Limerick Junction railway station
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Limerick Junction
Gabhal Luimnigh  |
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A train at Limerick Junction
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| Location | Limerick Junction, County Tipperary, E34 E984 Republic of Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°29′58″N 8°12′04″W / 52.49944°N 8.20111°WCoordinates: 52°29′58″N 8°12′04″W / 52.49944°N 8.20111°W |
| Owned by | Iarnród Éireann |
| Operated by | Iarnród Éireann |
| Platforms | 3 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | At-grade |
| Other information | |
| Station code | LMRKJ |
| Fare zone | N |
| Key dates | |
| 1848 | Station opened |
| 2007 | Number of platforms reduced to three |
| 2011 | Signalling upgraded to CTC |
Limerick Junction (Irish: Gabhal Luimnigh) is the interchange railway station for trains originating in Limerick, Dublin Heuston, Cork, Waterford, Tralee and Ennis stations.
It is located in County Tipperary, Ireland and was originally named "Tipperary Junction".
Tipperary town is about 2 miles (3 km) away to the south-east.
Limerick Junction, with a cluster of railway cottages and a pub, is a small hamlet.
The station serves Tipperary Racecourse.
Because of its complex layout it has a special place in railway lore: it is 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 to Ennis in County Clare and Tralee in County Kerry.
The layout consists of four platforms, but only two are in use, both north of the station building. The main line platform, number 1, is a through platform. The terminal platform, to the west of Platform 1, is numbered 2 for part of its length and 3 for the rest, to distinguish between the two trains that may be there in the event of a Waterford train and a Limerick train being present at once. Access to Platforms 2 and 3 for trains from anywhere other than Limerick requires reversing. A train coming from Waterford must cross the Dublin-Cork main line towards Limerick, reversing along 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 as well as trains to Limerick now depart from Platforms 2 and 3. Other places in the Ireland that required some or all trains to reverse include:
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