Athy railway station

Athy Baile Átha Í
Athy Railway Station Photo: Andrew McCarthy
General information
Location	Church Road, Athy, County Kildare, R14 XH64 Ireland
Coordinates	52°59′33″N6°58′36″W / 52.9925°N 6.9768°W / 52.9925; -6.9768
Owned by	Iarnród Éireann
Operated by	Iarnród Éireann
Platforms	2
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Station code	ATHY
Fare zone	F
Key dates
4 August 1846	Station opens
6 September 1976	Station closes to goods
Services
Preceding station   Iarnród Éireann   Following station Kildare   InterCity Dublin-Waterford   Carlow   Historical railways   Cherryville Junction   Great Southern and Western Railway Dublin-Waterford   Mageney
Location
Athy Location within Athy Show map of Athy Athy Athy (Ireland) Show map of Ireland

Athy railway station serves the town of Athy in County Kildare, Ireland.

It is a station on the Dublin to Waterford intercity route. ^[1]

Description

The single track north and south of the station splits to provide two platforms. Platform 1, next to the station building, car park and pedestrian entrance, is used where possible for passenger services. only when two trains are in the station simultaneously is Platform 2 used. A siding at the southern end of the station is all that remains of the line to Wolfhill.

Due to the rapid growth of Athy itself, this station has seen considerable growth in passenger numbers. In 2004 the mechanical signalling system was replaced. In 2007 the platforms were extended to accommodate longer trains, a development which included the demolition of the signal box. ^[2] In July 2008, planning permission was granted for the refurbishment of the partially derelict station building itself. ^[3]

History

The station opened on 4 August 1846. ^[4] Opened by the Great Southern and Western Railway, the station was amalgamated into the Great Southern Railways.

The line was nationalised, passing to the Córas Iompair Éireann with the Transport Act 1944 which took effect from 1 January 1945 and closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976. ^[5]

It passed on to Iarnród Éireann in 1986.^{[ citation needed ]}

Footbridge

Athy station was not originally built with a footbridge. On February 5, 1886, a newsboy, John Hamilton, was struck by a train while crossing the tracks, suffering serious injuries. ^[6] He died two days later. At the inquest the railway company was criticised that they had “not at present proper provision for the protection of life at the railway station, and we, therefore, consider that a bridge crossing should be erected without delay”. ^[7] By the end of April 1886 the new footbridge was ready to open. ^[8]

Wolfhill Line

Due to limited coal supplies during World War I, a branch from Athy to the collieries at Gracefield and Modubeagh near Wolfhill, County Laois was opened by the government in September 1918. ^[9] It was built by reusing track obtained by singling a section of the mainline to Waterford at a cost of approximately £125,000. ^[10] The branch left the main line at the south end of Athy station, crossed the River Barrow with a concrete-built bridge, and passed through the village of Ballylinan (Ballylynan). Initially, the branch was primarily used to transport coal. The Wolfhill collieries closed in the 1920s, but a shortened line as far as a siding at Ballylinan remained open for the transport of sugar beet to the Irish Sugar Company's factory at Carlow. ^[11]

The branch was vested in the Great Southern Railways in 1929. ^[10]

In the early 1940s, a short spur for the delivery of cement was constructed to the Asbestos Cement Factory (later to become Tegral) on the west side of Athy town. ^[12]

In 1963, as part of a wider program of line and station closures, the line between Ballylinan and the Asbestos Cement Factory was closed. ^[13]

The Asbestos Cement Factory spur closed in 2005 and the track was lifted in 2019, in preparation for the construction of the Athy Distributor Road. As of 2023 only a short siding at the southern end of Athy station remains, although the bridge over the Barrow has been renovated and repurposed for walking and cycling.

Services

All journeys are operated by Iarnród Éireann.

The current Monday to Friday service pattern is: ^[14]

• 7 trains per day to Waterford
  • An extra train runs on Fridays only.
• 2 trains per day to Carlow
• 10 trains per day to Dublin Heuston
  • An extra journey runs on Fridays only.

On Saturdays, the service pattern is:

• 7 trains per day to Waterford
• 8 trains per day to Dublin Heuston

The Sunday service pattern is:

• 4 trains per day to Waterford
• 4 trains per day to Dublin Heuston

Preceding station	Iarnród Éireann			Following station
Kildare		InterCity Dublin-Waterford		Carlow

See also

• List of railway stations in Ireland

References

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC   60251199. OL   11956311M.^{[ page needed ]}
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN   978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC   228266687.^{[ page needed ]}
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC   22311137.^{[ page needed ]}

1. "Timetables". Irish Rail. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2012.^{[ full citation needed ]}
2. "Planning Application 06/300025". Kildare County Council Planning Applications. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
3. "Planning Application 07/300070". Kildare County Council Planning Applications. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
4. "Great Southern & Western Railway". The Leinster Express. 8 August 1846. p. 2.
5. "Athy station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
6. "Accident at Athy Railway Station". The Leinster Express. 6 February 1886. p. 5.
7. "The fatal railway accident at Athy–The inquest". The Freeman's Journal. 9 February 1886. p. 6.
8. "Notes". The Nationalist and Leinster Times. 24 April 1886. p. 3.
9. "Wolfhill Collieries, Fresh Developments Pending". The Irish Independent. 26 September 1918. p. 2.
10. Houses of the Oireachtas (28 February 1929). "Dáil Éireann debate, Public Business, Railways, Vote 57" . Retrieved 12 August 2022.
11. "Kildare Notes". The Nationalist and Leinster Times. 27 November 1926. p. 4.
12. "News from the provinces". The Irish Press. 16 March 1940. p. 10.
13. Coras Iompar Eireann (28 January 1963). "Notice as to termination of train services on the railway line between Athy and Ballylinan". The Irish Press. p. 12.
14. "Dublin Heuston - Waterford" (PDF). Irish Rail. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.

External links

• Irish Rail: Athy Station
• Transport Act 1944