History
The first station in Ballymena opened on 11 April 1848 by the Belfast and Ballymena Railway. This initial station was rebuilt and relocated on 4 December 1855 when the Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway extended the line northwards.
At one time, there were several other stations in the Ballymena area, however the only other one which survives to this day is Cullybackey.
In addition to mainline services between Belfast York Road and Coleraine, the station provided a terminus for two narrow gauge railways:
- Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway - which opened in 1875 and closed in 1940
- Ballymena and Larne Railway - which opened in 1877 and closed in 1933
The station buildings were rebuilt in 1903-1904 to designs by Berkeley Deane Wise. The rebuilding cost in excess of £15,000 (£1,198,278 as of 2012). The clock was provided by Sharman D. Neill of Belfast, and iron water storage towers were constructed by Cowan Sheldon and Company of Carlisle. On 19 May 1921 the station suffered an arson attack by the Irish Republican Army.
The original station buildings were removed in 1981-1982 during a modernisation programme by Northern Ireland Railways.
Platform 1 during rebuilding works Ballymena station in 1980 prior to the 1981 modernisationRead more about this topic: Ballymena Railway Station
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