Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway, Heritage railway along Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland.
The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway is a narrow-gauge heritage railway in Northern Ireland that runs between Bushmills village and the Giant's Causeway visitor area on the North Antrim coast. The track runs close to the shoreline for much of the journey, passing open farmland and coastal views.
The line opened in 1883 as an electric tramway powered by a nearby waterfall, making it one of the first in the world to use hydroelectric energy for passenger transport. It closed during the 20th century and was later restored by railway volunteers, reopening as a heritage service.
The railway links Bushmills village to the coastal basalt columns and follows a route that has been in use for well over a century. Travelers on board can see the North Antrim coastline much as visitors did in the late 1800s.
The railway runs seasonally and tends to fill up on busy days, so arriving early gives a better chance of getting a seat. Both stops are within easy reach of the main local attractions, making it straightforward to combine the train ride with a visit to either end of the line.
The railway's founder came across a German electric traction system at the 1879 Berlin Trade Fair and decided to bring that technology to this stretch of the Irish coast. As a result, a remote coastal line became one of the earliest examples of electric passenger rail anywhere in the world.
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