Old Connolly Station entrance

Looks like they could have led to what's now Madigans

They just led to the general public concourse area.

They built newer ones.

The steps and an upward escalator from Amiens Street were removed when the station concourse got a complete makeover in the late 1990s to allow for a much larger and completely redesigned concourse area.

The old concourse was far smaller and very dark, gloomy and draughty.

The steps and escalator just led you to that concourse, there were more flights of steps upward out of shot - the single escalator was to the left of the steps in the photo, under the tower.

With the redesign of the concourse they needed to be removed as the space they used was now where the new pub (Oslo - now Madigan's) was being located.

The 1990s refurbishment resulted in the new glass canopy entrance at the top of the old ramp (the ramp was subsequently removed to allow for Connolly LUAS stop to be built), a much brighter and larger concourse, and a further entrance (via stairs, a lift and escalators) was provided via a new subway under the main station building which allows through access to/from the IFSC area, which wasn't possible before.

I can't find any photos of the old concourse, but I do remember it being depressingly dark, and that the new set up was a massive improvement.

That’s the old suburban station entrance, further up Amiens Street, which is now converted to offices.

I was through it back in the day. Can't remember it much at all.

You are right. There was a road ramp up that led up to a road entrance for the station; a taxi rank sat here while the 90 bus had its terminus there for several years as well. The ramp was removed to make way for the Connolly Luas platforms in the 00's.

https://www.geograph.ie/photo/5215637

My bad - getting my left & right confused - the platforms are of course indeed to the LEFT!

It wasn't constructed and demolished "within a few years"; the ramp providing vehicular access to the concourse level was constructed in the 1870s and removed in 2004.

To be fair the LUAS Connolly stop allows for turnbacks and more intensive service where it is most needed, between Connolly and Heuston.

How would there be no need for the loop line bridge? It might not have been erected exactly where it is today, but at some point they were going to have to link the city's different railways.

I'm not seeing how this would create a good opportunity to build underground lines. Explain it to me like I'm five years old.

and how would it have been cheaper to build an underground loop line via O'Connell Street?

Security concerns.

there was a wheelchair lift there, you can see it to the right of the stairs in the photo further up the thread.

When I were a nipper and going to Mullingar to Dublin for the day the Sligo train terminated in Pearse St. (or Westland Row as we still called it).

Sometime during the seventies Sligo services were moved to terminate in Connolly.