Donabate train station
Northern Commuter · Domhnach Bat · Dublin
About Donabate
No record gives a precise date for the first trains at Donabate; the station was built in the middle of the nineteenth century and still looks it, a traditional two-platform stop with one platform for each of the running lines. The booking office has a small waiting area, two ticket machines and a part-time staffed window, and in 2013 a building containing ticket barriers was added on the platform.
Its footbridge has a history of its own. The station was built without one, and the iron bridge that eventually arrived was a second-hand GS&WR structure moved here when CIÉ closed Midleton in County Cork. It lasted until 2011, when it was taken out and replaced with a bridge with steps and lifts. Donabate is not a DART station — the wires end at Malahide, the stop before it — and is worked by diesel railcars, with Enterprise trains and the Tara mine ore trains passing through. The line speed here is 90 mph, the highest on the Dublin to Belfast route.
First and last trains from Donabate
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last | Bank holiday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern towards Dublin Pearse | 06:25 – 22:37 | 06:25 – 22:37 | 06:54 – 22:40 | 08:11 – 22:32 | 08:11 – 22:32 |
| Northern towards Drogheda (MacBride) | 07:32 – 00:18 | 07:32 – 00:18 | 07:51 – 00:17 | 09:40 – 00:14 | 09:40 – 00:14 |
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 Donabate: Northern towards Dublin Pearse, about one train every 40 minutes at the busiest times (30 departures on a weekday) and Northern towards Drogheda (MacBride), about one train every 38 minutes at the busiest times (30 departures on a weekday).
Some of the 60 weekday departures are worked by trains that continue as InterCity services beyond the commuter zone. They run to Rosslare.
Next stops from Donabate
Running times to the adjoining stops, from the operators’ own timetables.
| Line | Next stop | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Northern | Malahide | 4.9 min |
| Northern | Rush and Lusk | 3.8 min |
Connections and interchange
- Iarnód Éireann timetables for the routes serving this station are published on its own station page.
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 Friday: 06:00- 13:00
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
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 Donabate
Donabate is one of the few stations on this line that sits squarely in the middle of the village it serves, with the shops a couple of minutes away rather than a walk out of town. Donabate Town Centre is about 210 m from the platforms, Fairways Mall roughly 270 m and the Old Post Office Business Centre around 320 m. Beyond the village the peninsula runs out towards the strand and the Fingal coast, which brings a certain amount of weekend traffic through the gates.
| Place | Straight-line distance from the station |
|---|---|
| Donabate Town Centre | 210 m |
| Fairways Mall | 270 m |
| Old Post Office Business Centre | 320 m |
Named places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m of the station. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route.
Frequently asked questions
From Midleton, County Cork. The station had no footbridge at first, and when CIÉ closed Midleton the GS&WR iron bridge there was dismantled and re-erected at Donabate. It was removed in 2011 and replaced by a new bridge with steps and lifts.
The line speed at Donabate is 90 mph, the highest anywhere on the Dublin to Belfast railway. Enterprise services and the ore trains from the Tara mine run through without stopping, and the Enterprise coaching stock is rated for exactly that speed.