Four New Meath Train Stations for Navan-Dublin Rail Line; Public Consultation Open

Four new train stations will be built in Meath as part of a new 34km railway line connecting Navan, currently Ireland's largest town without rail access, to Dublin. Iarnród Éireann published the emerging preferred route today, opening a public consultation until 5pm on July 3.

The plan extends the existing line from M3 Parkway near Dunboyne, proposing new stations at Dunshaughlin, Kilmessan, and two in Navan: Navan Central and Navan North. Three park-and-ride locations are planned for Kilmessan, Dunshaughlin, and Navan North. The journey from Navan to Dublin's Connolly station will take approximately one hour, with direct DART services offering capacity for trains every 15 minutes at peak times, carrying up to 4,400 commuters per hour each way.

The route largely follows the original railway, which closed in 1963, utilizing the disused corridor where possible. A key revision is an alignment change to better serve Dunshaughlin. The project, funded by the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority, is part of the NTA's Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2030, following a planning application in 2028.

This development addresses long-standing campaigns for a Navan rail line, driven by Meath's 13% population growth between 2016 and 2022 and its high proportion of commuters traveling over an hour. Current commuters rely on cars and buses, with Bus Éireann Navan-Dublin routes seeing a 21% increase in passenger numbers over the last three years.