Dublin Heuston railway station

Dublin Heuston
Stáisiún Heuston
Dublin Heuston railway station
Location
Place	St. John's Road, Dublin 8
Local authority	Dublin City Council
Operations
Station code	1
Platforms in use	9 (+3 Luas)
History
1846	Station opened as Kingsbridge Station
1966	Renamed as Heuston Station
Iarnród Éireann - Ireland railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[v · d · e]Dublin to Cork Line

Legend Phoenix Park Tunnel (To Dublin Connolly) Luas Red Line (To Dublin Connolly) & (The Point) Dublin Heuston Luas Red Line (To Tallaght) Inchicore Works Park West & Cherry Orchard* Clondalkin/Fonthill* Kishoge Adamstown* Hazelhatch & Celbridge* Sallins & Naas* Newbridge* Kildare Dublin-Waterford Line Monasterevin* Portarlington Dublin-Westport/Galway Portlaoise Laoise Traincare Depot Limerick-Ballybrophy Line Ballybrophy Templemore* Thurles Limerick-Rosslare Line Limerick Junction Limerick-Ennis Line Limerick Colbert Charleville Mallow Mallow-Tralee line Cork Kent Cork-Cobh Line *Not served by through trains from Dublin to Cork

Dublin Heuston (pronounced /ˈhjuːstən/), commonly called Heuston Station (Irish: Stáisiún Heuston), is one of Ireland's main railway stations, serving the south, southwest and west. It is operated by Iarnród Éireann (IE), the national railway operator. It also houses the head office of IE's parent company, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ).

History

The station opened on 4 August 1846^[1] as the terminus and headquarters of the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR). It was originally called Kingsbridge Station from the nearby Kings Bridge over the Liffey, but was renamed in 1966 after Sean Heuston, an Easter Rising leader who had worked in the station offices.

Designed by Sancton Wood, the handsome original buildings remain. The five panels along the front represent, in order:

• VIII.VIC - being the Act of Parliament that incorporated the GS&WR
• The Coat of Arms of Cork City
• The Coat of Arms of Dublin City
• The Coat of Arms of Limerick City
• AD. 1844 - being the year of incorporation of the GS&WR

Since its renewal (by Quinn Savage Smyth architects and engineers Buro Happold) it includes two branches of Eason's, as well as some dining facilities, including a Supermacs, and a pub.

Operation

Links to other main stations

Although there is a physical rail link between Connolly Station and Heuston, via the Phoenix Park Tunnel, this is usually only used for freight and rolling stock movements. Once or twice a year special trains may operate, usually from Cork to Connolly for Gaelic Athletic Association matches in Croke Park.

However, both the No. 90 bus and the Luas light rail system connect the two stations.

The Government Transport 21 initiative plans by 2015 to have an Interconnector tunnel linking Heuston with Pearse Station and onwards to the new Docklands railway station.

Platforms

There are nine platforms - eight terminal platforms and one through platform. Platform 1 is an extension to Platform 2, and reachable only via that platform. Prior to Heuston's recent upgrade, there were five terminal platforms.

The through platform is known as "Platform 10", and may be used for a Donegal rail line; there is no platform nine. Platform 10 is some distance from the main concourse.

Intercity and Commuter services leave the station on a triple line as far as Inchicore, and a double line beyond. This is the main line to Cork, serving Kildare [end of Commuter services occurs at milepost 30] and the junction for Kilkenny and Waterford, Portarlington, a diverging route to west via Tullamore and Athlone, Portlaoise, Ballybrophy, the junction for Limerick via Nenagh, Thurles, Limerick Junction (for direct Limerick and Ennis services, and Waterford via Clonmel), Mallow (junction for Killarney & Tralee). For a full list of stops on these routes, and route descriptions, see Rail transport in Ireland.

Inchicore Works

The main IE maintenance depot, at Inchicore, is approximately three kilometres (two miles) away.

Gallery

• 

  A Cork-Dublin train at Heuston

• 

  The recently renewed roof

• 

  Heuston interior

Preceding station	Iarnród Éireann			Following station
Terminus		Commuter South Western Commuter		Park West & Cherry Orchard
Terminus		Intercity Dublin-Cork		Kildare
Terminus		Intercity Dublin-Waterford		Newbridge
		Intercity Dublin-Limerick via Thurles
Terminus		Intercity Dublin-Galway		Hazelhatch & Celbridge
Terminus		Intercity Dublin-Westport/Ballina		Kildare or Newbridge
Terminus		InterCity Dublin-Tralee		Portlaoise
		From 2015
Christchurch		DART Line 2		Inchicore
Preceding station		Luas		Following station
Museum towards Connolly or The Point		Red Line		James's towards Tallaght

See also

• History of rail transport in Ireland

References

1. ^ "Dublin Kingsbridge station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-08-31. 

External links

• Iarnród Éireann: Heuston station
• Eiretrains - Heuston Station

Coordinates: 53°20′47″N 6°17′34″W / 53.346451°N 06.292662°W / 53.346451; -06.292662