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a_slight_hitch · 24-06-2007, 11:27

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...ck-742677.html

City station to get back on track
IT'S been 70 years since the last passenger emerged from the platform at Broadstone in north Dublin city - but the famous old station is set to make a comeback.

When the last passenger steam trains rolled into Broadstone, Sean T O'Kelly was topping the poll in Dublin North West in the election for the ninth Dail.

With the 30th Dail just voted in, Irish Rail chiefs have identified the defunct station as having a key role in meeting rapidly expanding commuter demand.

The €35m plan will provide capacity for services on the Navan commuter line, which is to be reopened.

Rapid growth in demand on commuter routes - up by close to 20 per cent on some lines over last year's record figures - combined with population increases expected over the coming 10-15 years have convinced rail bosses of the need to maximise city centre capacity for rail services.

Iarnrod Eireann point to the success of the new Docklands station, open less than three months and already outstripping projected demand with over 1,000 morning peak commuters arriving daily.

Broadstone Station was a victim of increased road transport - and at midnight on January 16, 1937, the night mail from Westport was the last passenger train to arrive.

It was built in the neo-Egyptian style, and in his book Dublin 1660-1860, architectural historian Maurice Craig gives a somewhat overblown commentary on the famous landmark.

"The Broadstone Station is the last building in Dublin to partake of the sublime. Its lonely grandeur is emphasised now by its disuse as a terminus, and the melancholy quarter of high-and-dry hotels beside it.

"It stands on rising ground, and the traveller who sees it for the first time, so unexpected in its massive amplitude, feels a little as he might if he were to stumble unawares upon the monstrous silences of Karnak or Luxor."

The rather grand old station is a protected building. Bus Eireann will keep on using the old building, while a new rail facility is to be built at the rear of the site by 2010.

New track will be laid between Broadstone Station and Liffey Junction to connect with the Maynooth line.

24-06-2007, 11:27	#18
a_slight_hitch Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 10	http://www.independent.ie/national-n...ck-742677.html City station to get back on track IT'S been 70 years since the last passenger emerged from the platform at Broadstone in north Dublin city - but the famous old station is set to make a comeback. When the last passenger steam trains rolled into Broadstone, Sean T O'Kelly was topping the poll in Dublin North West in the election for the ninth Dail. With the 30th Dail just voted in, Irish Rail chiefs have identified the defunct station as having a key role in meeting rapidly expanding commuter demand. The €35m plan will provide capacity for services on the Navan commuter line, which is to be reopened. Rapid growth in demand on commuter routes - up by close to 20 per cent on some lines over last year's record figures - combined with population increases expected over the coming 10-15 years have convinced rail bosses of the need to maximise city centre capacity for rail services. Iarnrod Eireann point to the success of the new Docklands station, open less than three months and already outstripping projected demand with over 1,000 morning peak commuters arriving daily. Broadstone Station was a victim of increased road transport - and at midnight on January 16, 1937, the night mail from Westport was the last passenger train to arrive. It was built in the neo-Egyptian style, and in his book Dublin 1660-1860, architectural historian Maurice Craig gives a somewhat overblown commentary on the famous landmark. "The Broadstone Station is the last building in Dublin to partake of the sublime. Its lonely grandeur is emphasised now by its disuse as a terminus, and the melancholy quarter of high-and-dry hotels beside it. "It stands on rising ground, and the traveller who sees it for the first time, so unexpected in its massive amplitude, feels a little as he might if he were to stumble unawares upon the monstrous silences of Karnak or Luxor." The rather grand old station is a protected building. Bus Eireann will keep on using the old building, while a new rail facility is to be built at the rear of the site by 2010. New track will be laid between Broadstone Station and Liffey Junction to connect with the Maynooth line.