The ride
The Waterford Suir Valley Railway carries you 40 minutes out and back along the River Suir at a deliberate 16 km/h, in open-sided carriages pulled by a small ex-Bord na Móna diesel. It’s slow on purpose. On a still morning the river does the work, and the pace is really the whole appeal: this is a trip for small children, grandparents and anyone happy to sit and watch a heron rather than get somewhere. Children are handed a treasure-hunt sheet at the ticket office, which buys you a peaceful half-hour.
One thing worth knowing before you book: the compartments are only partly enclosed, and you travel right beside the water. Bring a jumper even in July – the staff’s own advice is to wear warm clothes.
If you can choose your day, choose a Saturday. The standard trip covers 6.5km of the old line; the Saturday service runs about 2km further, threading the Dan Donovan Tunnel before it turns, and takes 50 minutes rather than 40. The fully restored line stretches around 10km toward Bilberry on the edge of Waterford city, which pre-booked group charters can sometimes cover in full.
Along the line
The journey starts at the restored Kilmeadan Station, where the ticket office is a converted Mark 2 Irish Rail carriage. As the train pulls out, look left for the stone ruins of Kilmeadan Castle, then for the boundary of Mount Congreve Gardens, before the line reaches the Magic Wood – a glade dotted with fairy houses where children are told to make a wish. Further along stand well-preserved 19th-century lime kilns that once burned limestone for fertiliser and whitewash. Legend has it that at Carriganore (‘stone of gold’) Waterford merchants buried their silver ahead of Cromwell’s army; take it or leave it, but it’s the kind of story the volunteers enjoy telling.
History
The original Waterford–Dungarvan line opened in 1878 and closed to passengers in 1967. The track lay idle until a community project relaid a section and reopened it in 2003. Today the railway is a registered charity run largely by volunteer drivers and guards. Five storyboards at Kilmeadan tell the wider story of Irish rail – how the trains replaced local church-bell time with a single standard time, and their part in emigration, sport and rural trade.
The rolling stock has its own history. The everyday power is a Simplex diesel built for Bord na Móna’s peat railways. In 2024 the National Trust gifted the line a steam locomotive, ‘Kettering Furnaces No. 3’, an 0-4-0 saddle tank built in 1885, and its restoration is underway. Longer-term plans include a passing loop near the lime kilns and, one day, an extension into Waterford city; a Heritage Council grant is funding the restoration of an 1863 hand-operated goods crane for the platform, and LEADER funding is expanding the station buildings through 2026.
Special events
Beyond the summer timetable the railway runs themed trips through the year:
- Sunset Express (Thursday evenings, June–August): a 75-minute run to Bilberry with prosecco, strawberries and a picnic.
- Choo Choo Fun Days (Sundays and bank-holiday Mondays): family sessions with face-painting and treasure hunts.
- Easter Bunny Express (3–6 April 2026).
- Spooky Express (October): a Halloween service with costumes and storytelling.
- Santa Express (December weekends): festive carriages and a visit to Mrs Claus.
All special-event trains must be booked in advance and carry their own pricing.
Facilities and access
Kilmeadan Station has step-free boarding and wheelchair-accessible compartments, accessible toilets and a ramped platform. The Whistlestop Café runs daily in season, with home-baked cakes, Blue Butterfly Coffee, sandwiches and the obligatory 99 ice cream; there are gluten-free options, indoor seating in a converted Mark 2 carriage and picnic tables outside, plus free Wi-Fi and a gift shop. Parking is free and flat beside the station, but fills quickly on peak summer weekends. There are bike racks, a pump and a water station for anyone arriving on the Greenway.
Tickets, hours and getting there
Hours. The main season runs April to September on a seasonal timetable, with extra trains during the February and October mid-term breaks and Santa services in December. Trains depart on the hour:
- April and September: daily 11:00–15:00
- May–August: daily 11:00–16:00
- February and October mid-term breaks: 11:00–15:00
Special-event dates vary and are published on the official website.
Tickets. Adults €14, children (3–12) €6, students and Golden Years €12, under-3s free. Family tickets run from €30 (2 adults + 1 child) to €42 (2 adults + 4 children), and there are group rates for parties of 20 or more. Book online ahead for weekends and events.
Getting there. By car, take the R680 from Waterford city, about 10km, to Kilmeadan Station (X91 DH93); parking is free. Bus Éireann route 354 from Waterford towards Portlaw passes the station – ask the driver to set you down there. The station sits directly on the Waterford Greenway, so it pairs neatly with a cycle.
Pick up the children’s treasure-hunt sheet at the ticket office before you board, and if the weather is kind, walk into Kilmeaden village afterwards or carry on along the Greenway.