Whitehead railway station

Whitehead
Two NIR Class 450 trains at Whitehead.
General information
LocationWhitehead
Northern Ireland
Coordinates54°45′10″N 5°42′34″W / 54.75278°N 5.70944°W / 54.75278; -5.70944
Owned byNI Railways
Operated byNI Railways
Line(s)Larne
Platforms2
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Key dates
1863Station opened
2008Station refurbished
Passengers
2022/23238,056
2023/24 300,203
Route map

(Click to expand)
Year
closed
Great Victoria Street
2024
Belfast Grand Central
City Hospital
Windsor
1885
Botanic
Ormeau
1885
Lanyon Place
Queen's Bridge
1885
York Street
Yorkgate
2024
York Road depot
1992
Greencastle
1954
Whitehouse
1954
Whiteabbey
Bleach Green
1977
Jordanstown
1963
Greenisland
Trooperslane
Mount
1977
Harbour branch line
to Carrickfergus Harbour
Clipperstown
Carrickfergus
Barn
1977
Downshire
Eden
1977
Kilroot
1977
Whitehead
Whitehead Excursion
RPSI depot
Ballycarry
Magheramorne
Glynn
Larne Town
Larne Harbour
Location
Whitehead
Location within Northern Ireland
Whitehead
Location on the island of Ireland

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 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.