Maynooth train station
Western Commuter · Maigh Nuad · Co. Kildare
About Maynooth
No source gives a reliable first date for trains at Maynooth, which is fitting for a station that has been absorbed into the life of the town so completely. It sits on the south side of the Royal Canal, facing Dukes’ Harbour, and is reached three ways: by the footbridge to the west, which leads straight onto Main Street; along the canal walk to the newer residential areas; or over the road bridges to the east, for the older part of the town on one side and the recent estates on the other.
It is the key interchange of the western line. West of here the railway to Sligo is single track, where everything from Maynooth back to Bray is double, and that constraint shapes the timetable for the whole corridor. There are two staffed ticket desks and four machines. The footbridge over the tracks is a transplant: it originally stood at Lansdowne Road. The 2018 NTA rail census counted 6,625 passengers here on the day of the survey, up from 6,228 in 2017 and 5,262 in 2016. Maynooth University is about twenty minutes’ walk away.
First and last trains from Maynooth
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last | Bank holiday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western towards Dublin Connolly | 05:54 – 23:13 | 05:54 – 23:13 | 06:50 – 23:10 | 08:07 – 23:10 | 08:07 – 23:10 |
| Western towards Enfield | 07:31 – 21:40 | 07:31 – 21:40 | 09:38 – 20:05 | 09:38 – 20:07 | 09:38 – 20:07 |
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 Maynooth: Western towards Dublin Connolly, about one train every 21 minutes at the busiest times (47 departures on a weekday) and Western towards Enfield, about one train every 84 minutes at the busiest times (11 departures on a weekday).
Of the 58 weekday departures, 17 are InterCity or Enterprise services passing through; the rest are DART or Commuter trains. They run to Sligo.
Next stops from Maynooth
Running times to the adjoining stops, from the operators’ own timetables.
| Line | Next stop | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Western | Kilcock | 5.2 min |
| Western | Leixlip (Louisa Bridge) | 6.1 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 - 23:30
Saturday: 07:00- 23:30
Sunday: 08:30- 23:30
Station Booking Office Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 06:00 - 23:30
Saturday: 07:00- 23:30
Sunday: 08:30- 23:30
What is near Maynooth
Maynooth’s Main Street is directly over the footbridge, which makes this a town-centre station in the full sense. Mullen Bridge is about 170 m away, the Glenroyal Shopping Centre roughly 310 m and Geraldine’s Castle around 390 m. The Royal Canal and Dukes’ Harbour run along the north side of the line, with the towpath heading east towards Leixlip. The university, with several thousand students who use the trains heavily, is a twenty-minute walk south.
| Place | Straight-line distance from the station |
|---|---|
| Mullen Bridge | 170 m |
| Glenroyal Shopping Centre | 310 m |
| Geraldine's Castle | 390 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 Lansdowne Road. The bridge that now carries passengers over the tracks between the two platforms at Maynooth was originally installed at that station on the coastal line, and was moved here when it was no longer needed there.
At Maynooth. From here on towards Mullingar and Sligo the railway is single track, while everything from Maynooth back through Dublin as far as Bray is double track. That is the main reason Maynooth works as the turnback point for so many commuter services.