Lisburn-Antrim railway line
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The Lisburn-Antrim railway line is a 20 mile long line that runs from Lisburn Station to Antrim. This section of the Northern Ireland Railways network is currently closed to passengers after all rail services were withdrawn from the line in June 2003. The stations at Knockmore, Ballinderry, Glenavy and Crumlin have all closed.
Translink's reason for the closure of the line was that they were unable to maintain two routes to Antrim. The Bleach Green-Antrim line, (which had been closed cince 1978) was reopened in 2001 and many people soon realised that it provided a faster route between Belfast, Antrim and Derry. Translink then put the future of the Lisburn-Antrim line into question. After they operated a skeleton service on the line, they later announced that it would be shut down. The route is still maintained and is used for crew training and emergency diversions. Speculation remains that the line could one day re-open under plans to operate a Belfast — Lisburn — Antrim — Belfast circular route, with the possibility of a halt at Belfast International Airport which lies along this route.
