Ballymacarrett Junction

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Ballymacarrett Junction was a railway switching point in Ballymacarrett, east Belfast, Northern Ireland, near what is today the Titanic Quarter station. It linked lines from Queen’s Quay to Bangor and to Comber, and connected the Belfast Central line to Bangor.

Story in brief:
- The first track ran from Belfast Queen’s Quay to Holywood around 1848. On 6 May 1850, the area became a junction, curving southeast to Dundonald as part of the Belfast and County Down Railway main line. In 1871, a spur from the south reached the west end, creating the Belfast Central Railway link.
- An accident occurred in May during construction, killing two passengers.
- On 10 January 1945, a Bangor-line accident about four thousand feet east of the junction killed 22 people and injured 27; it was blamed on excess speed and poor visibility.
- On 22 April 1950, the main line spur to the east closed for regular service, and the Newcastle route also closed that year.
- On 10 April 1976, regular services ceased at Queen’s Quay; trains then ran from Belfast Central to Bangor.
- A stop at the Titanic Quarter was added on 9 May 1977, then known as Bridge End.
- In 1994, the west entrance to Queen’s Quay was removed when maintenance areas were decommissioned.

Today, the Belfast to Bangor line is the only active service left from the old Belfast and County Down Railway.