Birdhill railway station explained

Birdhill
Native Name:Cnocán an Éin Fhinn
Native Name Lang:Gaeilge
Symbol:rail
Symbol Location:ie
Address:Birdhill
Country:Ireland
Structure:At-grade
Platform:2 (Only 1 in use)
Years:1860
Events:Opened
Owned:Iarnród Éireann
Operator:Iarnród Éireann
Events2:Closed To Goods
Years2:1963

Birdhill railway station serves the town of Birdhill in County Tipperary, Ireland.

The station opened on 23 July 1860 as an extension from Castleconnell by the Limerick and Castleconnell Railway. The line was extended to Killaloe on 12 April 1862 and became a junction when the line was further extended from Birdill to Nenagh on 1 June 1864 by the Great Southern & Western Railway creating a through route to Limerick via Ballybrophy. The line to Killaloe lost its passenger services on 17 July 1931 and goods traffic was suspended on 29 April 1944 as an emergency measure by the Great Southern Railways.[1]

It is on the Limerick–Ballybrophy railway line and is also served by a skeleton service on the Limerick to Nenagh Commuter Service.

Description

The station once had a large station house but now has only a portable building. This houses the ticket office and toilet.[2] The station has a car park. A plaque in the station grounds commemorates the 150th anniversary of the station, which took place in 2010. There is also a "Railway Garden" beside the station. The signal cabin has 24 levers and is at the Killonan end of the Up platform (which is not in service) and is a crossing point and blockpost, using "C" pattern staff.[3] Both the signal cabin and railway bridge are both listed as protected structures by Tipperary County Council (RPS Refs S708 and S709).[4]

Services

As of 2023, Birdhill receives the following skeleton service:

Monday to Saturdays

Sundays

Closure proposed

A January 2012 national newspaper article suggested that Irish Rail was expected to seek permission from the National Transport Authority to close the line.[5] In response, the timetable was altered during 2012, and the service was again reduced from February 2013.[6] In November 2016 it was announced the line was very likely to close in 2018 as the demand for the service is very low and CIE/IE wish to close it to save money.

External links

52.7658°N -8.4419°W

Notes and References

  1. Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the railways of Ireland by Stephen Johnson ISBN 1 85780 044 3
  2. Web site: Birdhill . . 29 December 2021 . 20 September 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130920031051/http://www.irishrail.ie/Birdhill . live .
  3. Railway Lines of Coras Iompair Eireann and Northern Ireland railway by Oliver Doyle and Stephen Hirsch ISBN 0 906591 031
  4. Web site: Register of Protected Structures . 2010 . . 2015-01-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150130023543/http://www.tipperarycoco.ie/sites/default/files/Publications/NTCC%20Register%20of%20Protected%20Structures_0.pdf . 2015-01-30 .
  5. News: Iarnród Éireann may close rail service amid falling demand . 2 January 2012 . Sean . McCarthaigh . . 1393-9564 . Cork . en . 2 January 2012 . 6 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120606144408/http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/iarnrod-eireann-may-close-rail-service-amid-falling-demand-178779.html . live .
  6. Web site: Home . Irish Rail . 20 February 2012 . 24 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170824000211/http://www.irishrail.ie/ . live .