Holywood railway station (Northern Ireland)

Holywood railway station serves Holywood in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is located along the shore of Belfast Lough and during the Summer months, provides excellent views over the lough to Carrickfergus.

Holywood
General information
Location	Holywood Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54.6411°N 5.8395°W / 54.6411; -5.8395
Owned by	NI Railways
Operated by	NI Railways
Line(s)	Bangor
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Key dates
2 August 1848	Opened
May 1865	Line extended to Bangor
1897–1902	Bangor line doubled
1950	Goods services withdrawn
2008	Refurbished
Passengers
2022/23	435,222
2023/24	540,233
NI Railways Translink NI railway stations
Route map (Click to expand) Year closed Great Victoria Street 2024 Belfast Grand Central Belfast-Dublin line to Portadown, Newry, Dublin Connolly City Hospital Botanic Tunnel Botanic Lanyon Place Lagan Railway Bridge over River Lagan Belfast-Larne railway line & Belfast-Derry railway line Titanic Quarter (Bridge End) Queen's Quay 1976 Belfast and County Down Railway to Comber, Ardglass, Newcastle 1950 Ballymacarrett 1976 Victoria Park 1981 Sydenham Tillysburn 1945 Kinnegar 1957 Holywood Marino Cultra Craigavad 1957 Seahill Helen's Bay Crawfordsburn 1997 Carnalea Bangor West Bangor
Location Holywood Location within Northern Ireland Holywood Location on the Island of Ireland

History

The Belfast and County Down Railway (B&CDR) opened the line between Queen's Quay, Belfast and Holywood on 2 August 1848. Holywood was a terminus until May 1865, when the Belfast, Holywood and Bangor Railway (BH&BR) opened from Holywood to Bangor. In 1859 the B&CDR sold its Holywood branch to the BH&BR, with the result that Holywood station came under BH&BR management. However, the B&CDR leased the BH&BR line from 1878 and took it over in 1884, which meant that Holywood station returned to its original management and ownership.

When BH&BR opened in 1865 it was single track. In response to increased traffic the B&CDR doubled the track in stages between 1897 and 1902. In 1911 Holywood station handled passenger and parcel traffic, while its goods yard offered facilities for goods, general livestock, horses and prize cattle. Carriages could be conveyed by passenger train.

The Ulster Transport Authority withdrew Holywood's goods services on 24/04/1950. Translink had the station refurbished in 2008.

Service

From Mondays to Saturdays there is a half hourly service westwards to Belfast Grand Central in one direction, and eastwards to Bangor West and Bangor in the other. More frequent trains run at peak times, and the service reduces to hourly in the evenings.

On Sundays there is an hourly service in each direction.

Sources

• Patterson, E.M. (1982) [1958]. Belfast and County Down Railway. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 071538306X.

External links

• Media related to Holywood railway station at Wikimedia Commons