Mullingar railway station

The station opened in 1848. The Midland Great Western Railway line to Mullingar from Dublin opened in stages from 1846 to 1848, arriving in Mullingar on 2 October 1848. This was to a temporary station, adjacent to the greyhound stadium. The original main line ran from Dublin (Broadstone) to Galway via Mullingar and Athlone, the Mullingar to Galway section opening in August 1851. The present station opened with the branch line to Longford on 14 December 1855. There were two secondary stations in Mullingar. Canal Crossing cattle bank was on the Sligo Line. On the Athlone Line, Newbrook racecourse had its own station. This was unique in that it was a two platformed station with both platforms on the Down Line. ==Services==

Train services The railway line connecting Mullingar to Athlone, once integral to the Midland Great Western Railway's Dublin to Galway route, has been out of service since 1987. In the mid-2000s, there were discussions about reopening this line to enhance Dublin-Galway rail services; however, these plans were eventually set aside in favour of developing a cycling route. This cycling route, known as the Dublin–Galway Greenway, includes a section from Mullingar to Athlone that repurposes the disused railway line. The Moate to Garrycastle segment was officially opened in October 2015, and a new bridge over the River Shannon in Athlone was completed in August 2023. In 2024, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review revisited the idea of reinstating the rail link between Mullingar and Athlone. The review recommended re-establishing a single-track line between these towns, with a projected opening date between 2040 and 2050. Additionally, it proposed a single-track line connecting Mullingar to Portadown via Armagh, Monaghan, Clones, and Cavan, aiming to improve connectivity between the midlands and place such Belfast Grand Central and Derry~Londonderry. Today Mullingar station operates to services both commuter and Intercity services to Sligo Mac Diarmada, Longford, and Dublin Connolly, Mullingar railway station offers connections to several other destinations such as Docklands and M3 Parkway. These services are operated by Iarnród Éireann. Bus services Mullingar railway station is by several bus routes, providing connections to multiple destinations. Bus Éireann routes 70, 115, 115C, 167 terminate at the station, connecting the station to Athlone, Dublin, Dundalk, and Drogheda. Additionally, the TFI Local Link service operates route 819 connecting Mullingar to Castlepollard via Collinstown, with multiple daily return services. == Facilities ==

The station has three operative platforms, and two platforms on the line to Athlone which are not in use. The two disused platforms are on the disused Athlone line. Within the station are ticket machines, a ticket office and restrooms. The station is equipped with passenger shelters and an enclosed waiting room. As of 2024, this waiting room is opened on weekdays from 05:30 to 21:30, on Saturdays from 07:30 to 21:30, and on Sundays from 08:30 to 22:00. == RPSI base ==

The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) has a secondary base in the town. A turntable remains here used by steam locomotives a couple of times a year. == Gallery ==

File:The disused arm of Mullingar Station - geograph.org.uk - 4276317.jpg|Disused arm of Mullingar Station File:NIR scrap railcar, Mullingar - geograph.org.uk - 2858012.jpg|NIR scrap railcar, Mullingar File:Mullingar Station (geograph 4276324).jpg|Mullingar Station File:Mullingar Signal Box - geograph.org.uk - 629366.jpg|Signal box File:Mullingar train station (2022).jpg|Mullingar train station (2022) File:Bilingual GA EN sign at Mullingar Train Station (2022).jpg|Bilingual sign at the station (2022) File:Sligo bound train entering Mullingar Station (geograph 4276329).jpg|Sligo bound train entering Mullingar Station ==See also==