Ceannt Station, Galway

The challenge: bringing a historic asset into the 21st century

Ceannt Station is one of Ireland’s most significant railway stations: both in terms of its history and its architecture. Completed in 1851, the building shaped the Victorian city, at the height of the country’s railway expansion.

But the old buildings had fallen into disrepair and were no longer capable of supporting the growing city’s transport needs. BAM’s challenge is to transform beautiful but crumbling buildings and tired infrastructure for the modern age.

A key aim of the project is to improve accessibility and social inclusion: prioritising people with impaired mobility and helping people with no access to private transport to access jobs and public services.

Improving facilities for staff is also an important consideration.

And the whole project needs to be delivered without major disruption to existing transport services. Rail and bus services have to run smoothly throughout the construction and refurbishment programme, on a tightly constrained city centre site.

The BAM solution: preserving, reimagining, enhancing, expanding

Conserving, upgrading and maintaining historic buildings saves energy in the long run, compared with demolishing them and building new structures.

Much of the original fabric of Ceannt station is being retained and incorporated into the revamped complex. During demolition and fit-out, the BAM teams are taking great care to make sure that none of the sound historic fabric is lost, and to avoid any immediate or long-term damage to the architectural heritage.

The most noticeable change is the bespoke curved glazed roof over the train hall. This is being built to echo the original Victorian roof, which was replaced in the 1960s after earlier structural damage. The new roof also means that the unattractive modern spine wall can be removed, opening up the space within the building.

BAM is realigning the existing platforms and creating two new ones, to more than double the station’s capacity.

The project involves substantially refurbishing and modifying the main station building. To support better interchangeability between bus and rail, a new Bus Eireann ticketing and waiting area is being added to the station, with new changing facilities and step-free access throughout the whole complex. BAM is also delivering major infrastructure upgrades to the stations track, signaling and drainage.

And a semi-derelict 285m2 Victorian engine shed on the site is being saved and refurbished to deliver new accommodation for transport crews.

The results: sustainable, active travel

The spectacular glazed roof will flood the concourse with light and natural ventilation: breathing new life into the train hall. The design echoes the original 1850s wrought iron structure designed by renowned Victorian architect Richard Turner: the ironmaster behind Kew Gardens and the Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin.

A new southern entrance and façade opens directly into the city centre, complete with new customer facilities, retail units and better accessibility.

Thanks to BAM’s innovative approach and expertise, the Victorian buildings are reaching modern standards not just in terms of passenger experiences, but also when it comes to sustainability and energy efficiency.