Ballinderry halt petition support

Stuart Brown says his petition on social media site Facebook is proving popular and believes there is a demand for the service.

He said: “We hope that once the Knockmore to Antrim line reopens, they can convince Translink to open the halt in the village and allow the train to stop there a few times a day.”

Stuart explained that his petition has been getting a lot of attention and people living in the Blalinderry area have “reacted positively to it”.

“If we get enough poeple to support this then I can see no reason why in the future the halt can’t be re-opened.”

Stuart insists this is a viable option and that it would be a great benefit to those living in the area - “particularly schoolchildren and commuters,” he said.

However, as previously reported by the Star, the prospect of reopening the Ballinderry Halt may remain a pipe dream for the foreseeable future as Translink have said the opening of the Knockmore to Antrim railway line is an “aspiration” with no definite plans or timescales drawn up.

A Translink spokesperson said: “The re-opening of the Antrim to Knockmore rail line for scheduled passenger services and the halts situated along the line including Ballinderry, remains an important aspiration within Translink’s long term Corporate Plan and is one of the strategic options set out in the Department for Regional Development’s Railway Investment Prioritisation Strategy (May 2014).

“It is dependent on the delivery of a number of additional factors including a fully funded and approved business case, the procurement of additional trains and the construction of a new Transport Hub in Belfast.”