Belfast Central Railway

The Belfast Central Railway was a railway company operating in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company was incorporated by the and acquired by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) in 1885.

History

The Belfast Central Railway was built in 1875 to connect the three railway lines in Belfast and the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway ). It branched off from the Ulster Railway at Ulster Junction, and ran for 1 miles to Queen's Bridge, with a branch from East Bridge Street Junction to the BCDR at Ballymacarrett Junction. A link to the BNCR was built later, via a tunnel under Queen's Bridge to the dock board railway at Donegall Quay Junction which, in turn, connected to the BNCR. This was used for goods only.
By 1885 the Belfast Central Railway had become unviable as a company due to increasing competition from the city's trams, and so it was acquired by the GNRI. On 30 November of that year passenger services were withdrawn and Ormeau station was closed. Queen's Bridge station was demolished in 1960 and the lines from East Bridge Street Junction to Donegall Quay Junction and Ballymacarrett Junction were closed in 1963 and 1965 respectively by the Ulster Transport Authority.
In the 1970s however, the Belfast Central line from Belfast Central Junction to Ballymacarrett Junction was relaid, and reopened along with a new Belfast Central railway station on 12 April 1976.