Taxus Baccata

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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.

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 extension from Longford to Sligo opened on 3 September 1862.[2]

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.[3]

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[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]

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

See also

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. ^ "THE BALLAGHADERREEN BRANCH". Irish Failfan News. 7 (3): 14–16. July 1961. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Network Statement 2015" (PDF). Irish Rail. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  4. ^ "53 - Dublin Bus". dublinbus.ie. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "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

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