Connolly Station is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Situated on the north side of the River Liffey, the station provides intercity and commuter services to the north, northwest and south of the city. The north-south Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) service also passes through the station. The station also contains some of the offices of the Irish rail firm, Iarnród Éireann.
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Parent article: History of rail transport in Ireland
The station was opened on 29 November, 1844 by the Dublin & Drogheda Railway Company as Amiens Street Station, after the street on which it is located. Originally the station only served a single mainline to Drogheda, only in 1853 did through services to Belfast commence. In 1831 the City of Dublin Junction Railway connected the station with Westland Row Station (Now Pearse Street Station) on the city's south side. This allowed services to run from Amiens St., through to Westland Row, and onwards to Rosslare and the Southeast. Services to Sligo were transferred to the station in 1937, with the closure of Broadstone Station by CIÉ (see also MGWR). Services to Galway and Mayo also originated/terminated at Connolly Station after 1937, running via Mullingar and Athlone. This was discontinued in the 1970s in favour of running services out of Heuston Station on the better quality Cork line. Passenger running between Mullingar/Athlone ceased completely in 1987.
The station was renamed to Connolly Station in 1966 (the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising) after Irish patriot James Connolly, along with all other major stations in the Republic.
Connolly has both terminal platforms, for trains approaching from the north, as well as some through platforms for services from the south, or passing through to the south. There are seven platforms in total; four mainline only, one mainline/suburban and two suburban.
There are three Intercity routes served:
Suburban services run on the same routes, as far as Drogheda, Maynooth and Arklow. The aforementioned DART service uses some of the platforms equipped with overhead electrics.
While Connolly connects Dublin to the northern half of Ireland, Heuston Station serves the south and west of the country. Connolly station is connected to Heuston via the LUAS tram system. Rail links also exist, with a tunnel passing under the Phoenix Park connecting the two stations. Passenger services seldom use this section, with its main purpose being the transfer of rolling stock and locomotives (the main service depot for Iarnród Éireann is at Inchicore, just outside Heuston).