Manulla Junction railway station is a transfer point for train passengers in County Mayo, Ireland.

Description

It is a rare example of an interchange-only rail station. Passengers cannot enter or leave the station; it is only for passengers travelling to or from Foxford or Ballina, who transfer to or from Dublin–Westport trains. A similar station is Smallbrook Junction, Isle of Wight, England, where Island Line trains only stop on days when the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is running, to allow passengers to change between lines. Other examples are Sagliains railway station in Switzerland, Newark Liberty International Airport Station in New Jersey and the transfer platform at Pittsburg/Bay Point station in California.

History

The station opened on 1 May 1868. The signal cabin at the eastern end was destroyed in the Irish Civil War and was replaced by one at the Westport end. The station was closed to passengers joining or leaving the railway network in 1963; however, passengers can still disembark to the platforms for connections to and from the Ballina branch line. In 1988, the signal cabin was replaced by a portacabin-style structure on the island platform.

Services

Train Services

The weekday off-peak service is as follows: Currently, there are no direct passenger services from Ballina line to Dublin all passengers need to change here.

Bus Services

Buses do not serve the station because there is no passenger access to the platforms.

Incidents

On 5 September 1910, a train overran signals and 15 people were injured. The night mail had run into the engine of the branch line train and it was found shunting procedures at Manulla needed to be changed.

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