IRISH RAIL WILL begin major works to replace the Victorian-era roof at Dublin’s Pearse Station this weekend, leading to the disruption of a number of services serving the station.

And the company has warned that works in other parts of the country – including in the Lansdowne Road, Glasnevin Junction and Bray to Greystones areas – will affect a number of services around Ireland this weekend.

This week, Irish Rail announced details of a €17 million project to replace the roof at Pearse Station, the busiest in Dublin’s commuter network.

The structure, which dates from the 1880s, is in poor condition and corrosion has led the transport company to install a protective mesh underneath it to protect passengers and trains.

Its replacement has therefore been identified by Irish Rail as a “crucial safety project”.

Works to replace the roof, which will aim to retain the appearance and character of the original structure, will take place across 13 weekends over a period of 23 months, the first of which will be this Saturday and Sunday. 

To facilitate the project, the company says the station will need to be closed during those weekends for round-the-clock works, as crane operation will be required to install sections of the new structure.

Suspended services

As a result, services will be suspended through the station for the affected weekends, meaning no trains will operate between Connolly Station and Grand Canal Dock.

This weekend, passengers have been warned that DART services are suspended between Dublin Connolly and Dun Laoghaire on Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, works between Bray and Greystones will also see DART and Rosslare Europort to Dublin services suspended between the two stations on Saturday and Sunday.

However, bus transfers will operate between Greystones and Connolly Station on both days to facilitate passengers, with Dublin Bus accepting rail tickets for customers travelling to and from southside stations.

Elsewhere, Maynooth line services will not serve Drumcondra Station on Saturday and Sunday due to works at Glasnevin Junction.

Other services

Irish Rail has also announced that a number of additional services will be in place ahead of the Dublin Marathon on Sunday, including:

• 6.45am Drogheda to Dublin Connolly, serving all stations Drogheda to Howth Junction inclusive, and Dublin Connolly
• 7.05am Maynooth to Dublin Connolly, serving all stations Maynooth to Broombridge inclusive, and Dublin Connolly
• 7.30am Howth to Dublin Connolly, serving all stations

However, the company has warned that bus transfers will operate between Heuston Station and Portlaoise/Thurles on Portlaoise, Cork and Kerry services from 7.45pm on Saturday to 8.30am on Sunday, due to line works.

Then on Monday, DART and Rosslare Europort/Dublin services will remain suspended between Bray and Greystones to facilitate continuing works on the line.

However, bus transfers will once again operate between the two stations.

In order to ensure minimum disruption this weekend, Irish Rail has told customers to check their train times before travel, and to book online in advance, particularly at the busiest times of travel.