Moate Railway Station Group shares pictures of restoration progress on historic footbridge
By Rebekah O'Reilly
The Moate Railway Station Group has released photographs showing the restoration of the town's historic railway footbridge, offering the community a glimpse of the extensive conservation works currently underway.
The bridge was carefully removed from its original location in April of this year and transported to the workshop of Nenagh-based Mackey Plant Construction Limited, where specialist restoration work is now progressing.
Images shared by the group reveal the bridge stripped back as contractors begin repairing and replacing damaged sections of ironwork that had deteriorated over many decades.
The restoration forms part of a €280,000 conservation project being undertaken on behalf of Westmeath County Council.
The works include the repair or replacement of the bridge's ironwork, stairs, columns, central supporting pillars and balustrades, along with the complete renewal of the main deck and half-landings using steel gratings. Once restoration is complete, the structure will also be primed and repainted before returning to Moate.
The bridge was removed from the Old Rail Trail Greenway after engineers determined it would be more practical to carry out the restoration off-site. The structure contained lead-based paint, and so completing the works in situ would have required the closure of the popular greenway for several months.
Speaking previously, Moate Railway Station Group Chair Joe Nestor said the project would restore the landmark "to its former glory" after years of deterioration forced its closure to the public.
The group has also requested that two original lamp standards, believed to have been stolen in recent years, be recreated and reinstated.
Historic photographs taken during the filming of The First Great Train Robbery in Moate in 1982 are being used as reference for the restoration.
The footbridge is expected to return to its original position in September 2026, when it will once again provide pedestrian access across the former railway line.
Originally opened as part of the Midlands and Great Western Railway line between Mullingar and Galway in 1851, Moate Railway Station served generations of passengers before the line closed in the late 1980s.
Today, the restored station and surrounding area have become a popular destination along the Old Rail Trail Greenway.