Pace

Pace, Co.Meath, is where the first phase of the re-opened Clonsilla to Navan railway line terminates The town land of Pace is located just north of Dunboyne which the former Dublin & Meath Railway passed through. The line was opened between Clonsilla and Navan in August 1862, and was worked largely by the Midland Great Western. Passenger services over the line ceased in 1947 and it finally closed completely in April 1963, however the section of line to Pace was reopened in September 2010. The reopening also saw the reinstatement of the former double track line which once existed between Clonsilla and Drumree between 1882 and 1929. The station at Pace is located just north of the Tolka River bridge and has up & down platforms, with the modern single storey booking office located on the down side. It is designed as a 'park & ride' station and features a large car park accessed off the adjacent M3 motorway. The reopening of the remaining section north to Navan remains uncertain.
This is the 1862 built road overbridge just south of Pace, which carried the R157 road across the trackbed of the Navan line. This view is looking south towards Clonsilla in February 2009. During the rebuilding of the railway line to Dunboyne and Pace, the R157 road was closed off and the overbridge demolished. At this time the track had yet to be laid on the new line. Looking north from the former road overbridge in February 2009, the trackbed of the Navan line continues straight ahead. In the disrance is one of the M3 motorway bridges which the re-opened line now passe beneath. Note the old railway telegraph pole. This is the view looking south from but from the now demolished R157 overbridge. The re-opened line reinstated the one time double track between Clonsilla and Pace.
Just south of the site of the new Pace Station, the line crossed the Tolka River on a small girder bridge. The stone abutments of the 1862 built bridge were still in situ in February 2009. In February 2009, part of the one time girder bridge could still be seen attached to the stone abutments, which at the time were been used as a garden decking. Part of a bridge just visible to the right takes a narrow laneway over the river. Now a new concete bridge spans the Tolka River. The new bridge utilised the original 1862 stone abutments, as seen here. This is the up side of the structure, looking towards Clonsilla. This was the stone abutments of the bridge on the northern side of the Tolka River, just short of where Pace Station is now located.
The same view shows the reinstated bridge across the River Tolka, prior to the line been relaid, with Pace Station under construction in the distance. This is the new station Pace while under construction, located alongside the M3 Motorway. The up & down platforms were nearly completed at this time. This view is looking north to Navan. The large modern footbridge, seen under construction on the down platform at Pace Station. The modern single storey station building at Pace is located on the down platform while under construction. The structure is identical to the type built further south at Dunboyne.
The station building at Pace is now seen complete, along with the up & down platforms. 29000 Class railcar No.29104 arrives into Pace with a service from Dublin on the day of opening. 29000 Class railcar No.29106 stands at the down platform at Pace Station having arrived with an afternoon service from the Docklands Station in Dublin City. No.29104 is seen on the rear of this southbound Pace to Dublin service, seen having departed the terminus. The train is crossing over from the down line onto the up line to Dublin. The bridge visible here is the second which crosses the River Tolka. 2800 Class railcar No.2812 is seen on the rear of an afternoon Pace to Dublin service. In the distance can be seen the station at Dunboyne. The milepost visible on the right is measured from the Midland Great Western's former Dublin terminus at Broadstone.
At the north end of Pace Station are two bridges which take minor roads on and off the adjacent M3 Motorway. This view is looking towards Navan while the line was still under construction. A more recent view of the line at the north end of Pace Station. The line now terminates just beyond the second bridge/tunnel. The proposed extension of the line north to Navan remains uncertain. This is the second road overbridge north of the new Pace Station, which is largely a short tunnel. The trackbed here still on the original 1862 Dublin & Meath Railway alignment. This view is looking south towards the station. This is a view within the tunnel at the north of Pace Station, which carries a slip road across the railway line to the M3 motorway. The track had yet to be laid at this time, and nowadays this section of the line forms a headshunt.
This is the headshunt at the north end of Pace, where the line from Clonsilla currently terminates. A loop here allows locomotive hauled trains to run around. The station name board at Pace. Pace itself is largely just a park & ride station located just off the M3 motorway from Navan, there being no nearby housing or commercial sites in the area.