Beechwood Luas stop

Beechwood (Irish: Coill na Feá) is a stop on the Luas light rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland which serves the southern parts of Rathmines. It opened in 2004[1] as a stop on the Green Line, which re-uses the alignment of the Harcourt Street railway line which closed in 1958. Beechwood Luas stop is located on the same sight as a station on the old line called Rathmines and Ranelagh.

Beechwood Coill na Feá
A tram at Beechwood
Location	Dublin Ireland
Owned by	Transport Infrastructure Ireland
Operated by	Transdev (as Luas)
Line(s)	Green
Platforms	2
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Fare zone	Green 2
Key dates
16 July 1896	Station opened (as Rathmines and Ranelagh)
31 December 1958	Station closed
30 June 2004	Luas stop opened (as Beechwood)
Services
Preceding station   Luas   Following station Ranelagh towards Broombridge   Green Line   Cowper towards Brides Glen Disused railways Harcourt Street Terminus   Dublin and South Eastern Railway Dublin-Bray   Milltown towards Bray

History

Railway station (1896-1958)

The Harcourt Street railway line was built by the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway and opened in 1854, running from a temporary terminus at Harcourt Road near the city centre to Bray. Rathmines and Ranelagh was added as an infill station in 1896.[2] The station was located on an embankment to the south of Dunville Avenue. There were station buildings on both platforms, which were accessed via a subway under the tracks with white tiles lining the walls.

The station was renamed simply Ranelagh in 1921, and the timber platforms were replaced with wooden ones in 1943.[3]

Closure (1959-2004)

The Harcourt Street line had declined in use throughout the early 20th centaury and was closed by CIÉ at the end of 1958. The tracks were lifted soon after and all stations on the route were auctioned off. In the years that followed, the buildings and platforms at Ranelagh were demolished.

Luas (2004-present)

The northbound platform in 2004, before the retail unit had been let

Construction of the first phase of the Luas system commenced in 2001 and concluded in 2004. The route chosen for the Green Line re-used the old Harcourt Street alignment between Charlemont and Stillorgan. The stop which was built on the site of the old Ranelagh station is called Beechwood (a separate stop called Ranelagh was built around 500m up the line). During the construction of the Luas line, the level of the track bed was lowered by several metres and the remains of the subway were demolished. The Luas line now crosses Dunville Avenue at-grade.

The stop was built with two side platforms, which have the furniture common to all Luas stops. The only entrance is from Dunville Avenue. In the place of a former ticket office, a small building was built and used as a retail unit. Currently used as a coffee shop, it opens directly onto the northbound platform and most of its trade comes from passengers awaiting their tram.

In 2018, the platforms were lengthened from 45 to 55 metres. This was to accommodate the new longer trams introduced to boost capacity.[4]

Future

When plans for the MetroLink were published, it was envisaged that the new line would subsume the existing Green Line from Charlemont to Sandyford. Transport Infrastructure Ireland planned to close all level crossings on the line. To this end, the plan was to close road access across Dunville Avenue and replace it with a footbridge. The plan met with opposition from local businesses including the owner of the coffee shop, who argued that road closure would stifle local communication and economy. Plans to upgrade the Green Line to Metro standards have since been postponed. [5]

Service

Trams run every 5-10 minutes and terminate at either Parnell or Broombridge in the north, and Sandyford or Brides Glen in the south. The stop is also served by Dublin Bus routes 11, 44, and 61.[6]

References

1. "Luas Is Launched". RTÉ Archives.
2. https://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf
3. "Ranelagh and Rathmines". eiretrains.
4. "Luas Green Line Capacity Enhancement". National Transport Authority.
5. "Ranelagh says no: foiled Metro plan spreads cheer in Dublin 6". Irish Times.
6. "Beechwood". Luas.