Title: History of rail transport in Ireland - Wikipedia
Headings: History of rail transport in Ireland
History of rail transport in Ireland
Contents
Transport before railways
Ireland's first railway
Railway gauges
Main line railways
Belfast and County Down Railway
Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway
County Donegal Railways Joint Committee
Dublin and South Eastern Railway
Great Northern Railway of Ireland
Great Southern & Western Railway
Midland Great Western Railway
Northern Counties Committee
Other railways
Independent railways
Monorail
The system in the early 20th century
Dieselisation
Rationalisation
1970s and 1980s
1990s rail revival
2000s
2010s
Future projects
See also
References
External links

Content: The current status is less than half that amount, with a large unserviced area around the border area between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland . Railways on the island of Ireland are run by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) within Ireland and Northern Ireland Railways within Northern Ireland. The two companies jointly operate the island's only cross-border service, the Enterprise, between Dublin and Belfast. The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland based in Whitehead, County Antrim runs preserved steam trains on the main line, with the Irish Traction Group preserving diesel locomotives, and operating on the main line. The Downpatrick & County Down Railway is the only self-contained full-size heritage railway in the island of Ireland. Contents
1 Transport before railways
2 Ireland's first railway
3 Railway gauges
4 Main line railways
4.1 Belfast and County Down Railway
4.2 Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway
4.3 County Donegal Railways Joint Committee
4.4 Dublin and South Eastern Railway
4.5 Great Northern Railway of Ireland
4.6 Great Southern & Western Railway
4.7 Midland Great Western Railway
4.8 Northern Counties Committee
5 Other railways
5.1 Independent railways
5.2 Monorail
6 The system in the early 20th century
6.1 Dieselisation
6.2 Rationalisation
6.3 1970s and 1980s
6.4 1990s rail revival
6.5 2000s
6.6 2010s
7 Future projects
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Transport before railways
Transport on a country-wide scale began in 1710 with the introduction by the General Post Office of mail coaches on the main routes between towns. Private operators added to the routes, and an established "turnpike" road system started in the 1730s. In 1715 the Irish Parliament took steps to encourage inland navigation, but it was not until 1779 that the first 19 km (12 mi) section of the Grand Canal was opened. The addition of the Royal Canal and river navigation (particularly on the River Shannon) meant that freight could be transported more easily. Charles Bianconi established his horse-car services in the south in 1815, the first of many such passenger-carrying operations.