Docklands

Docklands Station in the new residential area of Dublin's former docklands area in the east of the city, opened on the 12th of March 2007, amidst much publicity. It is the first terminal station to be built in Dublin for quite some time, and is served exclusively by Maynooth and Dunboyne line trains which traverse the ex Midland Great Western goods line through Newcommon. The station was built on the former MGWR freight yard which closed at the end of 2005. Interestingly though, there was once a passenger service which ran roughly to where Dockland is now, serving a London & North Western station and yard, built there in the 1890s, however the service was withdrawn in 1927.
201 Class loco No.233 in 'Enterprise' livery stands at the new Docklands Station having work in the Irish Traction Group's 'Docklands Pioneer' railtour. The ITG railtour which loco No.233 hauled was formed a rake of Mk3 pushpull stock, with driving van trailer No.6103 leading the tour into the station, as seen here. Two comparatively new generations of diesel railcars are seen together at the Docklands Station, which as seen here has two platforms. During the opening of the new Docklands Station, one of the new 22000 Class units was placed on display at platform 2, seen here.
The area behind the new Docklands Station was once the former London & North Western Railway's goods yard, latterly converted to a container terminal in the early 1970s. The LNWR freight yard and the adjacent Midland Great Western yard closed to freight trains in 2005, and sites are now built over with new apartments seen here. A recent scene at the Docklands Station showing 2800 Class railcar No.2812, preparing to depart with a service to the M3 Parkway on the day of the reopening of the ex Midland Great Western line to Dunboyne, which had closed completely in 1963. Most of the Dunboyne line services terminate at the Docklands Station, these services having originally served the Maynooth line as far as Clonsilla. The St Laurence O'Toole church and spire is prominant in the background. Docklands is not the first passenger station to be built in the North Wall area of Dublin, an earlier station was once sited adjacent to the London North Western yard. This LNWR station opened in 1877 and closed in 1920, though the building still exists to this day.
A reminder of the former freight presence here at the Docklands Station, built on the former Midland Great Western Railway yard which finally closed in 2005. Today freight traffic to the North Wall area is handled on the Alexandra Road tramway. Signal DS (Docklands) No.103 displays a clear aspect for 233 to depart back to Clonsilla. In the background a 29000 Class railcar crosses the line and the Royal Canal into Connolly Station, out of view to the left. The arches, which carries the adjacent Sheriff Steet over the former freight yard at the Docklands Station. Until 2005 freight trains were passing through these arches on container trains. Inside the new modern Docklands station on its first evening open. Who would have thought such a station would be built at the one time North Wall freight yards.