A new roof will be erected over Ceannt station in Galway city next month as part of a €70 million redevelopment which will expand the number of platforms from two to five.
The new roof will mimic the original 80-foot-wide wrought iron and glass roof designed by Richard Turner, who designed the glasshouses at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin and Kew Gardens, London.
Works which began in January 2024 and are being carried out by BAM Ireland for Irish Rail. Construction is expected to be substantially complete by mid-2026, and rail and bus services will continue throughout the construction works, although the car park on the southern side of the station has been temporarily closed.
A new facade and entrance is to be provided on the south side of the station. The new entrance will open into a modern “train hall” including new retail units and accessible toilets. The new platforms allow for planned additional frequency on the Dublin to Galway route as well as commuter trains from Ennis, Athenry and Oranmore.
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The redeveloped station will also be accessible from the proposed Augustine Hill development directly south of the station – a 8.5-acre urban regeneration project to include residential, culture, retail, leisure and office units.
The old entrance on the northern facade is being renovated prioritising accessibility, with an improved Bus Éireann ticket office and enhanced connectivity between bus and rail. It aims to reduce pressure and congestion on footpaths on Station Road.
Future bus bay expansion will be provided for, which is envisaged under the development of adjacent lands.
A spokesman for Irish Rail said the project would make Ceannt station “possibly one of the best integrated transport hubs we have in the centre of a city.”
The redevelopment is funded by the Department of Housing’s urban regeneration and development fund and the National Transport Authority.
The spokesman said: “January 2025 will see trusses for the new train hall roof installed, beginning the structure which will transform the environment and ambience of the new station.
“The new Ceannt station is designed to cater for significant growth envisioned in the future, including moves to an hourly Galway to Dublin service; expansion of existing Commuter services; and enhancement of service frequency on the Western Rail Corridor (WRC) between Limerick and Galway, and new phases of the WRC such as Athenry to Claremorris.”
Galway station was partially modernised in the 1960s, but retains its large Midland and Great Western Line station building and former railway hotel, now The Hardiman, located on Eyre Square.
The station first opened in 1851 as the terminus of the Midland and Great Western Line. Its eastern terminus was in Dublin at Broadstone station.
A line from Galway to Clifden was opened in 1885. It closed in 1935.
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