Drogheda MacBride railway station

Station in County Louth, Ireland

Drogheda MacBride railway station (Irish: Stáisiún Mhic Ghiolla Bhríde, Droichead Átha) is a railway station that serves Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland.

Description

The present station is located on a sharp curve on the southern approach to the Boyne Viaduct. Formerly there were three lines through the station, but when the station was refurbished in 1997, the up platform line was removed and the platform was widened.

It was given the name MacBride on 10 April 1966 in commemoration of John MacBride, one of the executed leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916.^[1]

History

The original Drogheda station, on the Dublin and Drogheda Railway line, opened on 26 May 1844.^[2] It was located about a quarter-mile southeast of the current station. The passenger station was re-sited when the first temporary Boyne Viaduct opened on 11 May 1853.^[3][4] The original station would become "Buckey's sidings" and would be demolished for the railcar depot, which opened in 2000.^[5]

The former Great Northern Railway (Ireland) branch to Oldcastle (opened in parts from 1850 to 1863) diverges from the Dublin-Belfast line immediately south of the station. This serves Irish Cement at Drogheda and Tara Mine near Navan.^[6]

The station is planned to be the terminus of the DART+ Coastal North project, which aims to bring improvements to the line between Dublin Connolly and Drogheda, including electrification north of Malahide;^[7] battery-charging infrastructure will be installed in the interim.^[8] As part of the plans, a new platform is also planned to be constructed on the Navan branch.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  The Boyne Viaduct carries rail traffic across the River Boyne
• 
  View heading north across the Boyne Viaduct
• 
  The Belfast - Dublin Enterprise pulling into Drogheda station.
• 
  Drogheda Commuter Railcar Service Depot
• 
  Railcar and locomotives at Drogheda station
• 
  Train passengers disembarking at Drogheda Station
• 
  McGrath's Bridge, Drogheda McGrath's Bridge, Under the lefthand arch is the Dublin to Belfast mainline, the centre arch leads to the carriage wash shed, on the right, leads to the DMU Servicing depot.

See also

• List of railway stations in Ireland

References

1. "How The Railways Remembered Ireland's 1916 Easter Rising". The Railway Magazine. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 82. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
3. McCutcheon, Alan (1969). Railway History in Pictures Ireland. Vol. 1. David & Charles. pp. 40–41. ISBN 0-7153-4651-2.
4. "Irish Railway Station Dates" (PDF). RAILSCOT. p. 23. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
5. "Irish Rail Maintenance Depot, Drogheda". Remmers. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
6. "Beauparc". Eiretrains. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
7. "Application lodged with An Bord Pleanála to extend DART to Drogheda". RTÉ. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
8. "Contract signed for fast-charging facilities at Drogheda Train Station". LMFM. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
9. "DART+ Coastal North Preferred Option". Retrieved 20 September 2024.

External links

• Irish Rail Drogheda Station Website
• Eiretrains - Drogheda Station