On Thursday 13 February 2025 the members of Bangor Historical Society met for a talk by Robert Phipps, the author of a history of the Belfast Central Railway Company 1864-1885. His theme was the rivalry which existed between this company and the one which ran the Belfast, Holywood and Bangor line. The chairman of the former company was Alexander Young, the wealthy owner of a large accountancy firm in London. The chairman of the latter was Charles Lanyon, the architect, engineer and MP.

The Belfast to Holywood line was opened in 1848 and then extended to Bangor in 1865. Financial trouble led to it ultimately becoming part of the Belfast and County Down Railway Company in 1885.

The talk was illustrated at various stages by maps of Belfast. One from 1862 showed clearly that the town possessed three main railway stations terminating in different parts of the town: BHBR’s Queen’s Quay on the Bangor side of the Lagan, Great Victoria Street for the Great Northern, leading south to Dublin and the Northern Counties Railway at York Road. The problem was that there was no connection between them other than roads. Goods had to be transported by horse drawn vehicles, if necessary, between them. Hence the idea of a Central Railway was born. It would start at Great Victoria Street and cross the Lagan to Queen’s Quay. It would also go through the centre of Belfast to link up to York Road.

Bangor Railway Station

Among the issues which arose were the precise route, whether it would be for both freight and passengers and where the finance for the undertaking would come from. Also important was how the line would cross the Lagan – either a bridge or a tunnel. Discussions were held between the companies running the Bangor route and the Central line, but with no clear result. Nevertheless some construction was undertaken by the Central Railway Company: in ten years they managed to open just over four miles of railway line. Then the Central Railway Company proposed to bypass the existing line through east Belfast and create their own line to Holywood via Strandtown. In 1880 Alexander Young even bought Holywood Pier to bring in coal or other freight, which would then be transported on his railway line. In turn the BHBR proposed extending their own line across the Lagan into the centre of Belfast in 1879. Neither of these proposals was carried out. The Belfast Central Railway Company ceased to exist in 1885 as it became part of the Great Northern company.

Finally Mr Phipps explained that a central line still exists and is in regular: decades ago Queen’s Quay was closed and demolished and from Bangor travellers could reach Lanyon Place station and then a modern Great Victoria Street station. In the autumn of 2024 the main railway hub of Belfast became the new Grand Central Station. One interesting aspect of Mr Phipps’ book are the pictures of the three grand Victorian railway termini which once graced the town and later city of Belfast.