Whitehead railway station
Encyclopedia
Whitehead railway station serves Whitehead
in County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
.
The station has two platforms with a waiting room on each and the station is signalled in both directions and remains manned during commuter hours by a Senior Porter, who luckily for the commuters is 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 1990's the up line was removed from here to Kilroot due to safety reasons. Today the line at Whitehead is composed of a passing loop.
Whitehead actually comprises two stations, thanks 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 opened on 1 May 1863 and the Whitehead Excursion Platform was opened on 10 July 1907.
with extra services at Peak Times.
On Sundays there is a two hourly service in each direction.
During peak hours extra services start and end here.
Whitehead, County Antrim
Whitehead is a small seaside town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parishes of Island Magee and Templecorran, the barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Carrickfergus Borough Council...
in 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 station has two platforms with a waiting room on each and the station is signalled in both directions and remains manned during commuter hours by a Senior Porter, who luckily for the commuters is a fully trained signalman
Signalman (rail)
A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points and signals from a signal box in order to control the movement of trains.- History :...
, 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
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
section to Larne. However in the 1990's the up line was removed from here to Kilroot due to safety reasons. Today the line at Whitehead is composed of a passing loop.
Whitehead actually comprises two stations, thanks 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
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is an Irish railway preservation group operating in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath...
.
Whitehead station was opened on 1 May 1863 and the Whitehead Excursion Platform was opened on 10 July 1907.
Incidents
On the 26th 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. According to NI Railways nobody was hurt in the incident.Service
Mondays to Saturdays there is an hourly service towards Larne Harbour or Belfast Central operated by Northern Ireland RailwaysNorthern 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...
with extra services at Peak Times.
On Sundays there is a two hourly service in each direction.
During peak hours extra services start and end here.