Donabate railway station

Station in County Dublin, Ireland

ConstructionStructure typeAt-gradePlatform levels1Parking24hr paid parking, 210 spacesBicycle facilitiesBicycle parking and lockersOther informationStation codeDBATEFare zoneSuburban 3HistoryOpened1844Services

Preceding station		Iarnród Éireann		Following station
Malahide		Commuter Northern Commuter		Rush & Lusk

Northern Commuter

Legend

Belfast–Dublin line

Newry

(

one early-am

weekday trip

)

United Kingdom

Ireland

border

Dundalk Clarke

to Navan

(freight only)

Drogheda MacBride

Laytown

Mosney

2000

Gormanston

Balbriggan

Skerries

Rush and Lusk

Donabate

Malahide

Portmarnock

DART Howth Branch

Luas Red Line

to Tallaght or Saggart

to Bray and Rosslare Europort

Donabate railway station (Irish: Stáisiún Dhomhnach Bat) serves Donabate in Fingal. It is part of the Irish Rail network and is not yet served by DART services. The nearest DART station is the previous station, Malahide.

Description

The station has two platforms, one for each of the two lines which run through the station. Built in the mid-19th century, the station has a traditional appearance. The booking office has a small waiting area. There are two ticket-issuing machines and one part-time staffed window for the purchase of tickets. The station is located in the centre of the town.

When the station was opened there was no footbridge built. When CIÉ closed Midleton station in Cork, the GS&WR iron footbridge was moved to Donabate. This footbridge was subsequently removed in 2011 and replaced by a new bridge with steps and lifts for increased accessibility. In 2013, a new building was built on the platform containing ticket barriers. Whilst Midleton has since been reopened.

Donabate is served by 22000 Class and 29000 Class diesel railcars. However 201 Class locomotives + DeDietrich rolling stock pass through on Enterprise services as do 071 Class locomotives + Tara Mines Wagons with mineral ore trains from Boliden Tara Mines near Navan.

The linespeed in Donabate is 90 mph, the highest on the Dublin-Belfast railway line and the highest permittable speed of the DeDietrich coaches.

The station has two lifts and a footbridge connecting Platforms 1 and 2.

In 2015, Irish Rail closed the toilets at the station as part of a cost-cutting measure.^[1]

The platform 2 waiting area
An Enterprise train passing Donabate. This train is going at 90 mph
The signal cabin at Donabate. Like the station house, this is also historical
A close up of the historical train station house depicting the sign "Donabate"

Future proposals

Under Transport 21, there were plans to continue the DART from Malahide railway station, through Donabate railway station and up to Drogheda railway station by 2015. However, this was delayed due to the Great Recession and was shelved in 2015 to make way for the development of the MetroLink.^[2] Subsequent long-term expansion plans have ambitions to electrify the station by 2040.^[3]

References

^ "Mulville Wants Donabate Rail Toilets Reopened". North County Leader. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
^ "New Metro North rail system to Dublin Airport part of capital investment plan". Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
^ https://www.irishrail.ie/Admin/IrishRail/media/Content/DART-brochure.PDF ^{[dead link]}