The Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Railway departs from just outside Bushmills town centre on a 2-mile, roughly 20-minute journey to and from the Giant’s Causeway, running along the trackbed of the former Giant’s Causeway Tram. Children especially love riding it. The Bushmills platform sits a short walk from the town centre, around 50m from The Diamond, heading toward Portrush along the Causeway Coast road. The old Bushmills Terminus building still stands, now a private home. There’s a free car park at both the Causeway and Bushmills ends for railway users.
The line winds through the dunes high above Runkerry Strand, past Portballintrae and Bushfoot Golf Course, offering a genuinely different and scenic way to reach the Giant’s Causeway compared to driving.
The history
The tram-type carriages run on the same route as the original Bushmills Hydro Electric Tram and Giant’s Causeway line — an Irish narrow-gauge track originally operated by the Portrush, Giant’s Causeway and Bush Valley Railway Tramway Company Ltd. Built in 1883, it was the first long electric tramway anywhere in the world, running until 1949 — a history spanning more than 65 years before today’s heritage railway picked up the route.
Facilities
Car parking is available at the Bushmills platform, where you can board the train to the Giant’s Causeway. The station has a picnic area and serves refreshments.
Your train ticket can be used at the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre for a discounted entrance fee on arrival.
Before you go
The railway is a seasonal, largely volunteer-run heritage service, so operating days and times change through the year and can vary from what’s listed on older guides — always check the current timetable directly with the railway (028 2073 2844) or the National Trust’s Giant’s Causeway page before planning your visit around it, rather than relying on a fixed schedule.