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Dublin Connolly,
formerly known as Amiens Street Station prior to 1966, was
opened by the Dublin & Drogheda Railway in 1844. The D&DR became
part of the extensive Great Northern Railway (GNRI), and their
southern headquarters were established at Amiens Street, now
Irish Rail's HQ. The station became a through station in 1895
when the City of Dublin Junction Railway linked Amiens Street
with
Westland Row (Pearse Station)
via the 'new' loop line across the River Liffey. Services from
the south from Bray and Rosslare could now gain access to Amiens
Street and interchange with the GNR. In 1906 the GSWR opened
their line into Amiens Street from
Kingsbridge(Heuston Station)
via Drumcondra (now the main Sligo/Maynooth line). When the GSR
,and later CIE took over in 1945, services could run straight
from the south through to the western lines, and then after the
GNR were abolished in 1959, CIE had total control over the
north, south and western lines from Amiens Street, which are now
used extensively by the DART and Commuter services, mainly from
Bray,
Howth,
Maynooth and
Drogheda.
Connolly Station boasts a fine imposing Italianate station
building, with some later GNR station architecture and canopies
on some of the platforms. The station also boasts two
operational turntables and locomotive shed. There are stabling
sidings at the back of the station where you can usually find
all types of locos and rolling stock.
Not surprisingly for a large station, I have plenty of pictures
of Connolly Station, beginning from 2002 when there were still
loco hauled services to Drogheda/Dundalk and Rosslare. 201 Class
locos are to be seen on the Enterprise, complete with
electrified DART services and commuters trains, mainly in the
hands of 29000s railcars(DMUs).
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