Why was the Lisburn to Antrim Line Closed? |

Petition Link: www.change.org/KnockmoreLine
Today's video is part one of a multi-part series to raise awareness for our current campaign to have the Knockmore Railway Line reopened. These next few videos will encompass the past, present and future of the Knockmore and Bleach Green railway lines.
This video was made shorter as to hopefully make the next video twice as long as I am going to be away all weekend.
As always, if you have enjoyed today's video, please consider giving it a like and maybe subscribe whilst you're at it as it helps us further expand our campaign.
You could one day be part of the reason the Knockmore Line is restored to its former glory.
Our Twitter: FundTheNINE
Our Instagram: fund_the_nine
Our Facebook: people/Fund-The-NINE/100088717765301
Intro 0:00
History 01:08
Bleach Green 05:11
Outro 09:58
________________________________________________________________________
DISCLAIMER: All media featured in our videos are found readily available online. If you have any issues with the content in this video or want credited for an image or other piece of media, then please feel free to get in touch at [e-mail]
#OpenKnockmore #NorthernIreland #UnitedKingdom #NI #UK #NIRailways #NIR #Translink #Railfan #Trains #Railways #Travel #Infrastructure #Transport #GreenFuture #RebuildOurRailways #FundTheNINE #PublicTransport #Rail #Construction #Lisburn #Knockmore #Crumlin #Ballindery #Glenavy #Antrim #BleachGreen #Monkstown #Jordanstown #Greenisland #Viaducts #Templepatrick

[@eamonnca1]

Great stuff. I appreciate you not relying on repetitive footage. This is well researched and hugely informative

[@fundthenine]

Thank you Eamonn, I do my best to make sure everything on this channel is researched extensively and fact checked. Some of our old videos will eventually be taken down and remade with better production quality too.

[@sheagallagher95ify]

Babe wake up... New FundTheNINE just dropped

[@fundthenine]

Best comment so far

[@adamdavidson3462]

Us people in Knockmore would hugely appreciate the line to be opened or at least a regeneration of the Knockmore stop as a 40 min walk from the town centre is frustrating especially when there's trains flying past anyway. The amount of stops before Lisburn itself is quite unnecessary, like the Lambeg and Hilden stops which are just a 1 min on the train difference, while the whole of west Lisburn do not get the same treatment.

[@fundthenine]

Well the Knockmore halt itself is extremely unlikely to ever make a return unfortunately, as the Lisburn West station proposal wil serve the same area. But the Knockmore Line is by far a must-do development for everyone involved without a doubt.

[@adamdavidson3462]

@@fundthenine ah yes ofc by the Knockmore station being reopened, I meant the proposed Lisburn West stop since it is also in the area of Knockmore. Unfortunately they're still waiting until 2024 to build this. I hope they do reopen the line to Antrim as communities like Crumlin are disconnected from the rail system

[@fundthenine]

@@adamdavidson3462 Well I was speaking to an NIR affiliates person on FB, who said work on Lisburn West is due to start this year, with a scheduled completion date of 2025. However, I have no way to validate this so it's mostly a rumor at best.
Either way, I hope Lisburn West paves the way for the Knockmore Line to be reinstated and help connect more people to our growing railway network.

[@adamdavidson3462]

@@fundthenine yeah maybe you're right, I'm not sure where I pulled 2024 from it's just what I'd heard, but I've noticed some activity already going on at the proposed site, whether it's relevant or what

[@fundthenine]

@@adamdavidson3462 Well currently as it stands, the site of the new station is being used as a staging area for permanent way materials as part of the Lisburn Area Renewals, 'Knockmore Yard' they're calling it. So I imagine that once the track renewals are done they'll start work on the station to some degree.

[@KnightThomash]

Great vid, love to see high quality videos about the railways on this Island

[@fundthenine]

Thank you very much

[@AndalusianIrish]

The viaduct was designed by former Killowen Church of Ireland organist Freeman Wills Crofts who went on to be a successful crime novelist with his character Inspector French. He was friends with Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.

[@fundthenine]

I never would have known.
It's a gorgeous structure for how simple it is, we owe him for it.

[@AndalusianIrish]

@@fundthenine He should be much better known. A genuine polymath.

[@fundthenine]

@@AndalusianIrish If we get big enough to make demands, I'll ask for a plaque 😉

[@nialloneill426]

Excellent historical account of a very interesting and beautiful feature of railways in NI. It is ridiculous that the line from Lisburn to Antrim is currently mothballed. Why isn't there a rail service to Aldergrove? Direct rail travel from Antrim to Larne should be facilitated by the re-opening of the 3rd side of the triangle. The furture isn't in roads and HGVs, it's greener and in railways.

[@fundthenine]

I'm glad you think so Nial!
If you haven't already, check out our latest viudeo where I explain everything that was discussed in my meeting with Translink.
Some very positive news for the line in there!

[@neilbain8736]

4:10 Unexpected ship. That's the MV Balmoral on a visit to Ireland which operated as a consort to the PS Waverley, the last sea going paddle steamer in the world.

[@fundthenine]

Thanks for the trivia Neil 😄

[@Mitch-Hendren]

Just come across your excellent channel completely by accident. Just subscribed . Cheers Mitch (Portadown)

[@fundthenine]

Thanks Mitch, I appreciate the kind words!

[@johnfrazer2502]

Great content, well researched and presented. Where do you find the old footage you used?

[@fundthenine]

Our footage is sourced from wherever it is readily available and in the public domain.
Our main source of footage is CZcams, as it is the easiest place to find reuploaded footage which are free of copyright (and the issues that come with it).
-PR

[@TrainVideosNI]

Great video I've always wanted to see something on the Antrim branch and also I've subscribed

[@fundthenine]

Thank you very much, there will be a good amount of content on it for the next month or so.
Also consider checking us out on Twitter as that is where we are most active and cover things we don't get to cover here 👀

[@TrainVideosNI]

I've twitter what's your page called?

[@fundthenine]

@@TrainVideosNI we are FundTheNINE on all platforms

[@TrainVideosNI]

@FundTheNINE ok I'll look and also I'm nearly at 600 subscribers I hope to reach 575 subscribers soon I have 574 at the moment

[@mfitzy100]

Would this be useful as a direct Derry to Dublin link?

[@fundthenine]

Not particularly no.
Where the Knockmore Line exits onto the main line towards Lisburn, there is no track going 'right' to send a train towards Dublin.
A better method for a Dublin - Londonderry link would be using the former 'Derry Road' line between Portadown and Londonderry.
That way the journey would be far quicker than going through the North where most of the line is single tracked.

[@nirailwaystrainspooterbelf3134]

Translink need it opened can't belive it'd been closed for 20 years in june

[@fundthenine]

It's insane quite literally, it was closed when I was just a one year old baby and now as a man it's still in the same state.
The communities around the line deserve to have it running again.

[@davidlally592]

I well remember travelling on that line to Antrim and advised NIR afterwards that many of the halts thereon had no illumination at night re the station names plaques. One had to rely on light from the carriages!! They were difficult to see from the train.Their reply was non committal. Possibly by then, they had decided that further investment in that line was not worth it. And especially since the then cross city line to the new Yorkgate (ex York Rd, from then, Central) was underway. And via that new link, direct Central-Antrim services could follow..

[@nirailwaystrainspooterbelf3134]

Is the pathway leading to knockmore still open

[@marc21091]

Good film but the sound is much too low. I could only just hear you through earphones. Can you increase the volume to normal level s please?

[@fundthenine]

Your CZcams can have the volume manually adjusted at the bottom of the video player 👍🏻

[@KaptainKlunk1]

Leaves on the linen