Limerick Junction

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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 platform layout consists of four platforms – two (platforms 1 and 3) 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. Platform 3 is rarely used and platform 4 is covered in rubble and is unlikely to see further use. Access to Platform 2 for trains arriving from anywhere other than Limerick requires reversing. 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. The cumbersome procedure of trains to Waterford passing the station before reversing into platform 4 was ended in 2007 and trains to Waterford now depart from platform 2 as well as trains to Limerick. Other places which feature, or have featured, the complex procedure that requires some or all trains to reverse into the station platforms include:

• Kilkenny
• Killarney
• Newport, Isle of Wight
• Templecombe

The station opened on 3 July 1848. |}

Gallery

Horse racing

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.

See also

• History of rail transport in Ireland
• Rail transport in Ireland

External links

• Limerick Junction station

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References

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Last updated on Sunday February 17, 2008 at 15:40:20 PST (GMT -0800)
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