M3 Parkway railway station

M3 Parkway Ollpháirc M3
Commuter Rail Station
General information
Location	Bennetstown, Dunboyne, County Meath, A86 DK28 Ireland
Coordinates	53°26′9″N 6°28′17″W
Owned by	Iarnród Éireann
Operated by	Iarnród Éireann
Line(s)	Western Commuter
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	1,200 spaces
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	M3WAY
Fare zone	Suburban 3
Key dates
3 September 2010	Station opened
Iarnród Éireann CIÉ IÉ railway stations
Route map Year closed Docklands ( Spencer Dock) to Belfast Grand Central • to Dublin Connolly Drumcondra Phoenix Park Tunnel to Dublin Heuston & Cork Kent Royal Canal Dublin Broadstone 1937 Liffey Junction 1937 Broombridge Ashtown Navan Road Parkway M50 motorway Castleknock Coolmine Clonsilla to Sligo MacDiarmada Royal Canal Hansfield Dunboyne M3 Parkway Phase 1 Phase 2 Batterstown 1947 Drumree 1947 Dunshaughlin proposed Kilmessan Junction 1947 Kilmessan proposed River Boyne Trim 1947 Athboy 1947 Bective 1947 Navan Central proposed to Drogheda MacBride Navan Junction 1958 Tara Junction Tara Mine to Oldcastle Kells Blackwater Navan North proposed Proudstown 1939 Gibbstown 1947 Wilkinstown 1947 Castletown 1933 Nobber 1947 Kilmainham Wood 1947 Gypsum Industries 2001 Kingscourt 2001 Dublin–Sligo Line Longford Edgeworthstown Mullingar Enfield Kilcock Maynooth Leixlip Louisa Bridge Leixlip Confey M3 Parkway Dunboyne Hansfield (serves Ongar) Clonsilla Coolmine Castleknock Navan Road Parkway Ashtown Pelletstown Broombridge to Liffey Junction & Dublin Broadstone ( closed 1937 ) The Royal Canal Phoenix Park Tunnel to Dublin Heuston Drumcondra Docklands ( Spencer Dock) The Royal Canal Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Tallaght or Saggart Loopline Bridge Tara Street Dublin Pearse
Location M3 Parkway Location within Dublin M3 Parkway M3 Parkway (island of Ireland)

M3 Parkway is a Park and Ride railway station in County Meath beside Dunboyne and the M3 Motorway (Pace Interchange Junction 5).

It is the terminus station on the Docklands to M3 Parkway Western Commuter service (during peak times Monday to Friday) and Clonsilla to M3 Parkway shuttle Commuter service at all other times.

It mainly serves as a large Park and Ride site, with 1,200 free car park spaces.

The station is no longer served by any bus routes. This is a major drawback for commuters in its catchment area.

History

In 2005, the Irish Government announced that, as part of its Transport 21 plan, the rail line between Clonsilla and Navan would be reopened for passenger trains in two phases. This line had closed in 1963. Phase 1 of the project involved reopening the section between Clonsilla and M3 Parkway, which would serve as the terminus until Phase 2 extended the line to Navan.

M3 Parkway station opened on 3 September 2010 as part of Phase 1.

Main article: Dublin–Navan railway line

Plans for Phase 2, which will extend the rail line to Navan, have been delayed. Originally slated for completion in 2015, the new timeline now targets completion between 2030 and 2035. The extension will involve approximately 40 kilometers of new track and include stations at Dunshaughlin and Kilmessan, improving connectivity for these areas. Currently, the project is in the development phase, with a focus on design and route selection, and public consultations are expected in the coming two years.

Additionally, the DART+ West project has been approved, which will extend the DART network to M3 Parkway. This extension includes electrification and re-signalling of the existing rail lines, enhancing service frequency and capacity to accommodate growing commuter demand from the station.

Services

Train Services

Peak Times Monday to Friday: Passengers can travel directly between M3 Parkway and Dunboyne, Hansfield, Clonsilla, Coolmine, Castleknock, Navan Road Parkway, Ashtown, Broombridge and Dublin Connolly or Docklands.

All other times including all day Saturday and Sunday: Passengers can travel directly between M3 Parkway and Dunboyne, Hansfield, and Clonsilla but need to transfer at Clonsilla for services to Maynooth or Dublin city centre in order to travel to any other stations.

Preceding station	Iarnród Éireann			Following station
Dunboyne		Commuter Western Commuter		Terminus
	Proposed
Dunboyne		Commuter Dublin-Navan railway line		Dunshaughlin
		DART DART+ West (M3 Parkway Branch)		Terminus

Bus Services

The station is no longer served by any buses.

Station name

There was uncertainty over the station's name, as it variously appears as Pace M3, M3 Park and Ride, and Pace (M3 Park and Ride). Unlike the preceding Dunboyne station, there was no previous station at this location. Since the Summer of 2010, signs in the station display the current name M3 Parkway.

See also

• List of railway stations in Ireland
• DART
• Navan line

External links

• Media related to M3 Parkway railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Irish Rail M3 Parkway Station Website