Docklands train station
Western Commuter · Ceantar na nDugaí · Dublin
About Docklands
Docklands was opened for commuter services on 12 March 2007 by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, a year and three days after the groundbreaking on 9 March 2006. It was the first heavy rail station built in Dublin city centre since Grand Canal Dock in 2001, and it existed for a blunt reason: Dublin Connolly had run out of capacity and could not take any more commuter trains from County Meath. The site on Upper Sheriff Street in North Wall was described at the time as temporary.
It has outlasted that description. In March 2008 the transport minister Noel Dempsey allowed CIÉ to seek fresh permission to keep it permanently as a terminus for the Maynooth and Navan services, having decided to let the Luas take over Broadstone. Today it is one of three city termini on the Western Commuter line, with trains to M3 Parkway at weekday peaks and nothing at all at weekends. There is no tram at the door: the nearest Luas stops, Spencer Dock and Mayor Square – NCI, are a walk away along the street.
First and last trains from Docklands
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last | Bank holiday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western towards M3 Parkway | 07:51 – 19:25 | 07:51 – 19:25 | 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 Docklands: Western towards M3 Parkway, about one train every 32 minutes at the busiest times (12 departures on a weekday).
Next stops from Docklands
Running times to the adjoining stops, from the operators’ own timetables.
| Line | Next stop | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Western | Broombridge | 7.8 min |
Connections and interchange
- Spencer Dock — about 6 minutes on foot (our estimate, 270 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 270 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.
What is near Docklands
The station stands in the middle of the rebuilt docklands, where offices, apartments and colleges have replaced the goods yards. The statue of Luke Kelly is about 100 m from the entrance and Luke Kelly Park around 150 m; the two campuses of the National College of Ireland are roughly 200 m and 330 m away, the Convention Centre about 330 m and a Marks & Spencer around 370 m. The Liffey quays and the city centre proper are about ten minutes on foot.
| Place | Straight-line distance from the station |
|---|---|
| Luke Kelly | 100 m |
| The Convention Centre Dublin | 330 m |
| National College of Ireland - Campus 1 | 330 m |
| Luke Kelly Park | 150 m |
| National College of Ireland - Campus 2 | 200 m |
| Marks & Spencer | 370 m |
Named places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m of the station. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route.
Frequently asked questions
Its only trains are the peak-hour services on the M3 Parkway branch, which run Monday to Friday. Outside those hours there is nothing scheduled into the station, so it shuts on Saturdays and Sundays. For a seven-day service from the same branch, change at Clonsilla.
No. It was opened in 2007 as a temporary station, built because Connolly could not absorb any more Meath commuter trains. In March 2008 the transport minister allowed CIÉ to apply for permission to keep it as a permanent terminus, and it has served as one ever since.