Liffey Junction railway station

Last updated

Liffey Junction

Gabhal na Lífe
Liffey Junction Signal Box and Watertower.jpg
Liffey Junction signal box and watertower
General information
Location Cabra
Ireland
Coordinates 53°21′15″N6°16′26″W / 53.354291°N 6.273816°W / 53.354291; -6.273816
Platforms7
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
History
Original company Midland Great Western Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Great Western Railway
Post-grouping Great Southern Railways
Key dates
1864Station opened
18 January 1937Station closed to passenger services
1977Station closed to freight services
1997Station demolished
9 December 2017Luas services commence

Liffey Junction is a former railway station and junction on the erstwhile Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) in Dublin, Ireland.

History

The station opened in 1864 [1] upon the opening of the Liffey Line from this point to the River Liffey at North Wall. The station closed to passenger traffic on 18 January 1937 [2] upon the concurrent closure of the line from Broadstone to Liffey Junction, such traffic being rerouted to Pearse Station (then Westland Row). The station remained in use until 1977 for cattle traffic and afterwards was used as a wagon storage point.

Today, most of the features of this station have disappeared. Those that remain include the water tower between the trackbed of the mainline and the Liffey Line branch (now part of the Dublin–Sligo line) fronting onto the Royal Canal, traces of the upside island platform and a water column.

There was a carriage shed located between the Liffey Line and the Royal Canal. This area remains distinguishable today as a triangular-shaped area on the northeastern side of the Liffey Line bridge over the Royal Canal. The MGWR's creosoting plant was also located here.

By 2017, tracks had been laid and overhead wires installed along the former alignment to Dublin Broadstone in preparation for the Luas Cross City services, which commenced on 9 December 2017. A new Luas depot was built on the site of the former Liffey Junction station. The downside loading bank was demolished in early 2016.

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References

  1. Midland Great Western Railway; Shepherd, Ernie; ISBN   1-85780-008-7; 1994 - p118
  2. "Liffey Junction station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Dublin Broadstone
Line and station closed
  Midland Great Western Railway
Dublin–Galway/Sligo
  Ashtown

53°22′16″N6°17′31″W / 53.371038°N 6.291904°W / 53.371038; -6.291904