Larne - Transport

Transport

• Ferries sail from the harbour to destinations including Cairnryan and Troon in Scotland, Fleetwood in England and Douglas on the Isle of Man. A freight-only service operates to Heysham. Passenger services are operated by P&O, Stena Line and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. The P&O ferry company describes the crossings from Larne to Scotland as "the shortest, fastest crossings" due to the close proximity that Larne has to Scotland, and that the fast ferry to Cairnryan takes only one hour.
• Larne is connected to Belfast by the A8 road. The A2 road or 'Antrim coast road' which runs along the Antrim coast, and passes through the scenic Glens of Antrim, also serves the town. South of the town the A2 passes the side of Larne Lough, via Glynn, Magheramorne, and Ballycarry, to Whitehead and Carrickfergus. The A36 road runs from the town to Ballymena.
• The Belfast–Larne railway line connects to Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station and Belfast Central, via Whitehead and Carrickfergus, also connects Larne to the Northern Ireland Railways network. Currently there is no freight transport by rail in Northern Ireland. Both Larne Town railway station and Larne Harbour railway station opened on 1 October 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 4 January 1965.
• The Ballymena and Larne Railway was a narrow gauge railway. It opened in 1878, was closed to passengers in 1933 and finally completely closed in 1950. Another line ran from Larne to Ballyclare and some parts of it can still be made out where it ran along the Six Mile valley.