Bellarena railway station
Bellarena  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location |
Bellarena Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 55°7′36″N 6°57′6″W / 55.12667°N 6.95167°WCoordinates: 55°7′36″N 6°57′6″W / 55.12667°N 6.95167°W |
| Owned by | NI Railways |
| Operated by | NI Railways |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | At-grade |
| Key dates | |
| 1853 | Opened |
| 1976 | Closed |
| 1982 | Re-opened |
| 2016 | Re-built |
| |
| UK Railways portal | |
Bellarena railway station serves the village Bellarena and the broader Limavady area in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
History
Bellarena Railway Station has served several Railway companies since it first saw service on 18 July 1853. The station buildings were erected between 1873 and 1875 to designs by the architect John Lanyon.[1]
It was closed for goods traffic from 4 January 1965.[2] The station was closed on 18 October 1976, but re-opened on 28 June 1982. The station buildings are now in private ownership. The stationmaster's house was renovated in the 1980s. The station buildings were converted to living quarters in 2005, but retain the external features. The station exterior boasts the very unusual and original station name in tiles. Bellarena Station is in a stunning setting at the foot of the majestic cliff face of Binevenagh and looks across Lough Foyle at the Mountains of the Inishowen peninsula.
The Railway companies that have operated trains serving Bellarena are:
- 1845–1861: Londonderry and Coleraine Railway
- 1861–1903: Belfast and Northern Counties Railway
- 1903–1923: Midland Railway – Northern Counties Committee
- 1923–1948: London Midland & Scottish Railway – Northern Counties Committee
- 1948–1949: British Transport Commission, Railway Executive - Northern Counties Committee
- 1949–1968: Ulster Transport Authority
- 1968–Present: Northern Ireland Railways
In late 2015, work started on a new station at Bellarena in coordination with a passing loop. The new station will have two platforms and is situated on the other side of the level crossing, which the passing loop will cut through. The new station opened to traffic on 21 March 2016.
Service
Mondays to Saturdays there is a two hourly service towards Londonderry/Derry Waterside or Belfast Great Victoria Street operated by Northern Ireland Railways.[3]
On Sundays there are 6 trains in each direction.
| Preceding station | Northern Ireland Railways |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlerock | Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Derry |
Londonderry Waterside | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Magilligan Line open, station closed |
Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Coleraine-Derry |
Limavady Junction Line open, station closed | ||
References
- ↑ The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland. William Alan McCutcheon, Northern Ireland. Department of the Environment. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984
- ↑ "Bellarena station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ↑ "NIR timetable December 2009"