Irish Railway Record Society

STATIONS

HEUSTON RE-DEVELOPMENT

Installation Progress   The crossover connecting the down siding at the west end of Inchicore into the down Cork line, No. 700, was renewed on 30 June.

Construction progress continued at a good pace on the installation of additional platforms at Heuston. Following deep excavations and drain installation, prefabricated concrete platform sections were installed for new Platforms 6, 7 and 8 in the area to the north and west of Platform 5 during June and July. The structural steel supports for the canopies were largely completed by late July and some signals and signal equipment cabinets were in place. Welded rail on concrete slab track was also installed for platforms 6, 7 and 8. A new subway was constructed under the new running lines to provide access from the north of the station yard to the Valeting plant.

Platform 5 and No. 7 siding, which was located between platforms 4 and 5, were disconnected with effect from 00.01 on Monday 22 July. The points at the west end of the platform and siding were removed immediately, as were connections to the Valeting plant at the Dublin end. This allowed the fenced-off worksite boundary to be extended with work being able to proceed without hindrance from train movements. The Valeting plant remained accessible from the Inchicore end and Platforms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10 were available for normal use. The ‘Wash Road’ remained available along with up and down main lines to Inchicore, but was only accessible from the Cork end from 19 August.

Platform 10   From 22 July, it became necessary to transfer more trains to Platform 10. The Heuston-Kildare trains departing at 09.05 (only on Fridays), 09.50, 11.00, 11.45, 16.10 on Monday-Thursday), 17.35 and 18.40 Heuston-Portlaoise, along with corresponding arrivals were transferred.

From 26 July, the 05.05 Cork-Heuston (only on Saturday), 06.45 Limerick-Heuston (only on Friday), 11.40 Galway-Heuston Summer Saturdays-Only and the 11.30 Cork-Heuston Fridays-Only transferred to Platform 10. Mainline departures transferring were the 10.35 Heuston-Waterford Summer Saturdays-Only, 13.25 Heuston-Tralee Fridays year-round and Summer Saturdays-Only, 14.00 Heuston-Limerick Fridays and Saturdays-Only, 15.55 Heuston-Ballina Fridays-Only, 16.30 Heuston-Waterford Fridays-Only and the 16.30 Heuston-Carlow (only on Saturdays) were advertised to use the platform.

A shuttle bus was provided for passengers to the main station building, with the last bus departing the main building 10 minutes before train departure. Passengers were advised to allow 15 minutes extra for the transfer if walking. All route 91 buses from the City Centre to Heuston served both the main building and Platform 10 from 15.30 hours Monday-Saturday.

Consequent to the commissioning of platforms 5, 6, 7, and 8, platform 10 reverted to being used by the Heuston-Kildare service at certain periods from 2 September. However, the 13.25 Heuston-Tralee Fridays-Only departed from it on September 13. The shuttle bus service was provided for these trains.

Commissioning   Phase II was commissioned over the weekend of 30 August to 1 September. Complete possession was taken from 23.00 on Friday, with weekend trains operating to and from Newbridge, Kildare and Athy as in previous closures (see JOURNAL 146). On Friday 30 August, all services to and from Heuston operated normally except the 19.15 Cork-Heuston and the 17.00 Westport-Heuston, which both terminated at Sallins with bus transfers to Heuston. The 18.08 Galway- Heuston terminated at Kildare, where passengers transferred to the 20.43 Kildare-Heuston. The 21.45 and the 22.45 Heuston-Kildare were replaced by bus transfers. The last passenger train signalled into the old part of the station from Heuston signalbox before it closed was the late running 20.43 Kildare-Heuston, 3-car 2700-class, which arrived at 22.27.

Heuston cabin closed at 23.00 on Friday 30 August. It was the last remaining miniature lever frame cabin on the IÉ network since the closure of Westland Row and West Road cabins. The Heuston SER signal cabin took over control of an additional 22 signals and 21 sets of points from 15.00 on Sunday 1 September. Possession was handed back in time for the departure of the 16.00 Dublin-Cork, 214 + EGV + 7 Mk III, which departed at 16.21. The 16.05 to Limerick departed at 16.33 and consisted of an 8-car 2700-class railcar.

 The first arrival was the 13.50 Galway-Dublin, 084 + GSV + 3 Cravens, which arrived at 1705. Subsequently, signalling problems resulted in considerable disruption to services on the Sunday evening.

CAWS (the Continuous Automatic Warning System based on signal indications transmitted to the locomotive or railcar using coded track circuits) was commissioned on the new track at the same time as the new signalling system.

New Facilities   Platforms 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 became available from 1 September with platforms 1, 2, 3 and 4 being closed for re-building. Platforms 5 to 8 are 243-metres long from top of ramp to buffer face. Platform 5 is the original platform extended towards Inchicore, but along with platforms 6, 7 and 8, it is accessed from the north side of the Valeting plant. Platform 5 can be accessed from two roads, but Nos. 6, 7 and 8 have only one access track, which limits operational flexibility.

Access to the Valeting plant is available from platform 5 and from ‘No. 4 Road’ via a 43-metre long 1:10 switch-diamond double-slip manufactured by Cogifer in France. No. 4 road is the re-titled No. 7 road. It continues to have no platform face and is now fully signalled but is not to be used for stabling trains. At the south end of the Valeting plant a headshunt is provided along the former down line to allow trains enter and exit from both ends. This ends in a buffer stop under South Circular Road Bridge. The Wash Road was renamed the Holding Road in anticipation of the removal of the existing carriage wash.

The three tracks between Inchicore and Heuston have been re-designated with the former down main, up main and ‘third road’ now called the relief line, down main and up main respectively. All are signalled for bi-directional working. A new feature for IÉ is the provision of OFF indicators at the south ends of platforms 7 and 8. These indicate to platform staff that the starting signal is clear and it is in order for the guard to show a green flag or lamp to the driver. A full track and signalling diagram will be provided in a later JOURNAL.

New platforms 6, 7 and 8 feature servicing facilities for carriages and generator vans. A canopy is provided over the platform area and a temporary tented concourse was installed at the buffer stop of these platforms, which is in the area formerly occupied by the Fastrack office. The concourse also features a temporary booking office. A new departures board has been installed along with monitors showing arrivals. Each platform also has its own indicator board.

Dundalk   Siding space is at a premium in Dundalk following rationalisation in conjunction with re-signalling as part of the Dublin-Belfast line upgrade and the provision of badly needed additional car parking spaces. With the forthcoming delivery of eighty 2900-class railcars from CAF, which are likely to be predominantly used as 8-car formations, the situation will get worse. Therefore, additional sidings are to be constructed on the down side at the north end at an estimated cost of €3 million. A staff footbridge will also be constructed. To allow removal of the former Dundalk North signal cabin, the signalman’s PC and other contents were re-located to a room on the platform on 25 September.

Lansdowne Road   Work commenced in mid-June on  extending  the  southern  end of the up platform to cater for 8-carriage trains. The extension will be on the site of the former Royal Dublin Society cattle sidings, now part of the AIB Bank Centre. There will be access from the platform to the Bank Centre for bank staff.

View of Heuston Station from Islandbridge just before the withdrawal of locomotive B114 in 1971. (Photo: Barry Carse)

Loco No. 041 on a Guinness train at Heuston in the early 1970s. (Photo: Barry Carse)

Malahide   A developer is seeking planning permission to take over part of the station building in Malahide and construct a bar and lounge. The same developer constructed a similar facility at Howth station some years ago.

Portmarnock   Work has commenced on the installation of a new footbridge complete with wheelchair accessible lifts.

Tara Street   An Bord Pleanála (the planning appeals board) gave the IÉ/CIÉ scheme for Tara Street station the go ahead on 13 September (see JOURNALS 145 and 147).

Other   IÉ has advertised for the supply, installation and maintenance of between 55 and 60 ‘Pay and Display’ machines for Dublin suburban railway station car parks. They have also advertised for car park management companies to manage the car parks for a five-year period subject to annual review. At present car parking is free in Dublin suburban stations.

Copyright © 2002 by Irish Railway Record Society Ltd.
Revised: January 07, 2004 .