Dublin–Sligo railway line

The Dublin to Sligo main line is a railway route operated by Iarnród Éireann in Ireland. It starts in Dublin Connolly station, terminating at Sligo Mac Diarmada railway station in Sligo. The route is a double-track railway as far as Maynooth, being a single-track railway with passing loops between there and Sligo.

Dublin–Sligo Main Line
22000 Class DMU (22020) at Dublin Connolly forming a service to Sligo.
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Iarnród Éireann
Locale	Ireland
Termini	Dublin Connolly Sligo Mac Diarmada
Stations	13
Service
Type	Commuter rail, Inter-city rail Heavy rail
System	Iarnród Éireann
Services	InterCity: Dublin–Sligo Western Commuter
Operator(s)	Iarnród Éireann
Depot(s)	Dublin Connolly
Rolling stock	29000 Class (Commuter) 22000 Class (InterCity and Commuter)
History
Opened	1847
Technical
Line length	216.05 km (134.25 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track (Dublin Connolly–Maynooth) Single track with passing loops (Maynooth–Sligo)
Character	Secondary
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge
Electrification	Not electrified
Operating speed	121 km/h (75 mph)
Route map Legend Year closed Sligo Mac Diarmada Sligo Quay freight terminal 2000 Ballysodare 1963 Ballisodare River Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Rly to Enniskillen 1957 proposed Western Railway Corridor to Limerick 1963 Collooney Ballymote Kilfree Junction 1963 to Ballaghaderreen 1963 Boyle Carrick-on-Shannon Drumsna 1963 River Shannon Cavan and Leitrim Railway Dromod Newtown Forbes 1963 Longford Edgeworthstown Street & Rathowen 1963 to Cavan 1959 Inny Junction 1931 Multyfarnham 1963 Clonhugh 1963 The Royal Canal to Athlone 1964 Mullingar Killucan 1963 Hill of Down 1963 River Boyne Moyvalley 1963 to Edenderry 1931 Enfield Ferns Lock 1963 Kilcock Maynooth Blakestown Leixlip Louisa Bridge Leixlip Confey Lucan North 1941 Barberstown Docklands branch to M3 Parkway Clonsilla Coolmine Coolmine Castleknock Blanchardstown 1937 Navan Road Parkway Ashtown Ashtown Pelletstown Reilly's Bridge 1847 Broombridge Liffey Junction passengers 1937 goods 1977 Dublin Broadstone 1937 Glasnevin 1910 The Royal Canal Phoenix Park Tunnel to Dublin Heuston Drumcondra Belfast–Dublin railway line Docklands ( Spencer Dock) The Royal Canal Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Tallaght and Saggart Dublin-Rosslare railway line to Rosslare Europort = Western Commuter

Between Dublin and Longford, the route is operated as part of Dublin Suburban Rail, specifically the Western Commuter service. In 2018, 1.4 million passengers were carried on the line.^[1]

History

The line would start construction as the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was incorporated in 1845 to buy the Royal Canal between Dublin and Longford to build a parallel railway.^[2] The MGWR would receive assent in 1846 to branch off from Mullingar to further their planned Galway main line, and they would reach Mullingar on 2 October 1848, pausing work on the line to Longford to focus on the Galway line.^[3][4]

After Galway was reached in 1851, the MGWR would open as far as Longford on 8 November 1855.^[4] An extension to Sligo would be approved in 1857,^[5] and the line would open in full on 3 December 1862. After the Broadstone terminus' closure in 1937, most trains on the line would be diverted to Westland Row (now Pearse).^[6]

In 1973, the line would lose most its services as they were diverted to use the ex-GSWR branch towards Heuston.^[7]

Route

The line is 216.05 kilometres (134.25 mi) long. From Dublin the route mostly bends alongside the Royal Canal to Mullingar along a fairly level gradient. Thereafter there are a number of gradients, with the sustained 1 in 80 between mileposts 75+1⁄4 and 70+3⁄8 towards Dublin noted as challenging.^[8]

Services

Commuter operates the suburban services between Dublin and Maynooth. These run from Pearse Station, which connects with the line to Rosslare Europort. Some trains run from Bray through to Maynooth.

Two trains per day (Monday to Friday) operate Longford to Pearse in the morning and return from Connolly to Longford in the evening.

InterCity

• Monday-Friday

8 trains in each direction Dublin to Sligo

• Saturday

7 trains in each direction Dublin to Sligo

• Sunday

6 trains in each direction Dublin to Sligo

Former services in dieselisation era

There was a basic service pattern of 3 services a day, sometimes supplemented by an additional service from Dublin on Fridays and a very early morning service from Sligo on Monday mornings. The closure of many stations in 1963 enabled the service to be speeded up with over an hour reduction in journey time.

Freight trains from Sligo stopped when the final trains carrying logs from Sligo ceased in December 2008.

Dublin stations

InterCity services now commence and terminate at Dublin Connolly. Originally Broadstone railway station was the terminus. In the intervening years Pearse (Westland Row) was the starting point.

Connections at Dublin Connolly

The line is also used by rail passengers changing at Dublin Connolly onto the DART to Dún Laoghaire or Bray for example or travelling to Dublin Port for the Irish Ferries or Stena Line to Holyhead and then by train along the North Wales Coast Line to London Euston and other destinations in England and Wales.

Dublin Port can be reached by walking beside the tram lines around the corner from Amiens Street into Store Street or by Luas one stop to Busáras where Dublin Bus operates route 53 to the Ferry Terminal^[9] or to take a taxi.

Passengers can change at Dublin Connolly for the Belfast–Dublin railway line for the Enterprise to east Ulster.

Rolling stock

Current operations

InterCity services have been operated by 22000 Class DMUs since December 2007, the Dublin-Sligo route being the first in the whole of Ireland to get the new trains.^[10] They replaced the interim use of 29000 Class Commuter DMUs, which had been introduced to these services in 2005, having in turn replaced locomotive-hauled stock.^[11]

Previous dieselisation era operations

InterCity services saw haulage by CIÉ classes 001, 121, 141 and latterly 071 after they were displaced from mainline duties. 121 and 141 Classes would often work in multiple on the heavy midday trains and latterly to achieve faster timetables. The CIE 201 Class was rarer on passenger duties. Coaching stock could reach to about 13 coaches requiring multiple stops at some stations. Laminate and Park Royal coaching stock including 6-wheel luggage/generator vans were replaced in time by Cravens and eventually Mark 2 coaches with Mark 1 generator vans cascaded from mainline services.^[12]

CIÉ 2600 Class AEC DMUs were sometimes used on the morning and evening services up until 1969/70.

See also

• Midland Great Western Railway
• Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway

References

1. "Highest ever passenger numbers recorded on Sligo-Dublin rail line". Ocean FM. 29 January 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
2. Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland Act 1845. 21 July 1845. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
3. Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland (Mullingar to Athlone) Act 1846. 16 July 1846. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
4. "Irish Railway Station Dates" (PDF). RAILSCOT. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
5. Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland (Sligo Extension) Act 1857. 27 July 1857. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
6. "A virtual tour of Dublin's seven railway termini (or is it eight?)". Táilte Tours. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
7. "Mullingar". Éiretrains. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
8. "Network Statement 2015" (PDF). Irish Rail. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
9. "53 - Dublin Bus". dublinbus.ie. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
10. Moran, Michael (18 July 2007). "New trains for Sligo line are on the way". The Sligo Champion. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
11. Moran, Michael (29 June 2005). "New-look Sligo train unveiled". The Sligo Champion. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
12. "124". Irish Traction Group. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.

External links

Media related to Dublin–Sligo railway line at Wikimedia Commons

• Iarnród Éireann: Line information