Following the nationalisation of the railways, traffic on the line was reduced until eventually the route between Belfast and Derry~Londonderry was diverted via the Lisburn-Antrim railway line, with the stations on the old route, including Templepatrick, closed.

[1] In 1994, Northern Ireland Railways gained funding approval for the restoration of the Bleach Green section of the Derry line, which would allow more direct services into the centre of Belfast.

As part of this project, NIR planned to recommission two new stations, Mossley West and Templepatrick.

However, Translink, the public company responsible for public transport in Northern Ireland, proposed to build a major transport interchange, featuring both a bus and railway station beside the M2 at Templepatrick.

[citation needed] As of 2006 it was reported that this could potentially serve as a park and ride for towns and villages in the area of South Antrim.