Limerick Colbert railway station

Limerick Colbert Luimneach
Limerick Railway Station
Location	Parnell Street, Limerick, V94 H2PP Republic of Ireland
Coordinates	52°39′32″N 8°37′26″W / 52.659°N 8.624°W / 52.659; -8.624Coordinates: 52°39′32″N 8°37′26″W / 52.659°N 8.624°W / 52.659; -8.624
Owned by	Iarnród Éireann
Operated by	Iarnród Éireann
Platforms	4
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Station code	40
Key dates
1858	Station opened as Limerick
1966	Renamed Limerick Colbert Station

Dublin to Cork Line
Phoenix Park Tunnel to Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Dublin Connolly & The Point Dublin Heuston Luas Red Line to Tallaght & Saggart Inchicore Works Park West and Cherry Orchard† Clondalkin/Fonthill† Kishoge proposed Adamstown† Hazelhatch and Celbridge† Straffan closed Sallins and Naas† Newbridge Kildare Dublin–Waterford Line Monasterevin† Portarlington Dublin–Westport/Galway line Portlaoise Laois Traincare Depot Limerick–Ballybrophy line Ballybrophy Templemore Thurles Limerick–Rosslare line Limerick Junction Limerick–Ballybrophy line Limerick–Ennis line Limerick Colbert Charleville Mallow Mallow–Tralee line Cork Kent Cork–Cobh/Midleton line
† Not served by through trains from Dublin to Cork

Limerick to Galway Line
[to Claremorris(Disused)}   Dublin–Galway Line Athenry Oranmore Galway Craughwell Ardrahan Gort Ennis Sixmilebridge Limerick Colbert

Limerick to Ballybrophy line
Ballybrophy Dublin–Cork main line Roscrea Cloughjordan Nenagh Birdhill Castleconnell Dublin–Cork main line and to Waterford Limerick Colbert

Limerick to Rosslare line
Year closed Limerick Colbert to Foynes Western Railway Corridor to Galway Limerick–Ballybrophy line ← Dublin–Cork line → Limerick Junction Tipperary River Suir Cahir Clonmel to Thurles Carrick-on-Suir Dublin–Waterford line Mallow–Waterford line Waterford West goods yard Waterford Plunkett to New Ross 1995 River Barrow Campile 2010 Ballycullane 2010 Wellingtonbridge 2010 Duncormick 1976 Bridgetown 2010 Dublin–Rosslare Line Rosslare Strand Rosslare Europort 2008 Rosslare Europort

Colbert Station serves the city of Limerick in County Limerick. It is on Parnell Street and is the main station on the Limerick Suburban Rail network. It has approximately 2,500 rail passengers a day travelling on four rail routes. The Bus Éireann bus station on site services approximately one million passengers a year, with 125 buses departing each day.^[1]

Services

The station is the terminus of the Dublin–Limerick, Limerick–Nenagh–Ballybrophy and Limerick–Ennis–Galway lines.^[2] Connections for Cork, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Waterford and Kerry stations, such as Killarney, Farranfore and Tralee can be made at Limerick Junction.

The Limerick–Sligo line is operational to Athenry only. It is planned to be reopened on a phased basis as the Western Railway Corridor.

Bus Éireann's Limerick depot is adjacent and offers Intercity, Express and Eurolines services.

Connecting to Shannon Airport

Buses connect the railway station to Shannon Airport.

History

The station in 1907.

The station opened on 28 August 1858, replacing a temporary station 500 metres (1,600 ft) further east, which had operated from 9 May 1848.^[3] It was built by the Waterford and Limerick Railway (W&LR), which ran its first train, as far as Tipperary, on Tuesday, 9 May 1848, with intermediate stations at Killonan, Pallasgreen and Oola (all since closed). Two months later the GS&WR connected their Dublin–Cork line with the W&LR at Limerick Junction, near Tipperary. The work was carried out at the height of the Irish Potato Famine, resulting in extreme financial difficulties for the company.

Originally named "Limerick", the station was given the name Colbert on 10 April 1966 in commemoration of Cornelius Colbert, one of the executed leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916.

Other former routes^{[4] [5]}from Limerick station included:

• a direct route to Cork via Patrickswell and Charleville (on the Dublin-Cork line) built by the Cork & Limerick Direct Railway
• the "North Kerry" line to Foynes, Newcastle West, Listowel and Tralee built in stages by three different companies in the mid to late 19th century
• a siding from Limerick Check to Castlemungret cement factory.

The direct line to Cork between Patrickswell and Charleville and the North Kerry line between Ballingrane and Tralee were dismantled in the [late 1960s - to be confirmed] and in the late 1980s respectively. A single track remains in place between Limerick Check and Foynes, although disconnected from the network.

Parts of the video for the Westlife song "My Love" were filmed at Colbert Station.^[6]

Current developments

Conditional planning permission was granted by Limerick city and county council for the €16.8m redevelopment of Colbert Station in December 2014.^[7]

Plan includes

Phase 1. A new pedestrian plaza limestone paved area of 3,350 square metres (0.83 acres) replacing the car park at the front of the station.

Phase 2. Knocking existing toilet block to make way for a new bus station, with the current bus station being converted into the access area for a new 235-space car park.

Phase 3. Significant refurbishment of the interior of railway station with new finishes throughout and provision of a new ticketing office and retail units.

Funding of approximately 3 million euro was secured for Phase 1 and work began in Quarter 1, 2015.^[8] The disused Fuel Station site was leveled and work completed on site for a temporary car park in summer/autumn 2015.^[9] The temporary parking was used while work on station redevelopment took place.

Phase 1 was completed in 2016. There is no timetable in place for construction of phase 2 and 3.

During June 2017, extensive re-signalling works took place at Limerick Colbert. These works replaced two life-expired signal cabins that signaled all routes into and out of the station. During this time, platforms 3 and 4 were also straightened, lengthened and resurfaced. ^[10]

It is proposed to demolish one of the former Station Signal cabins to facilitate the extension of Platforms Nos. 1 and 2. Also the provision of buffer stop arrangements to comply with modern safety requirements, similar to those now on Platforms 3 & 4.^[11]

Separately Limerick council sought in 2015 to redevelop the Parnell Street area including the interface between the street and Colbert station. Plans included a raised platform and new pedestrian crossing across Parnell Street at the entry to Colbert Station to complement the new pedestrian plaza. ^[12] Work was completed in 2017.

See also

• List of railway stations in Ireland
• Limerick Suburban Rail
• Great Southern and Western Railway
• History of rail transport in Ireland

External links

• Irish Rail Limerick (Colbert) station Website
• Limerick Colbert on Eire Trains
• Limerick–Clonmel–Waterford & Nenagh lines

Preceding station		Iarnród Éireann		Following station
Terminus		InterCity Dublin–Limerick via Thurles		Thurles
Terminus		Commuter Limerick–Nenagh/Ballybrophy		Castleconnell
Terminus		Commuter Limerick Suburban Rail		Limerick Junction
Terminus		InterCity Limerick–Galway		Sixmilebridge
		Commuter Limerick Suburban Rail

References