Limerick Junction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Limerick Junction is an important railway station located in County Tipperary in Ireland and in its earliest existence was named "Tipperary Junction", Tipperary Town itself is about two miles away to the south-east, though Limerick Junction, with a cluster of pleasantly presented railway cottages and a pub, is a small hamlet. Because of its complex layout, it has a special place in railway lore as the station lies at the only remaining railway junction in Ireland where two lines cross at a near-90 degree angle. One route is the Dublin-Cork main line, while the other is the line from Limerick to Waterford. Trains from all four locations are served, some connecting elsewhere onwards to Ennis in County Clare and Tralee in County Kerry.
The entire station at Limerick Junction is surrounded by track. Trains accessing the Waterford bay, arriving from Limerick or Waterford, must reverse into the platform (those from Waterford also reverse back from "Keane's points", where the curve out from the station joins the line).
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The platform layout consists of four platforms – two alongside the Cork-Dublin mainline (which passes in front of the station), and the other two, serving Limerick/Waterford trains, facing sidings on the rear of the station. Thus we come to the unusual nature of the station – access to the rear platforms (the "Limerick bay" to the right as one faces the station front, the "Waterford bay" to the left). A train coming from Limerick, needing to pull into the Waterford bay, must switch onto a curve off the Limerick-Waterford line, pass behind the station building, past the platforms, and reverse into the Waterford bay. A train coming from Waterford, must pass across the Dublin-Cork mainline towards Limerick, before reversing back to come into the curve used by trains arriving from Limerick. It can then stop at the Limerick bay. Other places which feature, or have featured, the complex procedure that requires some or all trains to reverse into the station platforms include:
As a young man travelling south by train, the British statesman, Winston Churchill, stopped at Limerick Junction en route to Killarney. Growing impatient with the length of stoppage, he put his head out a carriage window, hailing a porter on the platform, he enquired if the train could leave soon, as he had an appointment with Lord Kenmare in Killarney. The porter's retort was that " Sir, the train would leave when the driver is good and ready and even if you were the stationmaster's son, it wouldn't make a whit of difference".
Limerick Junction was also the name of the racecourse at the same location. In the 1980s it was renamed Tipperary Racecourse. The course is not conducive to winter racing because of the frequency of water-logging. However, racing here is a major attraction during the Summer months and large crowds are attracted to the venue, especially for the Thursday evening meetings.
| Preceding station | Iarnród Éireann | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurles | Intercity Dublin-Cork |
Charleville | ||
| Thurles | Intercity Dublin-Tralee |
Charleville | ||
| Limerick | Intercity Limerick-Rosslare |
Tipperary | ||
| Limerick | Racecourse Feeder (Race Days Only) |
Terminus | ||
