Tara Street train station
DART, Northern Commuter, South Eastern Commuter and South Western Commuter · Sráid na Teamhrach · Dublin
About Tara Street
Tara Street exists because of the Loop Line. Towards the end of the nineteenth century the City of Dublin Junction Railway drove a viaduct through the middle of Dublin to join the Dublin & Kingstown terminus at Westland Row, now Dublin Pearse, to Amiens Street, now Dublin Connolly, and tied in the Midland Great Western freight line as well — linking up all the main railways in the city for the first time. The station opened on that viaduct on 1 May 1891, beside the Loopline Bridge on George’s Quay. Its Irish name is Sráid na Teamhrach.
The arrangement has not changed much since: two through platforms above street level, with the ticket area and a retail unit below at pavement level. The retaining walls, stairwells and canopies were originally timber planking, upgraded in the 1970s and 1980s with escalators and fibreglass panels. What has changed is the number of trains. The city-centre resignalling project, begun in March 2015 and commissioned on 17 July 2016, raised capacity from eight trains an hour in each direction to twenty, and brought Northern and Maynooth line services and trains from Newbridge to platforms that had mainly seen DART. Proposals to build a tower above the station have come and gone since 2015; as of 2024 nothing had been built. Abbey Street on the Luas Red Line is a walk of about 290 m.
First and last trains from Tara Street
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last | Bank holiday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DART towards Bray (Daly) | 06:06 – 23:35 | 06:06 – 23:35 | 06:59 – 23:33 | 08:59 – 23:44 | 08:58 – 23:44 |
| DART towards Howth | 06:19 – 00:20 | 06:19 – 00:20 | 06:18 – 00:16 | 09:35 – 00:15 | 00:15 – 23:50 |
| Northern towards Dublin Pearse | 06:53 – 20:53 | 06:53 – 20:53 | No service | No service | No service |
| Northern towards Drogheda (MacBride) | 07:09 – 23:44 | 07:09 – 23:44 | No service | No service | No service |
| South Eastern towards Rathdrum | 09:38 – 20:11 | 09:38 – 20:11 | No service | No service | No service |
| South Eastern towards Dublin Connolly | 07:44 – 00:00 | 07:44 – 00:00 | 08:46 – 21:02 | No service | No service |
| South Western towards Grand Canal Dock | 07:14 – 23:20 | 07:14 – 23:20 | No service | No service | No service |
| South Western towards Hazelhatch and Celbridge | 07:31 – 23:36 | 07:31 – 23:36 | No service | No service | No service |
Departures from this station in the NTA’s published timetable for a representative week. A day type with no departures is shown as no service rather than filled in from another day.
From Tara Street: DART towards Bray (Daly), about one train every 10 minutes at the busiest times (99 departures on a weekday), DART towards Howth, about one train every 10 minutes at the busiest times (98 departures on a weekday), Northern towards Dublin Pearse, about one train every 48 minutes at the busiest times (19 departures on a weekday), Northern towards Drogheda (MacBride), about one train every 52 minutes at the busiest times (19 departures on a weekday), South Eastern towards Rathdrum, about one train every 100 minutes at the busiest times (6 departures on a weekday), South Eastern towards Dublin Connolly, about one train every 126 minutes at the busiest times (7 departures on a weekday), South Western towards Grand Canal Dock, about one train every 60 minutes at the busiest times (21 departures on a weekday) and South Western towards Hazelhatch and Celbridge, about one train every 59 minutes at the busiest times (21 departures on a weekday).
Some of the 290 weekday departures are worked by trains that continue as InterCity services beyond the commuter zone. They run to Rosslare.
Next stops from Tara Street
Running times to the adjoining stops, from the operators’ own timetables.
| Line | Next stop | Time |
|---|---|---|
| DART | Dublin Connolly | 2.9 min |
| DART | Dublin Pearse | 1.1 min |
| Northern | Dublin Connolly | 2.9 min |
| Northern | Dublin Pearse | 1.1 min |
| South Eastern | Dublin Connolly | 3.1 min |
| South Eastern | Dublin Pearse | 1.1 min |
| South Western | Dublin Connolly | 3.1 min |
| South Western | Dublin Pearse | 1.5 min |
Connections and interchange
- Change here between the DART, Northern Commuter, South Eastern Commuter and South Western Commuter, on the same station.
- Abbey Street — about 4 minutes on foot (our estimate, 290 m in a straight line). It is a separate stop, not another platform here.
- Marlborough — about 5 minutes on foot (our estimate, 310 m in a straight line). It is a separate stop, not another platform here.
- Trinity — about 6 minutes on foot (our estimate, 340 m in a straight line). It is a separate stop, not another platform here.
- Iarnód Éireann timetables for the routes serving this station are published on its own station page.
Our estimate from the straight-line distance of 290 m, not a measured walking route.
Our estimate from the straight-line distance of 310 m, not a measured walking route.
Our estimate from the straight-line distance of 340 m, not a measured walking route.
Facilities
From Iarnód Éireann’s own station record. A facility that the operator does not list is left out rather than marked as absent.
Open for all services
Station Staffing Hours
Monday to Saturday: 05:45 - 00:21
Sunday: 08:30- 00:21
Station Booking Office
This station does not have a booking office. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket vending machine or a leap card can be used in applicable locations.
What is near Tara Street
Two bridges frame the station: the Loopline Bridge that carries it and Butt Bridge, both about 70 m away, with the Matt Talbot Memorial Bridge and the Rosie Hackett Bridge at roughly 170 m and 200 m. Liberty Hall stands some 150 m off and The Custom House about 170 m. Mulligan’s is around 90 m from the entrance. The theatres are close too: the Abbey and the Peacock are both about 240 m, as is The Steine, with O’Connell Bridge House roughly 260 m away.
| Place | Straight-line distance from the station |
|---|---|
| Loopline Bridge | 70 m |
| Butt Bridge | 70 m |
| Mulligan's | 90 m |
| Garda National Immigration Bureau | 120 m |
| Spanish Civil War International Brigade (memorial) | 150 m |
| Liberty Hall | 150 m |
| The Custom House | 170 m |
| Matt Talbot Memorial Bridge | 170 m |
Named places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m of the station. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route.
Frequently asked questions
The viaduct through the centre of Dublin built by the City of Dublin Junction Railway at the end of the nineteenth century. It joined Westland Row to Amiens Street and linked in the Midland Great Western freight line, so that for the first time the city’s main railways were connected. Tara Street was opened on it on 1 May 1891.
The city-centre resignalling. The project began in March 2015 and was commissioned on 17 July 2016, lifting capacity from eight trains an hour in each direction to twenty. Northern and Maynooth line suburban services and trains from Newbridge were added to the station as a result.