Editing Northern Counties Committee (section)

===Parliamentary approval===
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Belfast and Ballymena Railway Act 1845
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for making a Railway from Belfast to Ballymena in the County of Antrim, with Branches to Carrickfergus and Randalstown.
| year                  = 1845
| citation              = [[8 & 9 Vict.]] c. lxxxi
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 21 July 1845
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
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| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
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| status                = 
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| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
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| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
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| collapsed             = yes
}}
The next stage was to obtain parliamentary approval for the B&BR's original line plus a branch to [[Randalstown]]. A bill was duly lodged and came before a committee of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] in April 1845. Clauses were inserted at the Belfast Harbour Commissioners' request to protect them from possible competition from the harbour at Carrickfergus. The promoters were able to assuage the committee's fears that the works would be heavy and costly and the bill received [[royal assent]] on 21 July 1845 as the '''{{visible anchor|Belfast and Ballymena Railway Act 1845}}''' ([[8 & 9 Vict.]] c. lxxxi), "An Act for making a Railway from Belfast to Ballymena in the County of Antrim, with Branches to Carrickfergus and Randalstown".