Tralee railway station

Train station in Co. Kerry, Ireland

52°16′16″N 9°41′57″W / 52.2710°N 9.6992°W / 52.2710; -9.6992Owned byIarnród ÉireannOperated byIarnród ÉireannPlatforms2ConstructionStructure typeAt-gradeHistoryOriginal companyGreat Southern and Western Railway
Tralee and Dingle Light RailwayPre-groupingGreat Southern and Western RailwayPost-groupingGreat Southern RailwaysKey dates1859Station opened as Tralee South1966Renamed as Casement Station

Tralee Casement station (Tralee Railway Station; Irish: Stáisiún Thrá Lí) is the terminus station on the Mallow–Tralee line and serves the town of Tralee in County Kerry. It is the most westerly railway station in Europe.

Description

File:Tralee station and sheds, 1948.

Superficially, Tralee station resembles Killarney railway station, with the main station buildings lying south of the main line, and a short overall roof covering part of the main platform and the run-round loop. There is also a shorter bay platform serving the south face of the main platform, stopping short of the main building. A platform canopy covers part of both platforms 1 and 2, east of the main building and overall roof. Both platforms were considerably extended in 1979.

Until recently there was an active container terminal and freight yard opposite the main station. This survives for permanent way trains and the storage of redundant equipment. The yard opposite the passenger station was built in the late 1970s, on the site of the original freight yard and engine shed, to replace a larger yard alongside the former Tralee-Fenit and Tralee-Limerick line west of the passenger station. The Tralee-Fenit line has been converted into a greenway which opened in 2022. The rest of the site has been cleared and sold for redevelopment.

Services

  • v
  • t
  • e
Mallow–Tralee
Legend
Mallow
Lombardstown
Banteer
Newmarket branch line
Rathcool
Millstreet
Rathmore
Kenmare branch line
Headford Junction
Killarney
Ballybrack
Farranfore
for Kerry Airport Kerry Airport
Castleisland branch line
Gortatlea
Tralee
Fenit branch line

Passengers transfer at Mallow for services to Dublin and Cork or via a small number of direct Dublin and Cork services.

Tralee is served by 7–8 trains each weekday. There is a slightly reduced service on Sundays. There are 4 Dublin InterCity Trains on Sundays.[citation needed]

There are also connecting trains at Limerick Junction for Clonmel and Waterford as well as Limerick, Ennis, Athenry and Galway.

History

The station, originally named Tralee South, was opened on 18 July 1859.[1]

A serious accident occurred at the station on 24 April 1901 at 6.20 am. The 2.30 am Mallow to Tralee mail goods train failed to stop, and ran into the buffer stops at a speed estimated at between 25 and 30 mph. The driver of the train and a guard who had been travelling on the footplate were killed instantly. The fireman died a few hours later.[2]

On 10 April 1966, the station was given the name Casement in commemoration of Roger Casement, one of the executed leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tralee station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
  2. ^ http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_Tralee1901.pdf [full citation needed]

External links

  • Irish Rail Tralee (Casement) Station Website
Preceding station Iarnród Éireann Following station
Farranfore   Commuter
Mallow-Tralee
  Terminus
Farranfore   InterCity
Dublin-Tralee
  Terminus
Farranfore   InterCity
Cork-Tralee
  Terminus
  Disused railways  
Ardfert   Great Southern and Western Railway
Limerick-Tralee
  Terminus