Pelletstown Station is officially opened

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan opened Pelletstown Station in Dublin 7 yesterday.

The newest station on the Iarnród Éireann network, on its first day serving the communities of Ashington and Royal Canal Park.

The Minister was joined by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman TD, Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport Jack Chambers TD as well as Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Jim Meade, and National Transport Authority Chief Executive Anne Graham to mark the opening of the station, the 145th station on the Iarnród Éireann network.

The station was built following an investment of €10.5 million, funded by the National Transport Authority and levies collected by Dublin City Council from the development at Royal Canal Park, and has been constructed by Sisk on behalf of Iarnród Éireann.

Pelletstown was designated as a Key Development Area in the Dublin City Council Development Plan and is situated between Ashtown and Broombridge stations on the Dublin to Maynooth/M3 Parkway line.

With a journey time of as little as 12 minutes from the city centre, served by 94 trains daily in total (weekdays), this is the first new station to open on the Iarnród Éireann network since Oranmore opened in 2013.

Customers at all stations on the Maynooth and M3 Parkway to Dublin lines are asked to check times before travel, as there will be minor amendments to departures times on a number of services throughout the day.  Full details are available at www.irishrail.ie

The Station comprises two platforms, with a footbridge and accessible ramp access between platforms and to the railway.

It will promote greater public transport options for residents in the area, reducing reliance on the private car and giving a more sustainable commuting option for the community.

In addition, a second footbridge and accessible ramp has been built over the Royal Canal, connecting two neighbouring communities and eliminating a 20 minute walk between Ashington and Royal Canal Park.

The footbridges will also provide a new pedestrian and cycle access point to the Canal Greenway, promoting cycling and walking, as well as opportunities to combine these with train travel.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said: “I am delighted to mark the opening of Pelletstown station, the first of many new improvements we are funding on the Maynooth and M3 Parkway line. This new station will greatly benefit the communities of Ashington and Royal Canal Park by providing much-needed public transport options as well as cutting journey times in and out of the city. Making it easier for people to choose public transport and combine their cycling, walking and rail journeys will help us reach our climate goals”

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD said “I am really pleased that this new station is now open. It’s the second new station in Dublin West in the past ten years. The next step is the electrification of the rail line which will mean more frequent services for residents and fewer emissions, under the DART West project.”

Anne Graham, Chief Executive of the National Transport Authority, said “The construction of Pelletstown Station is among the measures provided for in the NTA’s Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area, and the completion of this project is a very positive development. This station will be particularly useful for the communities of Ashington and Royal Canal Park and will provide residents of this up-and-coming area with a much-needed public transport option that allows them to make sustainable transport choices. It’s great to see trains pulling in and out today.”

Jim Meade, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, said “I congratulate the Iarnród Éireann team, working with our contractors, Dublin City Council, Waterways Ireland and the NTA, on the opening of Pelletstown Station, built while working through the challenges of COVID-19.  We warmly welcome our new customers from the surrounding communities to our Maynooth and M3 Parkway to Dublin commuter services, and we look forward to playing a positive role in the life of these communities for generations to come.”