The Banbridge Junction Railway was a railway line that operated between Banbridge, County Down and Scarva, County Armagh. Opened in 1859, it was absorbed into the Great Northern Railway of Ireland in 1887. The line closed in the 1950s.
History
The company that operated the railway line, initially named the Banbridge, Newry, Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway Company, was created by the Banbridge Junction Railway Act 1853. The initial shareholders of the company included several local mill owners and linen producers, such as Thomas Ferguson, John Smyth, Robert McClelland and William Waugh. The company was renamed, to the Banbridge Junction Railway Company, under the Banbridge Junction Railway Act 1856.
Development of the line took place in the mid- to late-1850s, and railway engineers associated with the survey, design and construction work included James Price and William Dargan. The Banbridge Junction Railway (BJR) opened in 1859.
The line, which was approximately 5 miles in length, connected the Banbridge Railway with the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway. It served several mills, which were involved in producing Irish linen, along the River Bann near Banbridge.
The BJR was absorbed into the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNRI) in 1877. The line closed in 1955.
Stations
Stations and halts on the line included:
- Banbridge station (1859–1863); Replaced by the Banbridge, Lisburn and Belfast Railway station (1863–1956)
- Smyth's Siding passenger halt (c. 1903–1930s)
- Lenaderg station (1904–1955)
- Laurencetown station (1859–1955)
- Scarva station (terminus)
References
Sources
Notes
External links
- Proposed Banbridge Junction Greenway
- "Off the Beaten Track - Scarva to Banbridge and Newcastle", episode 2 of 5-part BBC/RTÉ series (1997) via YouTube
