Harcourt Street

Harcourt Street, Dublin, was the terminus of the Dublin Wicklow & Wexford Railway's mainline from Wexford, which ran on an inland route through south Dublin from Bray. The Harcourt St line served such villages as Dundrum, Stillorgan and Milltown, all of which are now very much part of the southern suburbs of Dublin City. It was therefore very short sighted of CIE that the line from Harcourt St to Bray was closed in December 1958. However much of the former trackbed remained intact and was reopened in the form of Luas line B (the Green line) as far as Brides Glen near Shankill.

The large and imposing station building on Harcourt Street remains of course to serve as a reminder of this former rail line, now in the form of the Luas. Built in 1859, it is flanked with doric pillars, with one large arch above the entrance designed by J.Wilkinson. The train shed remains and is presently been used as a garage/parking area. At the rear of the station is Hatch St, where the infamous 1914 accident occurred.
Harcourt Street station, Dublin. Built by the Dublin & Wiclow Railway in 1859, and designed by J Wilinson. It closed in 1958 and is now the Odeon Bar, seen here during the initial construction of the Luas line B (Green line) which reopened the Harcourt St line in 2004. An up to date view of Harcourt Street Station, with the Luas tram line passing in front of the imposing Dublin & Wicklow Railway built terminus. One of the Spanish Citadis built trams, No.4012, pauses at the Harcourt St stop with a service from St.Stephen's Green to Sandyford. Another service to Sandyford stands at Harcourt St Station, as viewed from the opposite side of the street. Trams on the Luas 'Green Line' are longer than those on the roadside orientated 'Red Line' to Tallaght in west Dublin City.
Front view of the improsing entrance to Harcourt St station, with the 1859 Dublin & Wicklow Railway granite build date. At the rear of Harcourt St Station at Hatch Street is the end wall of the former trainshed. The curved nature of the structure is of a result of the placement of the former turntable, allowing steam locomotives to be turned rapidly after bringing in a service. View along the retaining wall of the Hatch Street side Harcourt Street Station trainshed, which alsp features several of those characteristic oval windows. Closer up of one of the oval windows, with interesting window framing.
The former trainshed of Harcourt Street, quite easily recognisable as a former railway structure despite its front been blocked up. This area of Harcourt St has only been opened up to the public in the last few years. The interior of the trainshed is is remarkably intact, particularly the roof which was recently refurbished, athough the stations signs, side entrances and single platform is gone. Looking across Adelaide Rd, on where the bridge was sited. The side angle of the 1970s structure takes the former rail alignment, as seen by the former trainshed just visible through the gap. This shot puts in perspective to where Harcourt St Station stands, and where the former rail bridge over Adelaide Rd once stood. A modern office building neatly occupies what would be wasted space between the two sites.
A short section of retaining wall which carried the stone built embankment survives intact in a car park on the south side of Adelaide Rd, I believe this is the only such intact infrastructure of the former rail line between Harcourt St and the Grand Canal. his is the stone built retaining wall when viewed from the opposite side, the cars are parked exactly on the former railway alignment. Like all of the Dublin railway termini, Harcourt Street Station had a road ramp, which was accessed from Adelaide Road. It is now used to access a car park at the rear of the station site. Since the former railway embankment between Harcourt St/Adelaide Rd to the Grand Canal had been demolished, the Luas line has to take a slight detour away from the original alignment, the line is seen climbing up to reach the site of the Grand Canal Bridge.
A Luas tram makes its way up Harcourt Street from Stephens Green with a service to Sandyford. The north end of the street is characterised by tall Georgeon style houses.