Mysterious hidden rail tunnels in Dublin Airport

Winters · 17-01-2005 2:34pm #1

On 2fm this morning there was a guy who texted in saying that he overheard in the pub over the weekend that there were rail tunnels built under Dublin Airport already. Then a student rang in saying that he had done a project on the airport and that it is in fact true that there are tunnels there.

I had a friend of mine who worked up there who also claimed that he came across an underground station up there a few years back. I never though much more about it.

I know about the M50/N2 tunnels but never thought there was any pre-civil works done in and around the airport.

I'm told that part of the tunnels are currently being used as a storage facility as in 1996 Aer Rianta ordered a light rail network for Dublin Airport to connect all the car parking areas with the main terminal which was stopped by the then government.

Anyone with any further information?

Traffic · 17-01-2005 3:49pm

Yes i heard the same discussion this morning on the radio.

I understand that aer lingus are to move their HQ from the airport in the near future. The existing building will be demolished and be replaced by new hotel/shops/offices as part of this development they plan to construct an underground station that will eventually be linked to the DART/METRO.

BrianD · 17-01-2005 4:24pm

I didn't think that the tunnels were already there. The plan was to create an internal loop at the airport to service the different areas including the second terminal if it ever goes ahead. The tunnels would be built to a spec to allow normal trains to use it once it is connected to the rail network. They would use their own trains/vehicles within the tunnel until then.

Victor · 18-01-2005 12:21am

There are certainly routes provided for on Aer Rianta land, although I'm not aware of any physical work having been done.

Although it would certainly have made sense to, for example, build the bare shell of a tunnel (after all it's only concrete + reinforcement) under taxiways, etc. as the cost of digging them up, building and disruption would be many times more than the actual cost of doing it first off.

Victor · 18-01-2005 12:23am

Of course there are "secret escape tunnels" in UCD, oddly enough containing large pipes and leading to the boiler house.

FX Meister · 18-01-2005 12:33am

Whats the deal with the M50/N2 Tunnels? Any more info on them?

Mimikyu · 18-01-2005 12:37am

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BrianD · 18-01-2005 12:41pm

FX Meister wrote:

Whats the deal with the M50/N2 Tunnels? Any more info on them?

They are odd but I don't think they have any purpose at all. Is that junction destined for a redesign?

uberwolf · 18-01-2005 12:45pm

Solitaryman666 wrote:

This post has been deleted.

built during hyper paranoid 60's. Tunnels from most original buildings over to admin section of college. Nothing special.

Winters · 18-01-2005 3:05pm

FX Meister wrote:

Whats the deal with the M50/N2 Tunnels? Any more info on them?

The original Platform For Change envisaged the Metro coming up from Broadstone through Finglas and passing under the N2/M50 interchange. That's the reason for the two tunnels. According to Arups plans they haven't any plans to get rid of them in the M50 upgrade but im not sure if they have fully allowed for them to be used in the upgrade plans for that particular junction. At the moment the RPA have dropped plans to bring the Metro through that way and plan to bring it over the M50 by bridge north of Santry.

saobh_ie · 14-02-2005 8:15pm

Regarding the original question on Dublin Airport I used to work down there and there is a place under the main basement called the "Train Station".

It's about the size of a large warehouse and under the newer end of the train station [Edit: Terminal Building]. The lift shafts that serve the main terminal at the northern end of the building do go down to it.

I was a student at the time, studying in the engineering/architectural field and the original posters statement about AerRianta starting to implement something and being stopped seems accurate considering whats down there at present. Where the train station was going to go appears to have just been squared off into a space with room for future development.

Because there's no other reason for something the size of an aircraft hanger under there as far as I can see other than it would save a whole lot of hassle for the future development of a train station. When I was last there one of the bar's was occupying one tiny corner of the place while the rest of it was filled with material and rubbish you'd get off a couple of large building sites. Spares and the likes for the construction work that was still going on while I was there.

Crossley · 15-02-2005 12:06pm

Winters wrote:

The original Platform For Change envisaged the Metro coming up from Broadstone through Finglas and passing under the N2/M50 interchange. That's the reason for the two tunnels.

I must assume that you forgot to put a smilie at the end of this comment and that it's firmly tongue in cheek. Have you ever looked at the size of the bore of these "tunnels"? You'd be lucky to put a 2' gauge mine railway through there and you're suggesting they're for a Metro! Also how would the Metro access these "tunnels". Would there be at grade crossings at both sides of the roundabout?

BrianD · 15-02-2005 12:17pm

Winters wrote:

The original Platform For Change envisaged the Metro coming up from Broadstone through Finglas and passing under the N2/M50 interchange. That's the reason for the two tunnels. According to Arups plans they haven't any plans to get rid of them in the M50 upgrade but im not sure if they have fully allowed for them to be used in the upgrade plans for that particular junction. At the moment the RPA have dropped plans to bring the Metro through that way and plan to bring it over the M50 by bridge north of Santry.

This means that the metro would be going down the centre of the N2?? The tunnels are aligned with the existing road. And where would it be going to? I don't think so. The tunnels also seem to be too small for any form of transportation.

Furp · 15-02-2005 12:38pm

This all sounds interesting and plausible, that they would have put a sub basement under the airport for future development.

Similarly related is this website all about accessing the steam tunnels and those types of areas in colleges and abandoned railway stations in the states,http://www.infiltration.org/index.html some very interesting reading.

A lot of old universities as well as modern campuses often have underground tunnels from their central utilities building (CUB) for steam distribution for heating, water supplies, electrcial conduit etc.

As for the tunnels under the N2 what bore are they? They could be for waterworks/sewage.

murphaph · 15-02-2005 1:32pm

@saobh_ie
Nice bit of info there. Could you give approximate dimensions of this void?

Crossley · 16-02-2005 3:36pm

Furp wrote:

As for the tunnels under the N2 what bore are they? They could be for waterworks/sewage.

They're approx 8' high and 14' wide.

Winters · 16-02-2005 4:09pm

BrianD wrote:

This means that the metro would be going down the centre of the N2?? The tunnels are aligned with the existing road. And where would it be going to? I don't think so.

Read the DTO 'Platform for change document'. The original alignment rang up the N2 on the city side of the M50 and turned of towards the airport and Mulhuddart. The tunnels were included in the design to cater for that.

BrianD wrote:

The tunnels also seem to be too small for any form of transportation.

POssibly the alignment was to go lower than the ground level at that point to faciltate coming out on the northside of the M50. Looks like they will not be used now anyway.

Crossley · 16-02-2005 5:46pm

Winters wrote:

Read the DTO 'Platform for change document'. The original alignment rang up the N2 on the city side of the M50 and turned of towards the airport and Mulhuddart. The tunnels were included in the design to cater for that. POssibly the alignment was to go lower than the ground level at that point to faciltate coming out on the northside of the M50. Looks like they will not be used now anyway.

Any references to Metro in that document were purely conceptual and never went beyond being a fuzzy line on a map. Other point is that document came out in 2001 and the motorway (including that interchange and its "tunnels") opened in 1997.

saobh_ie · 17-02-2005 8:41am

@murphaph
I'd say the space is thirty to forty meters wide and one hundred to one hundred and twenty meters long. Although I could be horribly wrong. If I had something wieghty to throw or a forklift I could probaly figure it out.

Winters · 17-02-2005 11:06am

Crossley wrote:

Any references to Metro in that document were purely conceptual and never went beyond being a fuzzy line on a map. Other point is that document came out in 2001 and the motorway (including that interchange and its "tunnels") opened in 1997.

I know its hard to believe that they had that much foresight back then or even any for that matter but it's true.

The portals were built to save on the cost of bridging the motorway embankment at that point.

Andrew Duffy · 17-02-2005 11:12am

I'm pretty sure that a tunnel is more expensive than a pile of earth. I've wondered about those tunnels since the road opened, and the best theory I have is that they have something to do with access to underground electricity cables - there is a power distribution station right beside the interchange.

murphaph · 17-02-2005 12:02pm

thanks saobh

Crossley · 17-02-2005 2:24pm

Winters wrote:

I know its hard to believe that they had that much foresight back then or even any for that matter but it's true.

The portals were built to save on the cost of bridging the motorway embankment at that point.

You won't give up will you :-)

Danno · 17-02-2005 9:58pm

I thought the N2/M50 tunnels were to facilitate the upgrade of the N2 to M2.

BrianD · 18-02-2005 1:19am

Not unless we all start driving very small cars and get rid of HGV's!
Jeez, don't tell me we're getting a M2 as well. Co. Meath where every main road needs to be a motor way - tolling opportunities available!

jlang · 18-02-2005 1:37am

BrianD wrote:

Jeez, don't tell me we're getting a M2 as well.

No, what was designed as the M2 is being built as the N2.

BrianD · 18-02-2005 1:54am

It's mad. We have the M50 even though parts of it are actually an N50 - or so we are now told!!!

Victor · 19-02-2005 7:56pm

BrianD wrote:

It's mad. We have the M50 even though parts of it are actually an N50 - or so we are now told!!!

No, one very small part of it was the N50 from the Tallaght Road to Firhouse Road.

Winters · 07-02-2006 9:09pm

Brian D and Crossley I owe you guys a massive apology. Andrew Duffy was right,I was able to track down one of the engineers that worked on the Northern Cross and he told me that the two tunnels are for access to the main electricity lines that come from the nearby electricity station.

turtleb · 16-08-2012 4:14pm

Feature article on Dublin's undergound tunnels etc in today's Irish Daily Mail ...

MadsL · 16-08-2012 4:46pm

Traffic wrote: »

Yes i heard the same discussion this morning on the radio.

I understand that aer lingus are to move their HQ from the airport in the near future. The existing building will be demolished and be replaced by new hotel/shops/offices as part of this development they plan to construct an underground station that will eventually be linked to the DART/METRO.

Seriously, what planet are Aer Lingus on, the amount of empty office space in North Dublin and they "have" to have this shiny new toy now that the other shiny new toy (T2) has lost its sparkle.

Meanwhile in the real world....

Beginning to think O'Leary should just put them out of their (deluded) misery.

Mysterious hidden rail tunnels in Dublin Airport

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