The Irish Independent has a video interview with Barry Kenny of Irish Rail, going behind the scenes at Connolly Station. This includes a visit to the Central Traffic Control (CTC).
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Author: ewan.duffy
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DART+WEST en route
RTE (and others) are reporting that the High Court objections to DART+WEST to Maynooth have been dropped and the project can now proceed.
Having said that, the lack of a depot stymies the plan and Irish Rail need to progress this latter urgently. I remain of the view that the appropriate location of this is west of Kilcock (adjacent to the Musgraves depot) with a Park & Ride site and new station on the Sligo side of the old N4 road overbridge.
I would also suggest another station to the east of the present one, opposite Millerstown with a footbridge over the Royal Canal to facilitate greater access to same. This would allow for the closure of the current town station, facilitating track realignment on an easier curve than presently permitted at this location, as well as overcoming the difficulty of having 2 platforms at the current station site.
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Dublin Whiskey Fire 1875
The Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875 took place on 18 June 1875 – 150 years ago today.
At a high level, the fire started in Malone’s malt house, where there was also a bonded warehouse, on Chamber Street in the Liberties area of Dublin.
For further details, see this blogpost on The Pot Still blog.
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Gazetteer update
I have now added webpages and photo galleries for the LUAS to the Gazetteer. All such stations can be accessed off the following map.
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Ardnacrusha boat trip
One of the things on my bucket list is to travel in a boat through the Ardnacrusha dam. Unfortunately, the only way to do this is own a boat suitable for the trip, or know someone who does who is willing to take you on such a trip.
The video below is of a trip through the Ardnacrusha Lock:
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Another Irish Rail SNAFU
The Railway Accident Investigation Unit (RAIU) has released a brief report on an incident that occurred in January 2025 at Navan Road Parkway Station in Dublin.
To cut a long story short (full report linked to above), the gates on Platform 2 (citybound platform) at Navan Road Parkway were left locked on the morning of 31st January 2025, resulting in a number of passengers crossing the tracks to exit the station from Platform 1, where the access gates were not locked.
Interestingly, the RAIU report notes that in such instances, those on the line are not trespassers in the legal sense of the term.
I recently had a letter published in the local media, accusing Irish Rail of incompetence, basing this assertion on 35 years of experience of criticising same. It looks like the RAIU agree.
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Waterford North Quays Project
The redevelopment of the North Quays in Waterford is underway. Technically, such a project would be worthy of comment on this site, due to port environments falling under the definition of IH.
I specifically link to this article in the Waterford News and Star as it contains a timeline for the opening of the new railway station in Waterford being built as part of this project and information about the current station.
It is noted that the transport hub will be substantially complete by Q2 2026 but signaling work on the railway will not be complete until Q2 2027. Given the light use of this section of line east of the current Waterford station (freight traffic to Belview), I am at a loss to understand why Irish Rail cannot realign the track and install the associated signalling now.
The article notes that the canopies at the present Waterford station are protected structures and therefore, CIE will be required to keep these (having said that, the ‘care and maintenance’ practiced by Irish Rail/CIE is not something to shout about).
Could I suggest that the present Limerick/Dublin facing bay platform be leased to the Irish Traction Group as an alternative to their present isolated facility at Carrick on Suir? Having their locomotives in Waterford would be a tourist attraction and an appropriate re-use of the platform facilities.
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Grünerløkka Studenthus, Oslo, Norway
Thanks to a Youtube video, I became aware of this building in Oslo, Norway, which is student accommodation in a converted grain silo.
I reported previously on the Factory Girls memorial in Derry. As with most Government initiatives (“Government” includes all levels of authority and control), it would appear that TPTB went ahead and came up with an idea that did not have the support of those directly connected to the subject matter.
Ireland Live reports on a protest by members of a group called “Friends of the Factories” about the memorial, which, although on site and revealed, is due to have its official “unveiling” on 22 May 2025.
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Bridges of Wicklow – May 20th 2025
Well known historian Rob Goodbody will be giving a talk on the Bridges of Wicklow to the Roundwood Historical Society on 20th May 2025 at 20:00 in the Roundwood Parish Hall.
There is a charge of €5 for non members of the Society, reduced to €3 for Roundwood Historical Society members.