Dublin Central Station

[Old Blarney]

Good evening,

 

I found this information regarding a Proposed Central Station for Dublin.

 

http://archiseek.com/2013/1872-proposing-a-grand-central-station-for-dublin/#.U8g5B-9OXIU

 

I believe CIE also had plans for a Central Station and that they had purchased land for this purpose. Can any of you knowledgeable persons confirm or deny this fact or rumour?

 

David White.

[Mayner]

CIE had plans for a city centre "Transportation Centre" in the area around Halfpenny Bridge as part of a 70s metro plan and bought up a lot of property in the Temple Bar area.

 

I think the metro was part of an integrated transport plan for the Greater Dublin area with heavy rail services and dedicated busways and motorways to serve the new town centres planned for Tallagh, Clondalkin, Blanchardstown, Ballymun and the Airport.

 

The metro and dedicated busways were dropped in the 80s combination of opposition to investment in public transport and an attempt to capitalise on the "Left Bank" environment which emerged in Temple Bar when CIE began renting building to art groups and artisans. The rest is history with the Taoiseach Charlie Haughey's personal opposition "over my dead body" to a bus station in Temple Bar and setting up a development corporation providing tax breaks to investors in hotels and clubs in the area.

 

In the 90s IE looked at diverting Southern, Western and Belfast intercity services into a new "Central" North Wall station. I suppose at the time £100m to re-develop Heuston and the prospect of a future income stream from the Spencers Dock development seemed more attractive than building a North Wall Intercity Station.

[Old Blarney]

John,

 

Thank you for your reply to my post. I was unaware of the proposal for a "Central" North Wall Station.

 

I have always wondered why a "Central" Interchange Station was never develop in the area around Connelly Station. The GNR, GSWR, MGWR, DPDB and LNWR all cross one and other to the north of Connelly. Thus, a "Central" interchange station could have been developed that allowed all railways in Dublin to connect at a single point. The Phoenix park tunnel would have required widening to accommodate the increased volume of traffic travelling through it to the South, South West and West. However, it is a Cut-and Cover structure, it would not be that difficult to quadruple the track through it by creating a parallel double track tunnel. The former GSWR and MGWR lines could be realigned at Glasnevin Junction to allow travel on the GSWR lines from the South and South West and Midland Trains from the West. Each would arrive at a "Central" Interchange Hub under the GNR lines at Newcomen Junction. This "Hub" station would the permit travel by interchange ( or reversal at Church Street Junction) to any railway destination in the land be it Inter-City or suburban. One problem that would need to be resolved is the route of the newly reopened "Royal Canal" at the point where each of these railways meet.

 

I expect, I can dream. Don't expect this, in my mind, simple solution will ever happen!

 

21:38 UK time.

 

David White.