King Magnus' Halt railway station
King Magnus' Halt Magnus | |
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| Location |
Downpatrick Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Owned by | Downpatrick & County Down Railway |
| Operated by | Downpatrick & County Down Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | At-grade |
| Key dates | |
| 1995 | Opened |
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King Magnus' Halt, sometimes referred to as Magnus' Grave, is the terminal railway station on the Downpatrick & County Down Railway's Southern Line, located in the town of Downpatrick in County Down, Northern Ireland. It takes its name from the nearby grave of Viking King Magnus Barefoot. The grave is a Downpatrick tourist attraction that was not easily accessible prior to the arrival of the railway. It features a platform with lampposts on the East side of the line, which looks onto a field containing the barrow of King Magnus and a runestone which was placed in March 2003 to mark the 900th anniversary of his death.
The Magnus line follows the original Belfast & County Down Railway out of Downpatrick. Magnus' Halt is located just before Ardglass Junction. The line may eventually be extended to Ballydugan.[1] In spite of it currently being the terminal station of the South Line, the track extends for around a kilometre South after this before reaching a dead end.
Prior to the opening of the Inch Abbey line, Magnus was the terminus of most DCDR trains. Today, Magnus Halt is mainly used on the days around Halloween. On these days a buffet train is parked at Downpatrick Loop Platform, a short distance north. Passenger trains stop at the Downpatrick Loop en route to Magnus' Halt. Once the South line is extended to Ballydugan, it is expected that the line will see more use.