Dublin's 1915 Tranformative UNDERGROUND RAILWAY Proposal

Wed 9 Oct 2024 - Nathan Broderick - CMO at Metro Dublin

In 1915, Dublin was on the brink of an ambitious transformation with an underground railway proposal that aimed to connect the city's major railway termini and redefine its urban landscape. Though this vision was never realised, it presents a fascinating "what if" moment in the history of Dublin’s development, offering a glimpse of how different the city could have been today.

Dublin of the Future New Town Plan. Red dashed line shows the proposed underground railways

Dublin's first underground railway proposal in 1915 was a bold and forward-thinking project, part of the wider Dublin of the Future plan, which could have dramatically reshaped the city’s development over the last century. At a time when major European cities like London and Paris were already expanding their underground rail systems, Dublin’s planners saw the need for a similar leap in modern infrastructure. The proposal aimed to connect five of the city’s six primary railway termini via two underground lines, creating an integrated transport system that would have significantly improved connectivity across the city.

The first of these underground lines would have run from Kingsbridge Station (now Heuston) to Amiens Street Station (now Connolly), continuing on to Westland Row (now Pearse). This line was designed to follow a route parallel to the River Liffey, eventually crossing underneath the river to link with Westland Row. By connecting the western and southern rail lines via this underground route, the line would have provided a crucial north-south transport artery through the heart of Dublin. This would have bridged a major gap in the city's rail network, allowing passengers from the west to seamlessly travel to the south and vice versa without the current fragmentation between stations.

DART departing Connolly Station (formerly Amiens Street Station)

The second proposed line would have connected Broadstone Station, located on Phibsborough Road and serving the Galway line, with Harcourt Street Station, which used to serve the line to Bray. Both stations, which are now defunct, were key parts of Dublin's transport network at the time. The Broadstone to Harcourt Street route would have intersected the city, cutting through urban areas that would later be redeveloped for the LUAS Green Line. If the underground proposal had gone ahead, this line would have been a vital link between two major termini that currently remain disconnected in today’s rail system. These alignments were not only practical but anticipated the growing importance of suburban commuter lines that serve the areas beyond the city center. The only remaining terminus station not to be connected to the underground railway, was North Wall Quay Station, which eventually closed to passenger traffic in 1922.

Central to the vision was the creation of a new underground hub near Smithfield, called Central Union Station. Here, the two underground lines would have intersected, making it a pivotal point for passengers traveling across the city. The plan suggested that Dublin's city center could have expanded westward, with Smithfield emerging as a new commercial and transport hub, effectively shifting the geographic focus of the capital. Rather than keeping the city’s development tightly clustered around O’Connell Street and the traditional city center, the underground railway network would have promoted the growth of new business districts, commercial areas, and residential spaces further to the west.

A new city centre

This proposed expansion would have fundamentally altered how Dublin grew over the next century. With Smithfield at the heart of this new transport network, it could have become a central point for urban development, much like London’s King’s Cross or Paris’s Gare du Nord. The old city center, focused around the Liffey and the historical districts, might have been preserved more fully as a cultural and heritage district, while the practicalities of modern commerce and transport expanded outward, radiating from Central Union Station.

If these underground lines had been constructed, the entire fabric of Dublin’s transport system would likely be vastly different today. The connection between northern, western, and southern lines would have made travel across the city far more efficient and would have significantly reduced the city’s reliance on surface-level transport infrastructure. In particular, the integration of these stations would have created a more cohesive rail system that could have catered to the growing suburban populations, easing traffic congestion and making daily commuting smoother for thousands of Dubliners.

Furthermore, the underground railway plan might have also laid the groundwork for future underground developments. Had it been built, subsequent projects in the 20th and 21st centuries would likely have built upon this network, meaning that Dublin’s lack of an underground system today might have been avoided. Instead, the city could have evolved in a way that promoted rail as the backbone of urban transport, potentially reducing the over-reliance on cars and easing the strain on surface-level infrastructure.

The 1915 underground railway proposal represents one of Dublin’s most ambitious transport plans, a vision that, if realised, would have altered not just the city’s landscape, but also the daily lives of its residents. The integration of its rail network and the expansion of the city center to Smithfield could have resulted in a much larger, more connected city core, offering a different balance between historic preservation and modern urban expansion. While the plan remains an unbuilt dream, it highlights the potential Dublin had to create a comprehensive underground railway system, and serves as a reminder of the transformative power such infrastructure can have on the development and character of a city.

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