Charlemont Luas stop
Luas Green Line · Charlemont
About Charlemont
Trams reached the Grand Canal here in 2004, when the Green Line opened between St Stephen’s Green and Sandyford. Charlemont is unusual among Luas stops in that its platforms stand on a steel and concrete beam bridge across the canal, with the waiting shelters directly over the water. The bridge carries a dedication to Professor Simon H. Perry, the civil engineer who led the campaign for a light railway in Dublin. Because the Luas has no ticket barriers, the deck doubles as a public crossing of the canal, and the same idea of putting a railway platform over water was later used on a much larger scale at London Blackfriars.
The layout lets the stop be entered from either bank. On the south side a staircase and a lift climb from the Grand Parade to the northbound platform; on the north side staircases run from both platforms up to Charlemont Place, and that end has no step-free route. Beyond the canal the line rises onto the viaduct built for the Harcourt Street railway, which ran along this alignment from 1854 until it closed in 1958 and whose formation the Luas Green Line re-uses southwards through Ranelagh. In the other direction trams cross Charlemont Place, drop down a ramp and finish their run into town on the street, with Harcourt the first call after the descent.
First and last trams from Charlemont
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last | Bank holiday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Line towards Brides Glen | 05:58 – 00:45 | 05:58 – 00:45 | 06:58 – 00:45 | 07:28 – 23:45 | 07:28 – 23:45 |
| Green Line towards Broombridge | 05:48 – 00:36 | 05:48 – 00:36 | 06:48 – 00:36 | 07:18 – 23:36 | 07:18 – 23:36 |
Departures from this stop 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 Charlemont: Green Line towards Brides Glen, about one tram every 3 minutes at the busiest times (365 departures on a weekday) and Green Line towards Broombridge, about one tram every 3 minutes at the busiest times (360 departures on a weekday).
Next stops from Charlemont
Running times to the adjoining stops, from the operators’ own timetables.
| Line | Next stop | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Green Line | Harcourt | 1.6 min |
| Green Line | Ranelagh | 2 min |
Connections and interchange
Charlemont is served by the Luas Green Line only. There is no change to another line here and no walking transfer to another station nearby.
Facilities
luas.ie publishes no facility list for individual Luas stops, so the only stop-level facts here are the Park & Ride and Cycle & Ride flags from the operator’s own stop data. Absence of a row is not evidence that something is missing.
What is near Charlemont
Most people here are walking on into the south inner city or turning onto the canal towpath, and standing on the bridge puts both banks within a few steps. The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital is about 320 m away, and Mountpleasant Square Park, one of the garden squares of this part of Dublin, roughly 360 m. Otherwise the setting is offices, flats and the water itself: the canal bank is the usable green space, and the towpath runs away from the bridge in both directions.
| Place | Straight-line distance from the stop |
|---|---|
| Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital | 320 m |
| Mountpleasant Square Park | 360 m |
Named places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m of the stop. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route.
Frequently asked questions
The line crosses the canal at this point, and rather than place the stop on one bank the platforms were put on the bridge deck itself, with the shelters above the water. It means the stop can be entered from either side, and because the Luas has no ticket barriers the deck also works as a footbridge for people not travelling.
The bridge that carries the platforms is dedicated to Professor Simon H. Perry, the civil engineer who led the campaign for a light railway in Dublin. The dedication is on the structure itself, so it is easy to miss from the platform.