Adelaide railway station (Northern Ireland)

Adelaide railway station (also known as Adelaide Halt^[8]) is located in the townland of Malone Lower in south Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated just off the Lisburn Road and close to many Queen's University student residences, it serves both local commuters and fans heading to Windsor Park stadium the home of the Northern Ireland national football team.

Adelaide
Translink Commuter Rail Halt
NIR Class 3000 train at Adelaide in 2009
General information
Other names	Adelaide Halt
Location	43 Adelaide Ave, Belfast, BT9 7FY, Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54.5784°N 5.9550°W / 54.5784; -5.9550
Owned by	NI Railways
Operated by	NI Railways
Line(s)	Newry
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Bus routes	Metro 9 23 103 109 523 525 530 530a 538 551 551a 551b
Bus stands	(On Lisburn Road) 2
Bus operators	Ulsterbus & Metro
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	None
Bicycle facilities	None
Accessible	Ramp to/from Lisburn Road to countrybound platform, citybound platform can only be accessed via footbridge and steps, Boucher Road exist is only accessible via footbridge and steps
Other information
Fare zone	iLink Zone 1
Website	www.translink.co.uk/adelaide-train-station
History
Opened	1897
Key dates
1 November 1897	Opened as Adelaide and Windsor
1935	Renamed to Adelaide
2008	Refurbished
2024	Platforms Extension Completed
Passengers
2016/17	221,332 [1]
2017/18	242,746 [1]
2018/19	259,811 [2]
2019/20	242,750 [3]
2020/21	68,890 [4]
2021/22	168,653 [5]
2022/23	234,760 [6]
2023/24	279,518 [7]
NI Railways Translink NI railway stations
Route map (Click to expand) Show NI Railways Network map Legend Year closed Great Victoria Street 2024 Belfast Grand Central Westlink / Central Junction to Lanyon Place Adelaide Adelaide Depot Balmoral Finaghy Dunmurry Derriaghy Lambeg Hilden Lisburn Knockmore 2005 Lisburn-Antrim railway line to Antrim (disused) Maze 1974 Moira Lurgan River Bann Portadown Tanderagee 1965 Scarva Poyntzpass Goraghwood 1965 Newry Belfast-Dublin railway line to Dublin Connolly = Northern Commuter This diagram: view talk edit Show Newry line route diagram
Location Adelaide Location within Northern Ireland Show map of Northern Ireland Adelaide Location on the Island of Ireland Show map of island of Ireland
Notes Passenger statistics exclude tickets issued by Iarnród Éireann.

History

The station was opened by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) on 1 November 1897 and was originally known as Adelaide and Windsor. In 1935 the name was shortened to Adelaide.^[9] The station underwent a refurbishment in 2008 to modernize passenger facilities and improve infrastructure, ^[10]and it became an unstaffed halt in October 1996.

Location and facilities

In addition to serving the local community of Windsor and Queen's University students, Adelaide Station is a key access point for events held at the nearby Windsor Park stadium. The station is connected to the stadium by a dedicated pedestrian link, ensuring convenient access for visitors.^[11]

Maintenance depot

Main article: Adelaide Depot

Adjacent to the station are extensive yard facilities which, once busy with freight trains carrying cement, containers, beer, and fertiliser, have since been repurposed. With freight services north of the border ending in the late 1990s and the withdrawal of the 80 Class units in 2005, the yard now functions as a depot for NI Railways’ modern Class 3000 and 4000 DMU trains.^[12]

Upgrades

Platform extension (2024)

Originally, the platforms at Adelaide station were designed to accommodate only three-car sets. The upgrade extended each platform to approximately 150 meters, enabling the new six-car, walk-through trains to call at the station. This development has significantly increased passenger capacity while also improving overall accessibility and safety with the installation of upgraded lighting, shelters, and enhanced public realm features. The project was delivered in conjunction with partners such as Charles Brand and Gravis Planning during the Belfast Grand Central enabling works.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Proposed third track

Translink's long-term development plan includes the potential addition of a third track running from the Adelaide depot to Grand Central Station, aimed at increasing capacity. Currently, the track bed alignment is fenced off within the railway boundaries to prevent development and is managed as part of the lineside infrastructure.^[17]

Services

Train Services

Mondays to Saturdays there is a half-hourly service towards Lisburn, Portadown or Newry in one direction and to Belfast Grand Central in the other. Extra trains operate at peak times, and the service reduces to hourly operation in the evenings. On Sundays there is an hourly service in each direction. Passengers for Enterprise Services, Bangor, Larne or Derry~Londonderry lines must change at Belfast Grand Central for their connecting services. ^[18]

Preceding station		Northern Ireland Railways		Following station
Belfast Grand Central		Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Newry		Balmoral
	Historical railways
Great Victoria Street Nov 1897 - Apr 1976 Sep 1995 - May 2024		Northern Ireland Railways Belfast-Newry		Balmoral
Botanic Apr 1976 - Oct 1986
City Hospital Oct 1986 - Sep 1995 May 2024 - Jul 2024

Bus Services

Adelaide is situated near the Metro 9 bus route along Lisburn Road, providing access to Belfast City Centre (Bedford Street) and Balmoral. Additionally, Regional Ulsterbus services connect Adelaide to Belfast Grand Central Station, as well as Lisburn, Banbridge, Newry, Portadown, and Armagh. Railway replacement buses also operate from these bus stands.^[19][20]

Gallery

• 
  Bangor bound train in 2012
• 
  Portadown bound class 4000 in 2013
• 
  An Overview of the Dublin-Belfast Mainline with Adelaide station in the foreground with the train maintenance depot at Adelaide in the Background
• 
  The Entrance to Adelaide train station from the Lisburn Road