to Belfast could not serve Knockmore as it was the middle line with no platform.
History
The station is near Knockmore Junction, which was came into service in 1863 for the Banbridge, Lisburn and Belfast Junction Railway (BLB) to connect with the Ulster RailwayUlster Railway
The Ulster Railway was a railway company operating in Ulster, Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway .-History:...
. The junction gained another branch in 1871 when the Dublin and Antrim Junction Railway (D&A, now the Lisburn–Antrim railway line) was opened. The Ulster Railway, BLB and D&A all became part of the GNR by the end of the 1870s. The GNR was nationalised in 1953 as the GNR Board, which closed Banbridge branch on 29 April 1956.
In 2003 NIR reopened the more direct Belfast – Antrim route via and withdrew passenger services from the Lisburn – Antrim line. This left Knockmore station with a train service in only one direction: "down" trains from Belfast to Portadown. Unsurprisingly this arrangement was not well-used so on 25 March 2005 NIR closed Knockmore station. Both platforms still remain. Plans for a new Knockmore station further down the line are in consideration by NIR. The station would serve both trains from Bangor-Newry via Belfast Central, Lisburn and Portadown and trains from Newry-Bangor via Portadown, Lisburn and Belfast Central.